Be a Good Neighbor
The Bearcat experience is woven into the city of Cincinnati. Many UC students live, work, and engage in the neighborhoods surrounding our campus. In the true Bearcat spirit, our community matters to us. We're good neighbors. We take the following steps to create a positive living environment for ourselves and those next door.
Get to know your neighbors.
Introduce yourself and get to know your neighbors. Check-in with them when you see them. Exchange contact information so you can reach each other when needed.
Lower the volume.
Let your neighbors know if you are planning a party. Move your gathering to the backyard to reduce noise. Encourage them to reach out to you if it’s getting too loud or disruptive.
Clean up.
Keep your yard free of litter. Take your trash out on collection day and bring the empty bin in as soon as you can. Items that don't fit in a trash bin should be scheduled for bulk pick-up.
Help your neighbors.
Build positive relationships with neighbors by lending a hand. Offer to help with shoveling snow, yard work, and more.
Know the expectations.
Review the Student Code of Conduct to better understand how off-campus violations can impact your student status. Also, become familiar with city ordinances to ensure you do not receive fines or violate the law.
If you have any questions about the "Be a Good Neighbor" campaign or related campus policies and city ordinances, please reach out to the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@uc.edu.
Be a Good Neighbor Week 2025
Monday, September 15 - Saturday, September 20, 2025
"Be A Good Neighbor Week" is a week of events dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging, support, and connection for students living off-campus and commuting to campus. Hosted by the Commuter & Community Action Team (C-CAT's), these events are designed to create opportunities for meaningful engagement, provide resources and advocacy on the unique experience of living off-campus and/or commuting to campus, and strengthen the relationship between students, the university, and the surrounding community.
Join us for a great week of events, programs, workshops, and volunteer opportunities!
6:30 pm-8 pm | Commuter Student Off-Campus Meet-Up at Summit Park
Location: Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash, OH, 45242
Description: Join the Commuter & Community Action Team for an opportunity to get to know other commuting students. We will have yard games, resources, and other activities to help everyone get to know one another and have a great time!
GetInvolvedUC Event Page: For more information, click here!
1 pm-6 pm| Volunteer Opportunity: Community Clean-Up Grab-n-Go
Location: Center for Community Engagement, 2728 Short Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45221
Description: Volunteer in your neighborhood and/or the neighborhoods surrounding campus by helping clean up the sidewalks. You can stop by the Center for Community Engagement's office off Short Vine Street to get some information, a trash grabber, and a bucket. Plus, you can earn volunteer service hours! RSVP required by signing up on volunteer.uc.edu.
Volunteer Opportunity Page: For more information, click here!
3 pm-5 pm| Volunteer Opportunity: Sandwich Making Donation for "Our Daily Bread"
Location: Center for Community Engagement, 2728 Short Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45221
Description: Volunteer by helping make sandwiches to donate to "Our Daily Bread". We will be meeting from 3 pm-5 pm. Plan to come the entire time to help us make sandwiches to donate to a local community partner, "Our Daily Bread". Plus, you can earn volunteer service hours! RSVP required by signing up on volunteer.uc.edu.
Volunteer Opportunity Page: For more information, click here!
12 pm-1 pm| Off-Campus Workshop: Housing/Leasing Information & Resources
Location: Niehoff Studio, 2728 Short Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45221
Description: Join the Commuter & Community Action Team for a workshop series about various resources and information impacting students who live off-campus and commute to campus. This first workshop is about off-campus housing. We will be providing resources and information about what to look for in a lease, how to think about finding housing in the Uptown area, and what you need to understand about being a good tenant and a good neighbor.
GetInvolvedUC Event Page: For more information, click here!
5:30 pm-10:30 pm | Cat's in the City: Metro Ride & Red's Game
Location: Metro Stop at University & Jefferson to Great American Ballpark (Red's Stadium)
Description: Join the Commuter & Community Action Team for "Cat's in the City", a series of events in which we help students experience various unique aspects of Cincinnati (for free!) and get to know their city better! Our first "Cat's in the City" will be a trip to a Red's Game! You will join us in riding the Cincinnati Metro downtown, hanging out at the game, and riding the Metro back to campus. We will have student leaders guiding you through your Metro experience. RSVP required - only 60 tickets available. Free buses passes provided. Sign-up by RSVP'ing on GetInvolvedUC.
GetInvolvedUC Event Page: For more information and RSVP (required), click here!
10 am-2 pm | Community Partner Fair
Location: Short Vine Street, between Daniels Street & Charlton Street
Description: Join the Center for Community Engagement and 70 community partners (non-profits, community organizations, and other community groups) for a Community Partner & Resource Fair. Are you interested in volunteer opportunities, non-profit work or internships, or other information about organization throughout Cincinnati? Come to the Community Partner Fair to get more information and resources from our community partners and the Center for Community Engagement.
GetInvolvedUC Event Page: For more information, click here!
2 pm | Clean-Up Your Commute
Location: Nippert Stadium
Description: As you walk to and from campus, do you notice trash and other items on the sidewalks? If so, come and help "Clean-Up Your Commute" by joining a group of students organizing to do commute clean-ups. Meet at Nippert Stadium at 2:00 pm, grab a trash bag, and walk home. As you walk home, pick up any trash you see along the way, then throw your bag of trash away when you get back home!