Student residents bring lively energy, garbage-filled streets to neighborhood

HOUSING, from front

As Mission Hill’s popularity amongst college students rises, Cindy Walling, a resident of 14 years, acknowledges that many Mission Hill neighbors, including herself, don’t mind the flurries of college kids moving to the area.

However, the problem that continuously presents itself is the blatant carelessness students have for their neighbors.

“Some of our best babysitters and dog walkers have come from these colleges in the area, so we have nothing against students living here. But what bothers us is it feels like [college students] are super entitled,” Walling said.

Despite the fact that many neighbors have shared their distaste for the parties, trash and late-night noise student residents bring to the area, some welcome it.

Numerous student residents congregate every day in the heart of Mission Hill to relish the lively dining scene, with one restaurant, The Squealing Pig, standing out for its warm embrace of college students, no matter how boisterous they may be.

“The college kids that live here are a phenomenal addition to our restaurant. They are almost always respectful and just out for a good time. They have also increased our business by a lot,” said Peter Martinez, The Squealing Pig’s bar manager.

Aside from working at The Squealing Pig, Martinez is also a Mission Hill student resident from Wentworth

Institute of Technology. He acknowledges that while the area’s influx of college students may be a moneymaker for restaurants, it is anything but that for the neighbors who go to sleep some nights to the sound of unrelenting noise.

“The fraternity parties here can definitely be disruptive,” Martinez said.

“I know that most neighbors who have lived in Mission Hill for a while view the students negatively because they are often woken up at 1 a.m. to the unpleasant noise of kids partying.”

A member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Northeastern third-year finance student Drew Seidman senses the innate frustration from his neighbors and the surrounding Mission Hill community.

“A lot of residents have been living here for many, many years,” Seidman said. “So, when there’s a lot of turn over, new kids and big groups moving in and out every year, [residents] can get tired of the constant noise and rowdiness.”

Nonetheless, Seidman and many other fraternity members have taken it upon themselves to foster a more harmonious coexistence between students and long-time residents in Mission Hill.

“We try to have a pretty symbiotic relationship with almost all our neighbors,” Seidman said. “We reach out to them before we throw parties to let them know because the last thing we want to do is cause problems in the community.”

36% 64% students other residents