IUSA to inform about noise rules

The IU Student Association will give students a wake-up call regarding Bloomington's "Quiet Nights Initiative" starting next week and continuing through January.\nIUSA will hang fliers from the doors of off-campus student residences in hopes of informing them of their rights and obligations as Bloomington citizens. \nThe campaign is part of an ongoing effort to further student-community relations, IU Student Body President Casey Cox said.\n"We want to protect students more than anything," Cox said. "I think part of protecting them is educating them about being citizens in the community."\nBloomington launched the Quiet Nights Initiative two years ago. Under the ordinance, tenants face an official warning, a $50 fine or a charge of disorderly conduct for any noise heard beyond the limits of their property from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. according to the program's Web site. Noise from motorized vehicles is prohibited from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.\n"We're all for students having a good time," IUSA Community Relations Director Will Leckey said. "If they play within the rules, it's much less likely they (will) get in trouble."\nMembers of the Bloomington Police Department currently work overtime with emphasis on enforcing noise violations, according to the "Be a Good Neighbor" brochure put out by the IU Office of Communication and Marketing.\nCox described current literature on the matter as "very wordy" and said IUSA's pamphlets are more student-oriented.\nThough the ordinance is not an IUSA policy, the student government feels obligated to get the message to students, IUSA Press Secretary Scott Norman said.\n"As citizens of a community, it is important to stake a claim in what goes on here," Norman said.\nSome students have voiced complaints about the ordinance, citing bias against students in city politics and unfair targeting by the BPD, Cox said.\n"There has been some concern that students being targeted by 'Quiet Nights' are then being targeted for alcohol," Cox said. "If students feel like they're unnecessarily targeted, we can go to the city and say we feel like we're being pushed around too much."\nIUSA will soon provide off-campus students with information regarding zoning violations, and draft a proposal in support of the "Park and Ride" service, which allows students to park in Bryan Park and ride the bus to campus, Cox said. \n"This is one primary issue we picked to get the ball rolling on community relations," Cox said. "We're trying to set a different precedent and let the community know we're a vital part of the community"