The midyear report cards are in, and it looks like things are going well between residents and Suffolk University.
"Suffolk is really invested," reports City Councilor Michael Ross, who is on the City Council's Problem Properties Task Force that met recently to report on Suffolk's progress. "They hire police to patrol over the weekends, they're trying their best to be good neighbor."
The task force also works with Emerson College, which could be doing a better job, says task force member Michael Ross. "Emerson should help fund a police detail. If there's some issues they do talk to their students. We're working with them."
Emerson spokespersons did not return phone calls for this article.
"What I want to do is encourage residents who are having problems with students or properties to call our office," said Ross.
The task force meets monthly with residents, university officials and police to check in on problems with students, specifically concerning loud parties, drinking in public, and noise, what Ross calls "Typical student issues."
Reports over the summer about overcrowded housing in violation of new city ordinances have not been reported, Ross said. "The overcrowding hasn't come up yet as an issue. We have protections in case that comes up, but we haven't had any issues."
Michael Feeley, Suffolk's Office of External Affairs' in-house counsel, says a combination of education and a reduction in students living on Beacon Hill – a 24 percent decrease in the 02114 area code since last year, he said -- has seen great results. "We educate the students about their responsibilities as neighbors in the city, and how to act appropriately in the neighborhoods. It's an intensive program where we speak to the students. We make clear our expectations, and we also speak with the parents at orientation."
He also applauds Suffolk's Office of Neighborhood Response, headed by Rick Grealish, which has a 24 hour hotline – 617-549-7503 – for any problems. Grealish also accompanies Boston Police details on patrols through the neighborhood Thursday through Saturday nights. "We hear that a lot from residents about the quickness of our response," said Feeley.
The office also meets weekly with the Beacon Hill Civic Association, which also reports a better relationship between neighbors and the university.
"The relationship with Suffolk is very much improved since they established the Office of Neighborhood Response," said BHCA executive director Suzanne Besser. "We have received very little response to student behavior on Beacon Hill. They've done a great job in teaching students how to be good neighbors. The students help us with holiday decorating, too."

The New Year's resolution, a commitment to undertake a project or reform a habit starting Jan. 1, is a sincere attempt by many of us to become better people. But many medical experts believe that the use of the "New Year's Resolutions" is a weak and poorly formed attempt at achieving a better life.
"These are the most worthless endeavors that we engage in," said Dr. Bruce Masek, clinical director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard. "In the form that it's presented, like when someone asks, 'Have you made your New Year's Resolution?' it's a challenge to do something you really have no intention of following through with. If you have a resolution to change something, to do something, don't wait until New Year's and don't consider it until you have a plan on how to do it."
What drives us to the New Year's date? Why is the promise of a date on a calendar so magical? There's nothing about the promise of a new calendar year that makes any psychological difference, contended Masek.
"It's not human nature, it's dictated behavior," he said. "It's human nature to avoid the assessment of our foibles. If it's dictated to you it's harder to swallow. If it comes from an acquaintance or a loved one, you may say, 'Maybe I'll try, maybe it'll be a resolution…' and then when a few months later they ask how you're doing, and you say, 'Oh, about that…'"
Masek does acknowledge that for many, the New Year comes around during a time when our minds are no longer focused on the crush of the Thanksgiving/gift-giving holidays. When Dec. 26 comes around, there's no shopping to do, the guests go home, and minds are freed up to think about resolution time.
If in fact this is a good time to start, because your timing is good, by all means start your change in January, said Masek. "If your timing and your environment is not ready, you won't have success. If you missed the start on New Year's Day, there's still Jan. 3 or 16. You start when everything seems to be lined up."
It's really all about behavior changes, so instead of tying a change to an insignificant date, it's more meaningful to use a date that's a little more personal, such as a child's birthday to give up smoking.
"That's a good strategy -- tie it to something important in your life. It's one thing to say, 'I'm told by my doctors that my BMI is all goofed up.' It's another thing to say, 'I'm working on my weight for my son's sake, so I'll cut down on calories.' For him, you'll maintain it."
Sometimes, resolutions can work when you assemble a team of friends to cheer you on, which is why many find success using a group like Weight Watchers, or why we tell our friends out loud what our resolutions are. For those of us who need an extra push, we are asking others to monitor our progress, and to hold ourselves accountable for the promises we make to ourselves. However, when it comes to addictive behaviors, it's time to get professional help.
"Making a resolution about (curbing an addiction) is laughable – you're really saying, 'I don't plan to do anything about my addiction. It's said by the person who is in denial. Just stop right there. If they don't have some modicum for treatment, at least some willingness to have someone to evaluate them, they aren't going to go anywhere. Addictions are the 21st century's growth industry for psychiatry."
From Masek's medical perspective, it takes more than willpower to conquer what we call bad habits such as smoking, eating, or drinking. For many, those weaknesses are actually powerful addictions that require help from a team of professionals. "Addictions are not just managed by techniques and common sense. Something like a nicotine addiction requires medical management, and you have to throw everything at it."
It's the same with eating too much. Many can just focus on eating less and exercising more in order to lose a few pounds, but for some, it's a compulsion – if you're hiding food, if you're eating way past full, if your weight is at a dangerous level, then it's an addiction, not a bad habit.
Masek helps his patients work on ways to lose weight, steering people toward the top three weight loss programs -- Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig. "They're all sensible about weight loss," he said. "You need structure. Most people can't do it on their own."
For more serious cases, he helps his clients considering bariatric surgery, which, he notes, may become more accessible with less invasive surgical methods on the way. However, Masek reported that one in five who get the surgery gain back the weight; again, it takes a team to conquer an addiction, he said.
Masek, who works with families, noted the quietest yet biggest rise in addictive behavior is online -- internet gambling, internet porn, internet games, internet shopping. "We don't appreciate how addictive these things are," he said. "I got more calls in 2008 for something to do with internet addiction."

