Town trying to tame Univ. of Alabama students' 'Animal House'

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It's easy to tell Tuscaloosa is a college town.

On shady residential lanes near the University of Alabama campus, swaybacked sofas and den chairs sit on front porches, and front yards are full of cars plastered with fraternity and sorority decals.

This scene is just life as usual for college students, but their grown-up neighbors have had enough.

Acting at the request of both university administrators and neighborhood groups, city officials are cracking down on the town's "Animal House" style.

The city council last week passed a law curbing operating hours for all-night bars, and it earlier prohibited the outdoor use of indoor furniture. Now, the council is considering a ban on parking in front yards.

Students complain the city is infringing on their rights, and a council member contends the city may be creating new problems as it tries to stamp out old ones.

"It's become a blue-collar versus white-collar issue," said council member Harrison Taylor.

A matter of coexistence

"You shouldn't have to live next door to a slob or someone who just doesn't care about the way their property looks," said Councilman Kip Tyner, a 1979 Alabama graduate.

The dispute centers on the common problem of how a university and its surrounding community coexist.

The university is Tuscaloosa's economic backbone with some 4,300 employees and more than 19,000 students. The school estimates its economic impact at $1.2 billion annually, with student spending accounting for some $348 million of that.

But there is a downside for the city's nearly 78,000 residents.

The Princeton Review last year rated the Tuscaloosa campus one of the nation's top party schools, and residents have complained for years about the trashy look of student-overrun neighborhoods.

Caroline McMurphy, who shares a house with seven other students, said police have visited twice since last fall complaining about cars parked in the yard, furniture on the porch and garbage on the property.

Parking problems

"He just looked around and said we looked like trailer trash," said the 20-year-old sophomore.

Parking on campus is all but impossible, and one of McMurphy's housemates already has gotten a $10 ticket for parking on a sidewalk at their house. "It's ridiculous," she said.

Acting on a request from university administrators, the council agreed to make bars quit serving alcohol by 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday, with all-nighters still allowed on Friday. Bars are closed on Sunday.

A law banning the outdoor use of home furniture and appliances takes effect March 1. Violators can be fined as much as $200.

Taylor said making bars close early might lead to a resurgence in "shot houses," or in-home nightclubs. Taylor, whose council district includes mostly minority and lower-income areas, said many people in his area live in old homes with small driveways, and they sometimes have nowhere other than their yard to park.

"We can't punish law-abiding citizens for living in older homes," Taylor said.

Council President Jerry Plott cast the lone vote against the outdoor furniture ban, questioning whether government should exert such power over citizens.