EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Students at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) are receiving something several weeks before the end of the semester: A warning.
It comes from borough officials who are threatening eviction from off-campus student housing if rules are not followed.
The East Stroudsburg Borough Manager, Kelly Lewis, says strict ordinances will be enforced if ESU students are found in violation.
A couple 28/22 News spoke with lives right in the mix of ESU student housing, and they hope these warnings are taken seriously.
Weekends are known as a time for partying among college students.
At Sigma Pi fraternity off East Stroudsburg University's campus, fraternity president Stephen Tellaz says he makes sure priorities are in check.
"We love having fun here, but safety is going to continue to be our number one priority. It will always continue to be our number one priority," said ESU Sigman Pi President Stephen Tellaz.
Getting kids hooked on fishing in Kingston TownshipEast Stroudsburg Borough is warning its students that it had better stay that way.
The borough is reminding students of its "three strikes and you're out" policy.
Three disruptive conduct reports within two years require the owner to evict the existing tenants.
"This goes way beyond celebrating and having fun. This is severe public drunkenness, students passing out on streets and roadways, public urination on people's front yards in broad daylight, and property destruction," Lewis explained.
"If I went out and acted like these kids acted, they would lock me up," said East Stroudsburg resident Robert Eden.
A few doors down from the Sigma Pi Frat House is Robert and Susan Eden's home.
The couple has lived in the neighborhood for decades.
They say over the years, they have encountered several issues with university students misbehaving and causing disruption in their neighborhood.
Cat owners gather for Fabulous Feline Festival in Luzerne County"It's constant parties when it's nice. It's constant noise and calling the police a lot of times," Susan Eden from East Stroudsburg said.
The Edens feel there needs to be stronger enforcement from police, the borough, and the school, and more respect from the students.
"They need to learn to live in a community. I was a college kid, raised three of my own, but when you start impacting the community in a negative way, you're not helping the community. You're not helping yourself," Robert said.
"Every student has a hometown and they've got parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and everyone has the right and quiet enjoyment of their home and their property, and we want to make sure that's true," Lewis explained.
The borough says it will enforce these provisions with zero tolerance.
So as the cheers and the chuggs continue, Tellaz says he hears the warning loud and clear.
"We're only here for four years. This isn't our forever home. This is a lot of people's forever home. So we gotta be able to respect that," Tellaz stated.
The eviction requirement continues for new tenants for any subsequent disruptive conduct reports.