Fred Putnam, Katherine O'Keeffe, Liam and Ben O'Keeffe, and Paula O'Keeffe helped dig out the storm drain at the corner of Charles and Chestnut streets after a recent storm. The team said they enjoyed talking to passersby while doing the work.

Public safety above all

Socrates said there is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.
He was right, of course. However, the modern world imposes upon us complications that Socrates and the ancient Greeks didn’t have to deal with.
Crime is the greatest evil today.
Boston’s neighborhoods must remain vigilant against crime everyday.
In order to do so, the Boston Police Department must maintain the present force in tact or the fight against crime will suffer a great setback.
We take Mayor Thomas Menino at his word when he says the BPD will not be cut dramatically as a result of the drastic economic slowdown which is causing the state a $1 billion shortage in revenues.
Governor Deval Patrick’s call last week for an additional $1 billion in spending cuts because of lowered revenue projections produced speculative stories in the Boston dailies predicting that as many as 200 police officers are going to be cut in order to balance the city budget.
Mayor Menino scoffed at the reports, which came from unnamed sources.
The mayor said he had no such plans for cutting 200 police officers.
Public safety comes first, he said.
Indeed.
In District A-1 last year, crime was down significantly on Beacon Hill and even in Back Bay, although larcenies increased in Back Bay.
Captain Bernie O’Rourke’s patrolmen and women are doing their job and then some. The statistics prove it.
The New Year’s Eve festivities that brought hundreds of thousands into our neighborhoods could not take place without sufficient police deployment in order to maintain security at the highest levels.
By doings so, the evening produced but a handful of arrests – and there were no major accidents or crimes.
The same goes for professional sporting events of all kinds and for neighborhood cultural and religious events and for everyday life in general. There must be a strong police presence maintained 24/7 throughout the city.
In addition, the great efforts now ongoing to stop the random use of guns throughout all of our neighborhoods, would be set back dramatically by deep cuts in the BPD.
Again, Mayor Menino said firmly Draconian cuts will not be put into effect at the BPD.
This comes as good news to all of us who enjoy safety and peace of mind in our apartments, condominiums and homes.
It will also come as good news to the millions upon millions of tourists and families who visit our city and who expect to be safe while they are here.
And if some cuts must be made in the name of common sense, then it should be those who make over $100,000 a year as administrators or those in public relations rather than the rank and file patrolmen and women upon whom we have come to depend for our safety and quality of life.