by CHEYENNE UBIERA, Contributor

After months of tension between rowdy students and upset Riverdale residents, the Student

Government at Manhattan College held a first annual community luncheon where both parties

could meet face to face to list their grievances.

The luncheon, held on the fifth floor of Kelly commons, provided students and residents alike

the opportunity to not only get to the bottom of the issue at hand, but clear up the negative

perception that Riverdale residents had of Manhattan College students.

Ryan Quattromani, chairman of the newly established Neighborhood Relations Committee,

touched on this issue in a speech he gave at the beginning of the luncheon.

“I’d rather like to focus on our positive relationship with the community.” said Quattromani,

“We, the students, are going out of our way to work with administration and faculty, including

public safety, in an effort to prevent students from causing problems off campus.”

Sydney Kukoda, a freshman secondary education major, said she could understand how the

Riverdale residents could see college students as as being rowdy.

“People need to be conscious that there is a neighborhood where kids live and people need to

catch up on their sleep. We need to be need to be courteous, but it can’t be a hindrance to

wanting to enjoy ourselves.” Kukoda said.

Jean Rincon, an active member of the Riverdale community where she has live for 16 years,

shared a similar view as Kukoda while also calling for more support from public safety and the

NYPD.

“I do have a certain empathy of what it’s like to be a student,” said Rincon, “but we won’t bridge

the gap until somebody identifies the students. The cops won’t unless they’re fighting and

campus security won’t because they’re not on campus. Bring them in, give them a warning and

elevate the consciousness.”

Rincon goes on to further state that students should try to self govern themselves along with their

peers to stop themselves from getting out of control. An idea that Quattromani also agreed with.

“As chairman, I question how can we as students influence our friends and our peers to not do

some of the things that they’re doing off campus.” Quattromani said.

With the success of the first luncheon, Quttromani hopes that it will become an event that the

college will be able to hold every year.

“Sure there are negatives,” Quattromani said, “and these negatives occur in college areas

worldwide, but we won’t let that define who we are.”