Keep it down or else
STUDENTS who disobey noise rules in residences face having their music systems seized.
The university permits students in res to use a range of sound systems to enjoy the music of their choice.
But the Conditions of Accommodation document, issued to students by the Office of Residence Life each year, stipulates that “a resident may not cause disturbance in, or in the vicinity of, the residence, or disrupt any residential or other services”.
If the sound levels are anything to go by, many students are either unaware of this rule, or choose to ignore it.
“We’re always told not to play the music so loud that the neighbour can’t hear theirs,” said Ally Ubeidullah, a 2nd year geology student living at the Knockando residence.
Ubeidullah said his neighbour’s playlist doesn’t always match his taste in music.
Giyani Chauke, a 2nd year chemical engineering student, said he did not read the conditions of accommodation when he moved in and was not aware of noise hours.
“To make sure I only hear my music, I play it loud.” Chauke enjoys listening to hip-hop, house and R&B.
Noise hours are allowed in certain residences between 5pm and 7pm. During this time students are permitted to make noise but are asked not to make “excessive noise”.
A document issued by assistant registrar Naziem Randera asks students in the Parktown cluster to be considerate by not “indulging in excessive noise during the noise hours”.
Knockando House Committee member Orateng Motsoe says what may be described as “excessive” is ambiguous.”
“It’s different what management says and what students do,” said Motsoe.
He added that house committee members are sometimes asked to call to order students who play music loudly outside noise hours. Randera said hall coordinators and security guards patrol residences after hours, and repeated offenders could have their sound systems seized.
Failure to comply may also jeopardise a student’s readmission to university residence the following year. “The philosophy is to try and contain it among ourselves first,” he said.
