More than 100 volunteers walk neighborhoods throughout the city
Rutgers staff and students joined the city of New Brunswick recently to welcome students living off-campus and encourage them to be good neighbors to residents who live in the city all year.
The Sept. 3 gathering marked the third anniversary of the annual Good Neighbor event, drawing more than 100 volunteers who walked neighborhoods near the campus, welcomed off-campus students to the city, passed out information about the importance of keeping property neat and safe and encouraged students to get to know their neighbors.
“The purpose of the Good Neighbor program is to foster a sense of community and connection between students and permanent residents,” said Richard Edwards, chancellor of Rutgers University-New Brunswick and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We understand that our students are members of the community.”
“This is all about making this a better neighborhood, and that’s sometimes hard when you have so many students who are transitioning into and out of the neighborhood,” said Glenn Patterson, the city’s director of planning and development.
The volunteers met in the Red Lion Café, and were divided into 25 teams of three to five people, with each team including either a police officer or student community service officer.
Team 2 was led by Robert Klink, a senior criminal justice major from Warren who was joined by Kristine Baffo, a senior political science major from Franklin Township and the new president of the Rutgers University Student Assembly, and Halston Fleming, a new Student Affairs staffer.
At first, the three were tentative about approaching a house. Who would knock? Klink suggested Baffo take the lead. “Come on,” he told her. “You’re a poli sci major. You have to know how to knock on doors.”
“You want me to knock with you?” Fleming asked her. “Come on, I’ll give you moral support.”
Baffo quickly overcame her shyness, smiling whenever a door was opened. The welcomes were warm, with residents assuring the team that they had already met their neighbors. They said they understood about taking precautions against crime and fire and keeping music, noise and parties within reasonable limits.
“This is a great thing you’re doing,” Kathleen Joyce, a sophomore anthropology major from East Brunswick told the team when she met them on the street. “This place is full of kids who don’t know the first thing about living off campus. They set their trash out too early, don’t always know about the ordinances, that sort of thing.”
Joyce herself is living off-campus for the first time, and looking forward to it. “I had a choice,” she said. “I could have a car and commute, or I could be here with my friends. I’m here.”
For inquiries, contact Ken Branson, Media Relations, at 848-932-0580 or kbranson@ucm.rutgers.edu. (cell: 908-797-2590)