4 UA students evicted, balconies to be sealed in bottle-throwing incidents

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Four University of Arizona students have been evicted after being caught on camera throwing objects off a high-rise building neighboring the Islamic Center of Tucson.

The students were throwing objects off the north side of the building into the parking lot of a strip mall.

Property managers are also sealing off balconies on the south side of the building, called Sol y Luna, around the area where some students have also thrown glass bottles and aluminum cans into the Islamic center's parking lot, where children often play basketball.

Several incidents involving students throwing objects from their balconies prompted a meeting with leaders from several different groups on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik arranged the meeting between his office, the property management group that runs the student housing units, the Islamic center, police and university officials to put a stop to the incidents.

The management company that runs the student living building sent a stern letter to all residents last week, after three incidents involving rowdy behavior by some tenants.

Kozachik said he is glad to hear property managers are taking action. A spokesman for the Islamic center said this has been an ongoing issue for about two years.

Staff at the Islamic center said students have not only thrown bottles, trash and eggs off their balconies, but have yelled racial slurs at the children playing basketball on the courts below.

The building's former management company responded by issuing a $1,000 fine against any student who engaged in such behavior. Eight students were evicted in the past two years.

Officials with the new management company, GMH Capital Partners, based in Newtown, PA said they plan to follow in their predecessors' footsteps.

Rand Ginsburg, the Senior Vice President of Asset Services for GMH Capital Partners, said they have a no-tolerance policy for such behavior.

In their recent letter to residents, they stated that in the event of abuse, GMH reserves the right to "secure the balcony door so that residents and their guests could not access the balcony."

The letter also stated that property management plan to hold a town hall meeting to address these issues directly, and plan to offer sensitivity training for all residents in the near future, and then ongoing periodically as well as an open dialogue with the Islamic center and local government officials.

Student high-rise management to hold sensitivity training for tenants