Respect and Get to Know The Berkeley Neighborhood

For those of us who live in Berkeley, there is nothing like the weeks in early fall when UC Berkeley students pour back into the city. While it may mean a longer wait at the movie theater, suddenly the city is alive with activity, youth and excitement.

UC Berkeley has a long tradition of public service, and UC Berkeley students contribute thousands of hours to our community, helping the needy and improving the lives of children and families. In the process, they also receive a valuable learning experience, new skills and friendships and the respect of a grateful community.

Students also have an impact on a neighborhood level. Thousands of students live within a mile radius of the campus, but so do seniors, families with children, and working single adults.

Student lifestyles are often different from those of their neighbors—students study and socialize late into the evening; they may walk down to Telegraph Avenue and back to their apartments or dorms late at night, talking loudly with friends or into their cell phones. It may not occur to these students that their neighbors are asleep and must get up early the next morning or that not everyone in the neighborhood wants to party at 1:00 am.

On behalf of long-term residents, we ask students to respect the needs and rights of others in our community.

Please turn down your music and sidewalk conversations at night. Keep the party inside your apartment, co-op or house and monitor the behavior of your guests. New city ordinances can result in your receiving heavy fines if you host a party that becomes a public nuisance due to loud noise or underage use of alcohol. You could also receive campus sanctions.

Littering and dumping of furniture and trash on city sidewalks and streets is not only disrespectful to your community it is also against the law. Please help us keep our neighborhoods clean and orderly.

Take the effort to meet and get to know your neighbors. You might want to join the local neighborhood association or take part in a neighborhood crime watch group. It’s a great way to build relationships with your neighbors while enhancing your own safety.

Berkeley is a vibrant, diverse and beautiful city with many recreational areas and cultural venues for you to enjoy.

We invite you to become part of the larger community and we hope you have a great year at Berkeley!

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