Creating a stronger community on and off campus

Creating a stronger community on and off campus

Student leaders seek better student-neighbor relations and to make campus more welcoming

New student body president Joshua Copley urges University of Cincinnati students to be better neighbors.

Students can do it by hosting or getting involved in community events, organizing safe and smart off-campus parties and building stronger connections to the neighborhoods near the UC campus they call home, says Copley.

"Improving off-campus relations between students and nearby neighborhoods is one of my passions," says Copley, a third-year student from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in criminal justice and political science.

Copley lives in the CUF neighborhood - a name derived from the communities of Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview - which surrounds UC to the south and west of the Uptown campus. It's a heavily student residential area.

Party smart and safely

The two student leaders are hoping to build upon the Party Smart initiative promoted by UC's Student Wellness Center that encourages students to make lower-risk choices around alcohol and other drugs by providing resources and safety training.

They also brought an idea to the University Cincinnati of the Department of Public Safety (UCDPS) and the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) to develop a registry program in which students living in one of the neighborhoods surrounding campus could undergo safe party training and be entered into a registration system with the department. For students in the registry, public safety will remind them of their safe party training if problems arise. The proposal is in the exploratory stage right now.

"If you register your party and you get a noise complaint, the dispatch would call you and say, 'Hey, we got this complaint,'" says Copley. "'We'll be there in like 20 minutes.' If there is no noise, it's like getting a get-out-of-a-ticket-free card."

Copley completed an internship with UCDPS during the summer after his sophomore year and got a chance to see how campus public safety operates firsthand to keep students safe on campus. He also serves as co-president of the Criminal Justice Society. The experiences coupled with his volunteerism for the CUF Neighborhood Association, the Community Action Team and work with the UC Center for Community Engagement spurred his interest in better town-gown relations.

Wilani Alicea and Joshua Copley in courtyard near Teachers-Dyer Complex at the University of Cincinnati. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

Copley says the goal is to show permanent residents in nearby neighborhoods that students can have events safely. Student leaders are working to create more off-campus events that appeal to both students and permanent residents.

This could be music events on U Square on Calhoun Street - a popular eating and recreational space for students and others who live nearby. Another idea is better use of green spaces for activities like a free yoga class at Bellevue Hill Park located off Ohio Street or Pringle Park off of Dennis Street.

"We connect UC students with the permanent residents, and they would work together in creating an event that students and others want to go to," says Copley. "There's more interlap, there's more building connections and fostering the community itself."

Student leaders also wish to create and publish an off-campus guide packed with tidbits of information for new renters. It might have everything from dates of trash pickup to how to change an air filter in your first apartment off-campus.

"That guide is going to be very comprehensive so that students will pull it out when it's needed," says Copley.

Building a better community on campus

Alicea says being a new student in college can be overwhelming. She would like to see the student government continuing to find ways to support various student populations that might benefit from a profound welcome.

"I would like to see more advocacy for international students in hopes of improving the student life experience for our students," says Alicea. "I know they are a very large aspect of the campus and making sure that their needs are being met is very important. I think our campus really benefits from having them here."

During the fall 2024 semester, UC enrolled 4,616 international students from 133 countries.

Alicea says she would also like to find ways to support the CPS Strong Initiative, which is designed to encourage more graduates of Cincinnati Public Schools to attend UC for higher education. Many of those students like others on campus are first-generation students, meaning they are first in their families to attend college and face unique challenges in navigating higher education.

Another initiative that Alicea hopes to see more support for is greater involvement in Green Dot, an innovative approach to violence prevention, specifically gender-based harassment and/or violence. Student leaders have also been working with bars that surround the UC campus through promotion of the Clifton Heights Music Festival activities.

"I've seen a very large impact on using Green Dot access, especially when students are participating in the nightlife business districts around campus," says Alicea. "It's very important to keep our Bearcats safe and make sure that while they are having fun, they can do it safely."

Wilani Alicea is student body vice president at the University of Cincinnati in March. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

Keeping the focus on students

Finding ways to promote eco-friendly tailgating and working to encourage growth for the Bearcats Pantry are two areas that would benefit students, says Alicea. She adds that providing recycling bins for student groups and making them available for tailgating activities can keep spaces clean and improve recycling efforts.

"We are really passionate about the Bearcats Pantry," says Alicea. "I know there is food insecurity on campus."

During the 2023-24 school year, the Bearcats Pantry served 2,200 individual users more than 9,400 times. It has satellite locations on the Uptown campus in the College of Allied Health Sciences and the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. Alicea hopes locations might be added in the colleges of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning and the College-Conservatory of Music.

Alicea says among the best ways to build community is to get involved. She is part of the CECH Tribunal Executive Board, Women in Criminal Justice, Women in Law and the Ohio Innocence Project - University Chapter.

"I was a commuter student my first year and I remember thinking, 'How do I connect?'" says Alicea. "I have managed to now get involved and flourish because there are so many ways. We have almost 700 student organizations and that's exciting. There's a space for everyone.

"If you need help or have a concern, reach out. Our office is 655 Steger and our door is always open," explains Alicea.

Featured top image of Joshua Copley and Wilani Alicea by Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

Student leaders Joshua Copley and Wilani Alicea are hoping to create stronger community on campus and help students living off campus be better neighbors. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.

Become a Bearcat

Whether you're a first-generation student or from a family of Bearcats, UC is proud to support you at every step along your journey. We want to make sure you succeed - and feel right at home.

Related Stories