The university-community party noise committee will soon revisit the issue of a noise ordinance that was tested last academic year.

A committee of students and Charleston residents formed to address house party noise issues has not met yet this academic year. After many complaints last year from both neighborhood residents and students about excessive noise from parties, the noise committee was formed to develop a solution.

“The goals last year were basically to get both sides together so we could find a resolution that would still allow students to have parties without disrupting their neighbors,” said Marty Ruhaak, student vice president for public affairs.

The solution developed was a sound meter to be used by the Campus Police Department, which measures the decibels of noise outside parties. If the noise exceeds a certain decibel level from a certain distance, the police have a right to break up the party.

“Our first test runs went well,” Ruhaak said.

The sound meter system has not been used this year, and parties are broken up according to the discretion of the police officer. Police will usually not disrupt a party unless there is a complaint from a neighbor.

“If a neighborhood resident complains to the police, the police will come and first question the neighbor complaining, and then they will go question the owners of the house causing the noise,” Ruhaak said.

There has not been any mention of the noise committee in student government this year, but it has been mentioned in a small meeting with the mayor.

“As of now, were going to have to sit down with everybody and figure out what’s going on,” Ruhaak said.