The City Council in early October voted to allow city officials to more aggressively enforce occupancy limits on the rental properties throughout Ames. This action was due largely in response to the complaints of many residents in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. The residents have problems with noise levels, the lack of world peace, parties, public urination, parking and the West Nile virus. After much research and growing resentment, they decided that students were the root of all evil and should be expelled from “their” neighborhoods whenever the opportunity presents itself.

So, beginning Nov. 1, many students who live off-campus have come under attack. The housing enforcers of Ames are going about discovering any house that is over-occupied, despite students’ efforts to hide their vicious law-breaking. Fines will be levied on the criminals in any such structure, and hearts will be broken as housemates, those who have already spent months stealing each other’s food and uniformly ignoring household chores like taking out the garbage, are forced to find another place to live. Though countless tears will be shed, we can’t have anybody not conforming with occupancy limits.

Seriously now, I don’t expect city residents to put up with harassment or any other torment from college students, or anyone else for that matter. One woman who lived near Campustown told of how her children would be awakened time and again at night by the drunken students next door yelling randomly throughout the night. And the bottom line is, there is no way she, or anyone, should have to tolerate such behavior. However, I think city residents are a little disillusioned by their growing dislike for most college students.

The city has ordinances restricting the number of unrelated people who can live in a house together, depending on the zoning district the house is located in. But the city has been lax on enforcing this for years, allowing over-occupancy to become widespread.

Instead of throwing students out of their homes because the city finally is deciding to enforce a little-used ordinance, perhaps officials should just focus on ensuring that all houses conform to occupancy limits next fall when new leases are signed. Believe it or not, students are quite strapped financially. Many have to dig a huge financial hole to keep attending Iowa State, and now there will be another unexpected burden. It will be difficult for us to cover a monthly rent that was once divided five ways but is now only split between three residents.

An even bigger problem with this new approach than the increased financial burden is the simple fact that this won’t really help solve any of the other problems. If there is one less girl or guy in the house next door, how will that help decrease littering or vandalism in the neighborhood? Do the occupants of these neighborhoods really think that a house with four people instead of five won’t throw large parties?

This is a college town. Sometimes I think the citizens of Ames forget that. This doesn’t mean that we have a license to destroy the city and harass the residents, but it does mean that students will want to get together. Parties are still going to occur. Large groups of young people are still going to congregate.

Now, I really doubt the area neighborhood associations are so disillusioned to expect that this outrageous and blatantly incorrect cause-and-effect of stricter enforcement of occupancy will cure all ills. Perhaps the solution that some residents are looking for is to rid neighborhoods of students altogether.

Residents have complained about students’ motorcycles being too loud. They have complained about them staying up too late and having too many people over. They have complained about plastic cups lying in yards and beer cans on porches. Efforts are even being made in some areas to buy houses currently rented out to students and to sell them back to families. Would these efforts be taken if there was somebody else next door?

Nobody is asking residents to sit back idly while they feel they are being wronged. I have heard many contentions that residents are not “anti-student.” I wonder if this is entirely true. Our lifestyles admittedly don’t exactly match up, but that doesn’t mean the way we live is inherently evil. And, believe it or not, the lifestyles of students can differ from one group to another.

Are there any college students in the city of Ames who residents would not have problems living next to? I wonder if any of them can honestly say yes.

Dustin Kass is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Dubuque.