Living in the Community

September 22, 2004

Living in the Community

by Mary Somers

	Constable Stephanie Hussey of HRM's Community Liaison Police delivers booklets to Dalhousie students Andrew Short and Spencer Healey on Pepperell Street. (Abriel photo)

Fall 2004 is a learning experience - not just for the thousands of students at Dalhousie and the University of King's College, but for the new portfolio of Community Relations in Communications and Marketing. Among the first assignments, deliver 6,000 flyers and booklets door-to-door to six large areas of the city - areas with high concentrations of students.

Between August 24 and the middle of September, students and neighbours received the flyer, Report to the Community, and Living in the Halifax Community: A Guide for Students. The report details some of the work of the Dalhousie University Community Committee (DUCC) over the past six months, while the booklet provides students with information on how to manage their garbage, how to rent an apartment and how to be a good neighbour. The DUCC was set up last year by President Tom Traves to help improve the relationship between Dalhousie and its neighbours.

"We are beginning a process of educating our students about their responsibilities while living in the community," says Eric McKee, Vice-President (Student Services) and DUCC member. "The majority of our students are responsible people. Most are eager to learn to be part of the community. Sometimes there are students who take their partying a little too far or need to be reminded of how heir behaviour affects those around them. Our objective is to educate our students on their obligations to the community."