UMD Students Continue Service Work in the Aftermath of Controversial Ordinances

Chadeya Miller (left), a Junior Computer Engineering major, and Zachary Heckman, a Sophomore Computer Science major, pick up trash on Hartwick Road.

Every Sunday morning, students from various groups and Greek organizations split into groups and walk the streets of Old Town. Equipped with garbage bags and gloves, the students pick up litter and clean up the streets, sometimes left over after a night of partying.

When Matthew Muccio first started participating as a sophomore, he said the entire group was maybe 10 to 20 people. On Sunday, the senior computer science major was one of more than 40 students helping out, which participants said was one of the largest groups in recent memory.

The turnout comes just weeks after the College Park City Council unanimously passed a controversial ordinance on Sept. 24 prohibiting “unruly social gatherings.”

The ordinance redefines “unruly social gatherings” as parties of eight or more persons where underage drinking or other violations occur, or a substantial disturbance of peace is committed, leaving residents and landlords open to fines from the city.

Muccio said he thinks the recent controversy will do little in affecting the project’s progress and goals of community outreach. He said events like the Clean City Project have done a lot to help mend the relationship between community and students.

“I think students, at the end of the day, respect the environment and community over picking sides, ” Muccio said.

The Clean City Project, a collaboration between the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association, started with the intention of helping mend community tensions with students through acts of service and more communication.

Since it began, the project has grown to encompass more student organizations, such as the Student Government Association, and involve more students in community outreach.

Aashish Parekh, a senior chemical engineering major and president of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, was one of about 60 people that spoke during the Sept. 24 council meeting against the ordinance, asking the council to solicit more student feedback before making a decision.

Parekh said he has faith in both the Greek community and student community that they will continue with the clean-up efforts, despite the council’s decision.

“This is not even an hour of my time to walk around with my friends and pick up trash,” he said. “It’s not a big deal for me, but it is a really helpful thing for the community.”

District 3 council member John Rigg said programs like the Clean City Project have helped boost the image some city residents have of students. He said the program allows for more student visibility and communication between student residents and their local neighbors.

“It is something that the community has really noticed,” Rigg said. “[Programs like these] have changed perceptions of those certain groups in the community's eyes.”

Caroline Tumulty-Ollema, a freshman journalism major, said the Clean City Project shows other city residents that students aren’t just interested in partying, that they also want to create more of a community.

“We all live here,” Tumulty-Ollemar said. “We should respect the place we live in. No one wants to be walking around in a place that’s full of trash.”