The Georgetown University Student Rights Initiative reported last week that SNAP was filming well-behaved students in the neighborhood in an effort to garner support for the campus plan.

According to an incident report, SNAP approached four students in their backyard at 10:23pm on Saturday, 16 April 2011. The students asked them why they were being filmed and SNAP explained they were filming their activities to show the neighbors they were were being tough on student misconduct.

The students ascertained that they were accused of no violations, but SNAP asked to record the students anyway as part of a presentation on the 2010 Campus Plan. SNAP promised to blur the faces of the students in the video. The students then refused and reported the incident to GUSRI.

GUSRI calls the act “a new low” for the University, claiming that this kind of video could potentially be used against a student in a sanctions hearing. The University, for its part, defends the filming.

“We are proud of the SNAP program and its success in the neighborhood areas where the university continues to work on enhancing safety, security and quality of life. SNAP is one of many university programs being filmed for a variety of purposes,” wrote Rachel Pugh, University director of media relations, in an e-mail. “We are sensitive to protecting the privacy of our students and will continue to take appropriate action to protect the privacy of all those involved in this filming.”

A group of Georgetown students launched stopcrimenotparties.com on Sunday, giving students the opportunity to report encounters with local residents, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Department of Public Safety, and the Student Neighbor Assistance Program.

The website’s goal? To document any instances of “questionable behavior” observed by students during those encounters — especially in the wake of an amended disorderly conduct law that outlaws any loud noise between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that could be considered “likely to disturb one or more persons in their residence.”

Although no students have been arrested under the law since it took effect last month, it inspired the site’s launch.

“Obviously the new noise law means that things are changing a bit,” Adam Mortillaro (COL ’12), one of the founders of the site, said. “We just want to keep an eye on this as the ordinance moves forward.”

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Last Thursday, the Burleith Citizens’ Association held its annual meeting.  Yes, annual.

“One per year? I love it!” exclaimed guest of honor Mayor Adrian Fenty (D). “That’s unprecedented, at least in D.C.”

With only one meeting per year, the agenda was pretty packed, with Burleithers (Burleithians?) discussing everything from 61-D citations to the University’s ten-year plan, parking changes, D.C. Public Schools and cracking down on neglectful landlords.

MPD and 61-Ds: Lieutenant John Hedgecock, who has been in charge of West Georgetown and Burleith since early August, talked about the neighborhood’s crime stats and how the Metropolitan Police Department has been using 61-D citations.

When Hedgecock announced that issuing 61-Ds has been “very effective in quelling parties,” the crowd broke out in applause.  According to Hedgecock, once MPD receives a call, they assume that there’s been a breach of the peace.  If they observe a party and the noise “is too much for a residential area,” they will issue a 61-D citation to the person on the lease of the house or in charge of the party.

Hedgecock says while last year there were six “problem houses” in the area (four in West Georgetown and two in Burleith), this year there is only one.

“When we see a party starting, we put an end to it or advise them what will happen,” Hedgecock said.

One neighbor voiced concerns about the citations saddling students with a criminal record; Hedgecock replied that those who receive 61-Ds can contest them in court.

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