The Daily Bulletin Archive

A group of Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff will descend upon nearby streets on Friday afternoon to promote togetherness with neighbors. One thousand door hangers will be distributed to residents to the immediate south and west of campus, informing neighbors how to work with the city, college, and one another to foster a caring community.

According to Charles Kenyon, dean of students, the idea is modeled on a recent University at Buffalo initiative, where 4,000 similar door hangers were distributed in response to incidents of crime near the university’s south campus. Kenyon has worked with University Police, the College and Community Partnerships Office, and the College Relations Office during the past month to craft the information.

“We’re striving for better collaboration with the community and are trying to be good neighbors,” he said. “This is a proactive effort on our part. We want to remind neighbors that we’re in the neighborhood, that we’re partnering with authorities, and that we encourage safety and responsibility.”

One side of the door hanger addresses students who live off campus. The messages encourage students to keep noise down, get to know neighbors, pick up litter, leave an outside light on at night, and report crime. They also promote safety by reminding students to drive sober, travel with a companion, and lock doors and windows.

The other side addresses members of the community by offering city and college phone numbers that can be helpful in the event of an emergency, noise disturbance, parking issue, or other dispute. Phone numbers include the Mayor’s Call and Resolution Line, nearby police and fire departments, Buffalo State College Counseling Center, Dean of Students Office, and more.

The hangers will be distributed along Rees Street between Forest Avenue and Rockwell Road; along Elmwood Avenue between Bird and Potomac avenues; and in the area bounded by Grant Street and Forest, Elmwood, and Bird avenues.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to help in the efforts by gathering in the Campbell Student Union at 3:00 p.m. on Friday before traveling in groups to nearby residences.

“As a member of this community, we believe—as you do—that everyone is responsible for keeping our neighborhood safe, clean, and vibrant,” the door hanger reads. “Together, as neighbors, we can work to make our communities safer and better places to live.”