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Keeping a Strong Off-Campus Connection

Council gives BC students opportunity to build community ties

By Melissa Beecher | Chronicle Staff

Noah Meissner ’10 was troubled when some of his Boston College friends were disciplined last year by the University for hosting a party in their off-campus apartment. But then he found a perfect outlet for his feelings: He went to administrators and volunteered to represent BC students living off campus.

Within a month, Meissner was active in the Off Campus Council, a group that had recently been established by the Office of the Dean for Student Development to give off-campus BC students a voice.

“It was one of those situations where you could be unhappy, sit and gripe about it, or try to work to improve it,” said Meissner, who lived off campus last year. “Most students who live off campus are interested in finding ways to enjoy their free time without running afoul of the administrators or neighbors.”

Now in its second full academic year, the Off Campus Council has established the Eagle Ambassador Program, which enables a select group of students to act as point people in local neighborhoods, and plan and coordinate community events — thereby benefiting both student-neighbor relations and students’ quality of life, administrators say.

“Last year, I was probably the closest thing there was to an Eagle Ambassador,” says Meissner. “A group of students really made an effort to organize, do small outreach projects and have street representatives so there could be more of a dialogue with other members of the community.

“Of course, it’s still a work in progress, but I think we were all amazed this year at the number of people who turned out to be a part of the program.”

Assistant Dean of Student Development Judith Robinson says the Eagle Ambassador program — which currently has 30 students — reflects BC’s concerted effort to ensure students living off campus feel connected to the University community, and to the larger community as well. The number of students who have shown interest in the program indicates that maintaining such connections is important to them, she said.

“The Off Campus Council and the Eagle Ambassadors take a really proactive approach to neighborhood issues,” said Robinson. “For many of our students, this is their first experience living independently in a neighborhood. These programs are a way for us to offer assistance with this new experience, to help them understand what it means to be a neighbor and a contributing member of a larger community.”

Robinson cites the success of off-campus events like the Taste of Off Campus in September, where more than 400 students, business owners, neighbors and administrators gathered to socialize and taste some of Allston-Brighton’s best cuisine. Efforts like the Breakfast Club — in which students volunteer on Sunday mornings to pick up trash in their community — or volunteer opportunities through the Boston College Neighborhood Center are some of the visible ways students make a positive impact in the neighborhoods, Robinson said.

“We got t-shirts with the word ‘volunteer’ on them for students to wear while they are working so neighbors don’t think they’re doing some kind of punishment,” said Robinson. “It is important for people to see that students are making the decision to volunteer their time for the betterment of the community. They take ownership of community issues.”

Meissner said students are excited to participate in a pumpkin carving contest scheduled for later this month and an annual Christmas lights competition, where students decorate the outside of their apartments for the holiday season.

“I really believe these types of activities bring more people into the fold, and have students and neighbors interact over something positive,” said Meissner.

Melissa Beecher can be reached at melissa.beecher@bc.edu