Residents upset with student behavior in neighborhoods around UNCW

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Some Wilmington residents are calling it a battle they have been fighting for years. They say they are dealing with what they call unruly students in residential neighborhoods surrounding UNCW.

For years the UNCW Wilmington Community Alliance has been holding meetings to go over the various concerns. At Wednesday night’s meeting, things got a little heated.

The university says they are doing what they can while residents say UNCW is not doing enough.

Neal Shulman is one of many who says the students are not properly informed of the rules and regulations for the city. Shulman even printed up a survey and sent it to Gov. Roy Cooper.

However university leaders and those in the UNCW Wilmington Community Alliance disagree.

“This group has been working tirelessly over many years to address and confront many of the same issues that any university and a college town confronts,” Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Michael Walker said. “Trash, parking, noise, alcohol.”

But it is not only that residents are concerned about, it is also the way they say students treat those who live on Rose Avenue.

“We’ve just had our entire lives have been turned upside down,” resident Ocean Mihal said. “By behaviors of people who just don’t seem to care.”

And when Ocean and her mother Sandra call police on rowdy students they say it only gets worse.

“We’ve had people defecate on the porch. We’ve had people come over and spray paint an angel statue I gave my mother that she really loved. We’ve had people put bicycles in trees and we’ve woke up to goats next door,” Mihal said.

University leaders say all students are made aware of the rules, but whether or not they follow them is up to them.

Sophomore and fraternity member Vaughn Burgess says while they may cause noise it is not only students causing the problem.

“Oh there’s definitely some contribution of course. I mean like they said there’s definitely some instances where people are getting a little too rowdy. But I definitely don’t believe we’re the main problem,” Burgess said.

Several concerns are currently being addressed by the university with the help of the City of Wilmington Code Enforcement and the Wilmington Police Department.

But residents still believe more needs to be done.

“UNCW has to step up and suspend some of them so that they’re afraid to this behavior because it’s not going to change,” Sandra Mihal said.

The university says they are continuing to crack down on those breaking the law. The City of Wilmington Code Enforcement even hired two more people in March so that they could keep a closer eye on the area.

If you have something to report you are asked to call (910) 341-3266.