A subcommittee of the External Relations Committee is set to tackle the issue of noisy house parties.

The committee, which External Relations Committee chair Marty Ruhaak affectionately calls the “party patrol,” will work with community members, faculty, administration and students to more efficiently work out a solution to the noise problems.

One goal of the committee is to work out a better and more uniform system for dealing with noise problems.

He said the committee does not want to stop the parties altogether but instead compromise with neighbors to better control them. House parties busted for noise do not get dealt with in a uniform fashion, Ruhaak said.

“The perception is that the warning system is gone,” he said.

Ruhaak said he was meeting with Mayor Dan Cougill Tuesday to discuss the make up and goals of the subcommittee, which does not yet have an official name.

The committee will most likely have 10 to 12 voting members, but anyone will be welcome to come and voice their opinions, Ruhaak said. Members will consist of representatives of both Student Senate members and non-Student Senate members, faculty, administrators and community members.

Organizational meetings will take place in February, and field tests will be done throughout March and April to assess acceptable decibel levels, Ruhaak said.

From there, the committee will set up a system defining excessive noise levels and punishments for violators, Ruhaak said.

It is too early to tell when the committee’s recommendations will be ready; however, the goal is to make it as soon as possible, Ruhaak said.

Issues with house parties were brought up last semester by residents of Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Ninth streets, calling themselves “Neighbors for a Peaceful Neighborhood.” They began voicing concerns over the noise. The group met with students from that area in October to begin working with the issue.

One other recent conflict between partying Eastern students and the City of Charleston caused a series of house party raids back in late September that resulted in 105 citations.