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The university received between 62 and 65 of the reports for all but one of the academic calendar years from 2018 to 2024, according to data from the school. The notable outlier was 172 complaints in the 2020-21 school year, which Thomas attributes to increased student gatherings and anxiety over crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of complaints filed dropped to 39 in the 2024-25 school year, according to university data. Only five complaints have been filed for the current fall semester, which began in August, Thomas said. The university attributes the drop to more on-campus education for students on how to be “a good neighbor.” The school also employs outreach programs like door hangers on doorknobs of student rentals with trash days listed and works at building better relationships with neighborhood leadership. Students found to have commited a conduct violation noted in a complaint take a good neighbor course with Thomas and a USC on-campus police officer, Thomas said. The class walks students through local regulations and good neighbor practices, and they are shown clips of the 2014 Seth Rogen comedy film “Neighbors.” The course covers all infractions, from trash cans being left out to rowdy parties, Thomas said. Relatively few students are repeat offenders. Those who are will be referred to the student conduct office, he said. Neighbors differ on if progress is being made Some neighborhood leaders have seen an overall improvement in student behavior, in line with the drop in complaints received by the university. “The residents have to take responsibility for their end of the equation,” Olympia resident Vi Hendley said. “We have students living in our neighborhoods, and the only way the university knows as to how to manage their students is if the community lets them know.” Hendley — a board member of the Mill District Alliance organization representing the Olympia, Granby and Whaley neighborhoods — attributes the improvement to the online complaint form and a greater effort from the university to educate students and communicate with the neighborhoods.
