The West University Joint Task Force met Thursday evening to plan an open forum focused on bringing the community together.
The meeting, which took place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Central Presbyterian church, also covered presentations from the Lane County Prevention Coalition and ideas on possible land zoning strategies.
According to the task force, the forum — taking place Feb. 25 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the church — will allow people to share their concerns about the West University neighborhood.
“We’re not just going to provide people with community building … we’re also going to listen to their ideas,” co-facilitator and Associate Vice President for Institutional Affairs Jan Oliver said.
ASUO community outreach coordinator Jesse Harding said he hopes the forum will also help with student apathy, because students “don’t feel they get heard.”
Brinda Narayn-Wold of the Lane County Health and Human Services and the Lane County Prevention Coalition gave a presentation on preventing possible community problems such as teen pregnancy, underage drinking and drug use. She also introduced strategies to reduce underage drinking such as increasing regulations, involving local media and creating meaningful criminal justice responses.
Finally, co-facilitator and acting Assistant City Manager Jim Croteau talked about different land zoning ideas to help make West University a more unified neighborhood. The land west of the University is a high-density residential area for students.
The task force also hopes to develop a user-friendly database where students can research potential off-campus housing. Students would be able to see pictures and find information on landlords and the crime rates in the area.
The task force’s next meeting will take place Feb. 13 and will focus on housing code issues.

— Ali Shaughnessy