Irked Neighbors May Affect Events

Following several noise complaints from neighbors following last month's homecoming dance, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) is planning on reviewing its event procedures to reduce any inconveniences in the future. Al Dea, UGBC president and CSOM '10, said that recent complaints levelled against the University may affect how large, open events such as Modstock are carried out this year.

As was reported in the Oct. 15 edition of The Heights, over 50 neighbors had raised complaints about the noise level of the homecoming dance during a neighborhood association meeting following the event. One Cleveland Circle resident turned video vigilante produced a YouTube video of his experience that Saturday night, when he traveled to BC to investigate the issue himself.

Dea said the UGBC will be more active in coming events, taking action to monitor the effect the events have on the community. "We're going to be sure to alert the neighbors that this event is taking place," he said. "We will also be sending people out to different parts of the campus to monitor the noise volume and to make sure that it doesn't get too loud."

The UGBC is planning on implementing these measures during the annual Modstock music festival, one of two of the UGBC's large outdoor events, the other being the homecoming dance. Modstock is scheduled to take place in the final weeks of the spring semester.

In response to rumors that Modstock will not take place because of the recent complaints, Dea said that preparation for the event will continue as planned. "We have always intended on having Modstock, and we still do," he said. "We just have to be more conscientious."

Mark Miceli, assistant dean for the student programs office, said that he has not yet heard any conversation at the administration level that would indicate any issues with Modstock. "It hasn't crossed my radar," he said. "But we will do our due diligence and homework in planning it," he said.

Miceli said that because of the nature of Modstock's budget, the planning schedule is shorter than usual. "We usually use the funds that are left over at the end of every year to fund Modstock," he said. "We don't have a lot of time to schedule it." Planning is scheduled to begin after spring break, Miceli said, which is typical of most years.

Before hosting the event, however, the University will have to apply for a permit from the City of Boston - a process that can go awry if the proper steps are not taken. "We want to make sure that we're taking a few precautions and keep in mind what happened with the BC neighbors," Dea said. Since it is an afternoon event, Modstock isn't likely to present the same issues as those of the Homecoming dance, Miceli said. "I don't think it's going to be the same situation," he said.

When asked if recent community complaints surrounding the University's Institutional Master Plan (IMP) could have contributed to the large amount of complaints, Dea said that though it is a difficult matter to quantify, he wouldn't rule it out. "There are people in the neighborhood who are very proud of the fact that they live here and think it's their own place," he said.

Other externalities, like the neighbor's YouTube video and a Boston Globe article published on Oct. 14 regarding the issue, could have aroused greater animosity, Dea said. "That could have had some effect," he said. "The fact that the video was accessible to everybody could have contributed to that."

Many of the concerns, however, are legitimate, Dea said. "It's understandable … if someone has a family and has young children, and they're getting woken out of bed at 1 a.m., that's not good."