Loud parties, broken beer bottles and people defacing others’ property – these are just a few of the things non-student residents of Third Ward are upset about regarding their student neighbors.

This is part of the reason why UW-Eau Claire and the Third Ward Neighborhood Association are working on setting up a university official as liaison between students and other residents. A student also would be incorporated with the liaison.

This is a step in the right direction to help improve the relationship between students and permanent residents of the area. There is really nothing bad that can come from the situation.

The neighborhood association should be commended for wanting to work with students on the issue and not shutting them out altogether.

The university has a much better chance of contacting students who live in the area than the neighborhood association does. The university also has tremendous influence when it comes to enacting change in the neighborhood.

The proposed plan is especially good because it would include a student representative with the official liaison. This way the best interest of the students always would be represented in the interaction between the liaison and the neighborhood association.

The Third Ward is different from any other student neighborhood because it has so many permanent residents. The neighborhood association has tried in the past to work with landlords and the city to improve relations with student residents. Now it is just trying a new approach.

It should be noted, however, that the possibility for the liaison program to fail is there. If the university becomes involved with the neighborhood, it should take the job seriously, as it is expected to do. Also, students living in the area must be aware of their responsibility of respecting their permanent-resident neighbors.