NU, city try to quell off-campus parties

Hoping to set a tone in advance of this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series, Boston police broke up 18 parties held by college students in the Mission Hill area over the weekend and cited seven people for underage drinking. The crackdown was meant to send a message, officials said, that the rioting that followed this year's Super Bowl would not be tolerated as the baseball season nears the playoffs.

Michael P. Ross, a Boston city councilor, said yesterday that at least 50 to 100 people attended each of the parties, nearly all of which were hosted by Northeastern University students.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino called on the university to exercise greater control over its students living in Mission Hill, a trouble spot known for its large parties on the weekends.

''Northeastern has to be more responsible for its students," the mayor said. ''It's frustrating. I'm concerned about it. We will not allow [students] to disrupt the quality of life of those neighborhoods."

Northeastern officials said they are considering putting out an advisory in advance of this weekend's baseball games warning students that they face sanctions ranging from suspension to expulsion for destructive behavior. The college had sent a similar advisory before the Super Bowl riots that left one dead.

''We take this matter very serious," said Fred McGrail, a university spokesman. ''We have expectations of student behavior, which the vast majority of students meet, and we won't tolerate unlawful or disruptive behavior."

Ross, who represents the Mission Hill neighborhood that is now heavily populated with college students, said 20 Boston police officers and five sergeants took part in last weekend's crackdown. Police said they targeted the Mission Hill area in response to neighbors' complaints about loud parties.

Over the weekend, the university held a concert to make up for a Springfest event that was canceled in February after the Super Bowl riots.

The City Council will hold a hearing Thursday on an ordinance, offered by Ross, that calls on universities to be more accountable for students by recording their off-campus addresses, which would be provided to the university and to Boston police.

Ross said that the situation facing the neighborhood he represents has become quite serious and that he fears that college students will ruin Mission Hill.

''We're about to lose a neighborhood forever and I'm not about to let that happen," Ross said.

Ross, along with a representative from Menino's office, accompanied Boston police on Friday and Saturday night as they cracked down on the parties. Two NU officials, one each night, also joined the group.

The operation was undertaken a few days before the New York Yankees arrive in Boston for a three-game series with the Red Sox, with the American League Eastern Division title potentially hanging in the balance.

Last year, when the Red Sox clinched a playoff spot, the city erupted in celebrations that resulted in seven arrests, overturned cars, and underage drinking, officials said. Five of the seven arrested were college students, from Emerson College and Northeastern University.

Menino said he was responding to complaints from neighbors when he arranged for city and university officials to ride along with police.

The mayor and Ross both acknowledged that one ride-along will not solve the problem and said universities, particularly Northeastern, need to monitor their students with greater vigilance, beginning when the Yankees arrive in town Friday.

''We're going to be out there. We're going to force Northeastern to have additional patrols out there," Menino said. ''I believe the university has a responsibility, even off campus."

McGrail, the university spokesman, said only one fight was reported on campus last weekend when the Red Sox played the Yankees in New York and he predicted there will be no disturbances this weekend, because he expects most students to be inside watching the games on television.

Earlier this year, Northeastern drew national attention when thousands of students rushed to Hemenway Street and Symphony Road to celebrate the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory.

James Grabowski, 21, who was visiting his younger brother at Northeastern, was killed, and Jason Stackiewicz, 21, a third-year Northeastern student, was critically injured when a sport utility vehicle plowed into a crowd of revelers that night, authorities said. Several cars were overturned and vandalized.

While McGrail acknowledged that there is a problem in the area, he said the responsibility for keeping the neighborhood safe should not rest only on Northeastern, given that students at other colleges also hold parties.

''We're focused on solving the Northeastern portion of it and this is part of an ongoing effort," McGrail said.

After the Super Bowl riots, the university's president, Richard Freeland, postponed Northeastern's annual spring concert, saying he could not justify a celebration after the tragedy. On Saturday, the rescheduled hip-hop concert featuring Busta Rhymes and Method Man was held at Matthews Arena. No concert-related disturbances were reported.

Ed Klotzbier, Northeastern's vice president for student affairs, published a letter in last Wednesday's student newspaper, offering a note of caution about postconcert activities.

''I also wish to remind you that any inappropriate behavior, disorderly conduct or destruction of property will absolutely not be tolerated," he wrote.

''The university will take swift action against any student whose behavior is deemed detrimental to themselves, their peers, the university or the surrounding community."