KU, city of Lawrence to launch Good Neighbor program

LAWRENCE – For many University of Kansas students, the college experience includes living in an off-campus house or apartment in a Lawrence neighborhood, often alongside non-student residents and families.

With this in mind, KU has partnered with the city of Lawrence to create the Good Neighbor program, a new initiative to help students understand the responsibilities of living in Lawrence neighborhoods and how to be a good neighbor and community member.

The program kicks off Thursday, Aug. 16, with 50 volunteers from various KU fraternities canvassing the Oread Neighborhood – roughly defined as the area between Ninth and 17th streets, and between Louisiana and Vermont streets – which each year comprises a large number of KU students. The volunteers will deliver welcome bags filled with information on city ordinances regarding pets, bikes, parking, trash, noise, alcohol and other topics related to being a good neighbor and community member.

"We want students to understand that they're not only part of the KU community, but that they're also part of the larger Lawrence community," said Tim Caboni, vice chancellor for public affairs at KU. "The Good Neighbor program is designed to educate students on the responsibilities they have as citizens of Lawrence and to give them some basic tools to be good neighbors and community members."

In addition to helping students understand their responsibilities, the program is designed to help students understand their rights and access resources. The Good Neighbor welcome bag and website includes information on topics such as how to deal with landlords and how to stay safe while living Lawrence.

"For many students, this is the first time they've lived outside a residence hall or without parental supervision," said Jane Tuttle, assistant vice provost of student affairs at KU. "That can be challenging for some of them, so we want to make sure they have the information they need to live comfortably and safely."