Tempe is reviewing feedback for drafted amendments to the city code that could increase the fines for noise complaints, presenting another possible obstacle in ASU's party culture.
Tempe's Nuisance Ordinance Council Subcommittee is reviewing the drafts relating to "Nuisances and Property Enhancement and Nuisance Parties and Unlawful Gatherings," according to the city of Tempe website. Comments for the amendments closed on March 16.
The amendment's main changes are its fines for noise complaints – the first response fee for police service regarding noise violations doubled from $250 to $500, the second response fee increased from $1,000 to $1,500 and the third, and any other following responses, went from around $1,500 to up to $4,000.
The amendments address what is, in the eyes of some University students, a very pertinent issue within the area surrounding the Tempe campus.
"I moved to a side of the street where I'm closer down to the street, but I'm also right on Myrtle, so I can hear a lot of what goes down," said Ava Hoelzen, a freshman studying theatre and a resident at the oLiv Tempe Apartments. "There's lots of cars honking, people screaming, especially on the weekends. I think it has gotten louder."
Hoelzen said noise is expected in a city like Tempe, given its proximity to the University, but the amount of noise could still be better managed.
"It gets to a point where if you're screaming or if you're yelling and stuff, there's no need for that," Hoelzen said. "It can just be brought down to more of a manageable level."
However, for Greek life, such as the University's Interfraternity Council (IFC), the proposed changes would exacerbate a pre-existing challenge.
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"With fraternities, we want to host social events," said Keegan Combs, the president of the IFC and a senior studying biological sciences and economics. "It definitely is difficult, because some of these policies are pretty strict, and a lot of the way our houses are set up is that a lot of these social events are being hosted in residential neighborhoods."
These difficulties have prompted Combs and the rest of the IFC to look for solutions by searching for other places to host events.
"The IFC is trying to work with ASU to come up with some sort of way to host these events on ASU's campus somewhere," Combs said. "The fraternities wouldn't have to worry about fines. We wouldn't have to worry about disturbing neighbors."
But, Combs noted that making these changes has been a tedious process, involving a lot of "back and forth" and "a bunch of maybes."
Until progress is made on this front, adaptation seems to be the best current step forward for Greek life at ASU, in the eyes of Combs.
"We're going to make sure we're educating our chapters on proper risk management policies," Combs said. "How you can host social events and still be a good neighbor."
Adapting to these noise restrictions has become a focus for organizations outside of the Tempe campus as well, and that capitalize on the party culture of the area.
"We just really were super big on making sure that people were respectful and that the neighboring establishments were respected," said Michael Gulley, the owner of Top Floor, a party entertainment service based in Arizona. "We'll have our security in place to make sure that people aren't wandering and doing things that they're not supposed to."
However, Gulley, who is a sophomore studying finance, said even with the precautions he and his team make, complaints are still raised at times, hindering his business.
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"I've just dealt with some not easygoing cops, where they were just looking for any reason to shut us down," Gulley said. "I've been told that we were violating the noise ordinance."
Now, with the potential increase in fines and penalties for noise violations, Gulley has had to plan for future instances of dealing with these complaints and negotiating payment for them, if they are raised.
"That's something that probably would have to be negotiated with the owners," Gulley said. "At the end of the day, depending on what they're expecting to host or to invite people in for, they have to take that risk."
Both Gulley and Combs did express their understanding of the need for noise restrictions and their enforcement within the Tempe area.
"I don't want to cause any issues with anybody," Gulley said. "I like to be respectful. I understand that everybody has a job to do. I have a job to do myself."
Gulley and Combs also said there was a unique contradiction that the strict restrictions pose, given ASU's "party school reputation," Combs said.
"The attractiveness of Greek life at ASU has been decreasing, relative to like Alabama or other big Greek life schools, because of how strict the city of Tempe has been on these parties," Combs said.
Gulley furthered this point, highlighting the impact of party life on drawing people into ASU and fostering a sense of belonging for students.
"There's nothing wrong with it, as long as you're doing it in a safe environment, as long as you're respecting those around you and taking care of those around you," Gulley said.
However, for students living in these party hotspots surrounding campus, combining the party culture with a respectful noise environment is equally important.
"You can still have fun without being that loud," Hoelzen said. "They can go hand in hand. I think many residents would actually really appreciate that."
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at sluba@asu.edu and follow @samluba6 on X.
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Sam is a freshman studying political science with a minor in justice studies. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked as editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper.
