The Ninos family at the “Jet.” From left, Chelly, John Jr., Angie, and John Sr.
By Sue Goetschius
Alfred University students say among the aspects about living in Alfred, NY, they value most are the community and the “safe environment.”
Neither happens by accident, particularly the safe environment.
After a particularly “eventful” Hot Dog Day several years ago, Scott Cicirello, then the chief of the Alfred Police Department, organized a meeting with Kathy Woughter ’93, vice president for student affairs, and John Dougherty, chief of public safety at AU, along with their counterparts at Alfred State College.
“Chief Cicirello wanted to be proactive, to try to avert problems in the future,” explains Woughter. The initial group became the Alfred Community Coalition (ACC) and expanded its membership to include representatives from both campuses and the town and village of Alfred.
Joining Woughter and Dougherty on the ACC are Dr. Norm Pollard, dean of students; Pam Schu, health and wellness educator; and student Nate Kisselburgh ’09.
The ACC is “dedicated to addressing issues that arise regarding students living in the Alfred community. The Coalition works proactively to reduce high-risk behaviors of students in the community. The Coalition is also committed to promoting responsible decision-making of college students and to educate students on their rights and responsibilities as good neighbors and citizens in the Village and Town of Alfred.”
Woughter sums it up more succinctly: “Our goal is to keep people safe.”
While emergency response plans to major incidents may be discussed, and efforts to promote responsible consumption of alcohol may be a perpetual topic, the ACC efforts go beyond that.
One area in which the ACC has found success is in improving tenant-landlord relationships, which seems to be a frequent source of contention in any college town. Alfred University now requires students to live on campus for three years. Before students are allowed to move off campus, they are required to complete a seminar detailing rights and responsibilities as tenants.
That has helped a great deal – students, for example, now should know what to look for in a lease – but what is also helping is a risk-management seminar for property-owners the ACC offered.
“I certainly changed my lease after going through the seminar,” said John Ninos Jr., who owns several properties he leases to students. Ninos received two awards during the first-ever community awards reception hosted by the ACC. In addition to a certificate for implementing good risk-management practices, Ninos earned the “Community Spirit Award.”
Another initiative supported by ACC and developed by Pollard is the use of mediation to resolve less serious disputes or issues that may arise, rather than taking students into court for alleged violations. The first group of mediators was trained earlier this year by the Center for Resolution and Justice in Olean, NY.
“We want students to understand they are community members, too, and to take pride in that fact,” says Woughter.
“Everything I know, I learned from them,” says John Ninos Jr., who today runs The ’Jet with his wife, Chelly. John Jr., who received the first-ever “Community Spirit” Award from the Alfred Community Coalition, says the lessons learned from his parents included the desire to be involved, to do things for the community.
Tags: Alfred Community Coalition, Alfred University, John Ninos, Kathy Woughter, Student Affairs
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