Many Cornell University students who live off campus call Collegetown home during the academic year. But Collegetown is also home to year-round residents and families, private homes and large apartment complexes, and a bustling business district. The Collegetown section of East Hill offers a diverse mix of people, buildings, and activities unmatched in character, quality, and amenities, according to David I. Stewart, director of community relations at Cornell. "That's why students and families choose to live there," he said.

To introduce college students and other renters to their new neighborhood, the Collegetown Neighborhood Council (CNC) has published an updated "Good Neighbor Guide." Over the next few weeks, more than 3,500 copies of the 1999-2000 guide will be distributed by East Hill property owners, merchants, and year-round residents. In addition, copies will be distributed in the Cornell Heights neighborhood and to fraternity and sorority houses.

The guide provides the latest information about resources and regulations that affect the welfare of all members of the community. Tips are provided on a variety of subjects -- from noise ordinances, trash pickup, and emergency services to landlord-tenant disputes, neighborliness and parking regulations.

Among the new items in the guide is information about parking alternatives for students who live off campus. Students may store their vehicles in Cornell's parking lot near the College of Veterinary Medicine, rather than on neighborhood streets, by signing up for a program called PlusPass. This combines a "B" lot parking permit with an OmniRide bus pass good on all TCAT buses, anytime they run, anywhere they go in Tompkins County. The annual cost is $270.87, including sales tax. PlusPass includes a bus pass, which alone is worth $120.

Stewart, who is a member of the CNC steering committee, said the guide emphasizes neighborliness. "Neighborliness is key, because relations between students and permanent residents sometimes become strained, especially at the beginning and end of the academic year. Our effort is to bridge the gap and help students understand that they not only enter into a legal contract with the property owner when they rent an apartment, but also a social contract with their neighbors."

The Collegetown Neighborhood Council includes students, property owners, year-round residents, city and university officials and merchants. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for all who live and work in Collegetown, promote positive interaction among constituencies, and sponsor activities that encourage neighborliness. Among the council's activities are the annual fall and spring cleanups in Collegetown.

The eight-page guide was developed by the neighborhood council and was designed and printed by Cornell. Members of the council are distributing the guide as they welcome students to the neighborhood. In addition to the printed guide, public-service announcements promoting the good-neighbor message are running on local radio stations.

"As the guide states," Stewart said, "we encourage students to become contributing citizens, not just temporary residents."

CNC meetings are held at 4 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the basement lounge of Cornell's Sheldon Court residence hall and are open to all who live and work in the area.