Duke fraternity parties bedevil Durham neighborhood. Residents seek action.

Neshama Littman says Duke students’ off-campus parties in her Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhood are hurting residents’ quality of life.

Five houses on her street, rented by Duke University students in Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, have been hosting parties with hundreds of people.

“I watched someone stumble into my yard and pee on my bushes, and when my neighbor said something to them they shouted obscenities at her,” Littman said. “My son and I just wanted to have a restful Saturday.”

Residents say loud music goes on day and night. Partygoers block traffic, litter the block with red Solo cups, trespass into neighbors’ yards to throw up and/or urinate, and drive away under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

More than 260 people in the neighborhood have now petitioned the Durham City Council to take action and enforce ordinances that would stop the fraternity’s house parties from getting too wild.

According to the petition, “these fraternity houses are a public nuisance, which repeatedly violate the city’s noise ordinances, obstruct traffic, serve alcohol, allow littering, permit the use of illegal drugs, allow its members or guests to trespass on neighboring property, and otherwise disturb the peace and right to quiet enjoyment of the neighborhood.”

The parties have been taking place for years, residents say.

‘Drunkenness all around’

Susan Sewell is a board member of the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhood. She recalled a 2008 party where a “slip-and-slide was built and everyone was out with drunkenness all around.”

The parties are usually clustered at the beginning of the school year during “rush” and at the end of each semester. Rush is when fraternities and sororities recruit students to join their Greek letter organizations.

“People are getting so drunk that they’re passing out in someone’s driveway down the road or throwing up,” Sewell said. “It’s dangerous and unpleasant for the neighbors.”

Since 2010, the Durham Police Department has been called to the five houses more than 150 times for noise complaints or disturbances, according to public information requested by The News & Observer.

Sewell and others have also contacted Duke University about the parties over the years. But the school disaffiliated itself with Greek organization and does not recognize the group as a student organization.

“We expect all Duke students to be respectful neighbors and good citizens in the community,” Michael Schoenfeld, Duke’s vice president for Public Affairs and Government Relations, said in a statement reported by CBS17. “Students who live off-campus must observe local laws and ordinances just like any other resident, and we will hold individuals responsible for conduct that violates university policies.”

Holding individuals responsible

In a statement reported by multiple media outlets, the Alpha Delta Phi national office wrote it does not own, lease or manage property in Durham.

“While some chapter members may be among students renting private homes, we encourage neighbors to take concerns to the properties’ owner,” the statement continued. “The fraternity supports holding individuals found responsible for misconduct accountable for their actions.”

Littman received a text from an unidentified member of Alpha Delta Phi apologizing after a recent party “quickly got out of hand.”

“We struggled to manage people and are so sorry for the unacceptable conduct of some people who showed up and [are] very sorry about the noise levels,” the text read. “However, we have been talking over the past few days and realize now that we are not able to effectively manage a party in this area.”

“We have communicated to our fraternity that we will not be using our residence to host backyard parties anymore,” it added.

Sewell said the main message the neighborhood association is trying to convey is that residents do not want unsafe parties in the community.

“We are absolutely fine with Duke students living in our neighborhood, but we don’t want huge dangerous parties,” she said. “It’s a perfect place for them and it’s a short bike ride down Anderson [Street], but they need to hear party safely, they need to know how and they need to have consequences if they don’t.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2022 at 7:30 AM.