First, I apologize for the caps in the title, but sometimes schizo Matt makes me press the button, not to mention it unnecessarily adds emphasis to the word “loud.”
Come Friday or Saturday Night in the CU kids love to indulge in their own “caps lock” button for a little extra !! in life. Most often this comes in the form of a stereo’s volume nob. Whether it’s blasting a little of The Boss to start things off right, bringing down the house with the latest Timbaland produced track, or making your neighbor’s dishes shake off the shelves with some Justice beats, music can test the decibel tolerance of everyone around a party. Loud tunes can get you into big trouble or just deliver a slap to the wrist depending on where you live on campus.
I spent my first two years as an Illini living in Champaign. Obviously living in a dorm makes a student more aware of common decency when it comes to noise pollution, and most RA’s are pretty similar in how they deal with something like that. “Shut the hell up.” Things really only start to differ when kids make their way out into the world of apartments and rented houses. Champaign and Urbana have completely different ways of dealing with noise violations on their respective sides of campus. Curiously enough, it is the town better known for housing the musically inclined serving students the harshest fines.
I lived in a small three bedroom apartment last year on First and John. My roommate and I threw numerous parties ranging from 60+ people to a small crowd of 10-15. Regardless of the party’s attendance we would always try to have good music playing (loudly). Unfortunately some neighbors that adamantly insisted on remaining anonymous (they never once had the decency to just come to our door and ask that the music be turned down) would call the police within five minutes of the start of any excessive noise. I’m not talking about the middle of the week where people could have tests or papers due. These losers would call on Friday and Saturday nights every time! It got to the point where my roommate and I were going to walk door to door and figure out who the haters were, and we would have if not for the way Champaign deals with loud music on campus.
Ever been visited by the “Party Patrol”? It’s quite the experience. Two people, usually chill dudes, show up at your door wearing blue reflector vests with a noise complaint sheet. The sheet says someone in the building is “unhappy” with your use of audio equipment and you are required to turn your music down. This is the good part: Only one roommate has to sign per Party Patrol visit. It takes three Party Patrol visits for the police to show up, but ONLY if it is for the same roommate each time! Thanks to that loop hole we were able to throw lots of loud parties without ever paying a fine, not to mention turning the volume up after the party patrol leaves is really easy to pull off.
Please note: if the loud music is being played after the Party Patrol stops running, you will have police at your door.
That same year I discovered the beauty and chill that is Urbana East of Lincoln. The decision to move there this year was easy. People seem nicer, there is a welcome lack of trash underfoot, frats are few and far between, and it feels like a real neighborhood. Little did I know that Urbana Police are some of the most hard core party haters out there! I know several different people that have been served “warnings” that mark their home as a loud residence. If that home receives another noise complaint within a couple months, residents are required to pay a fine of over $300. There is no party patrol in Urbana. There is no nice little complaint sheet. There are however, stern faced police men and women that seem to jones for underage drinkers. After a party I threw in which, I will admit, the noise was excessive I received a “warning.” The policewoman who issued it to me seemed nice but I think that was just because I have ridiculous good looks and charm (and I’m 21). I would have been ok with the visit if I didn’t walk out onto my balcony 5 minutes later and watch that same cop, along with 6 of her buddies manhandle a student to the ground. Barring he did something really wrong, what I saw was a bit rough.
Anyways, WOW, no fun parties for two months! I hope my neighbors are anonymously happy. If you are reading this, Go to Hell.
