Imagine hearing someone knock at your front door and then opening it, only to find Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, University President Richard Lariviere and ASUO President Amelie Rousseau on your front step.
That was the reality for some students Tuesday, as Piercy, Lariviere and Rousseau were part of a joint community effort to help welcome students into the West University, South University and Fairmount neighborhoods.
“I was more shocked, although I was pleased to meet the mayor,” University junior Jeff Katz said. “It was definitely unexpected.”
University senior Matt Behrens thought the Community Welcome was a great thing.
“It’s awesome that some of the most important people in Eugene are going door to door,” he said. “It’s a shame that (the riot) happened.”
The door-to-door rounds by 75 volunteers were part of the Second Annual Community Welcome, which is a joint project between the University and the City of Eugene. Volunteers scouted neighborhoods carrying 2,000 packets describing renters’ rights, how to party safely and off-campus resources to distribute to residents. However, the conversation between volunteers and residents was definitely dominated by the riot on Friday.
“We need to reach out to (students) to help them understand what their duties and obligations are (as neighbors),” Lariviere said.
After the door-to-door rounds, volunteers and other community members converged for a town hall meeting at the Central Presbyterian Church on East 15th Avenue in the heart of the West University district and only blocks away from where Friday night’s riot occurred.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the West University district is more than 99 percent “non-owner occupied,”  which means residences are not inhabited by owners or landlords and are instead rented out. Permanent residents of the Fairmount, South University and West University districts believe that while the riot was unacceptable, there are ways to peacefully coexist with the notably younger population.
 “We just want students to remember that they’re part of a neighborhood,” South University resident Lauren Hulse said about students having loud parties. “All I ask is for someone to tell me that they’re having a party. I do remember being this age. Students should have fun.”
Permanent residents also feel that the partying affects more than just their weekends.
“Community and livability is really important, and when that quality goes down, the integrity of the neighborhood is degraded,” Fairmount resident Sandra Austin said. “We really like having young people in the neighborhood, but they have to be good neighbors.”
After going door-to-door, volunteers held a meeting to discuss possible solutions and a preventative methods to prevent future incidences .
At the town meeting, residents commented that the problem stemmed from students abusing alcohol, and the structure of the West University district didn’t allow for backyards, which causes students to move out into the streets.
Rousseau also used the meeting as a chance to stand against the actions taken by the Eugene Police Department.
“It’s a two-way street,” Rousseau said. “If we want to treat students like pests, they’re going to act like pests.”
Piercy retorted she supported the police’s judgement in using tear gas.
“You have to make the judgement in what’s likely to disperse people safely,” she said.
Ultimately, University Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Paul Shang believes the riot is an incident that can be prevented in the future.
“I think (prevention) is something that we need to do more,” said. “We probably need to reach out more before they move in and perhaps reach out to parents as well.”
[email protected]