Sep 11, 2008 - 09:31 AM

By Melissa Mancini

DURHAM -- The party's over. Or it's at least a lot quieter.

Residents of the north Oshawa subdivision Windfields Farm say the first week of school for UOIT and Durham College students has not been a scene out of Animal House.

The situation has been steadily improving, said Raziah Colagiacomo, who lives on Norland Gate.

It's a big change from when she and her husband Joe moved in three years ago, which was "insane," she said.

"Beer bottles being thrown, kids carrying on in the streets, loud music," she said recalling the early days in her home. "And now you can hardly tell there are students around."

Former student neighbours were "nice as pie to our faces but once 9 o'clock came around and the alcohol came around" it was like the "sweet girls" completely forgot there was a young family living next door, said Ms. Colagiacomo's husband, Joe.

But the new next-door residents have been quite courteous and friendly, he said.

Even the Sept. 5-6 weekend was quiet, said Ms. Colagiacomo, although she did hear that a noise ordinance was issued to a house around the corner.

It has only been a week after a precedent-setting court ruling was handed down that found 37 landlords guilty of operating illegal lodging houses in the community.

Justice Peter Howden handed down his decision Aug. 26, ending a year-long legal showdown that pitted the City of Oshawa and the Neighbourhoods of Windfields against a group of landlords that rents homes to students.

As long as the students try to have consideration for his family and the few other non-student residents, Mr. Colagiacomo said he doesn't mind living so close to the backpack-wearing crowd.

The worst part has been losing friends from the area that couldn't handle the noise, like one person who used to live close by and let the family borrow a cup of milk or some sugar, Mr. Colagiacomo said.

"We don't have a community here," he said.

Just down the street, Tina Bizley, her husband and teenaged son moved in last Saturday, at around the same time many of her new student neighbours arrived after summer break. Ms. Bizley said her husband chose the house they are renting on Norland before he became aware of the neighbourhood's reputation as a place to party.

But so far, so good, she said.

"Last Saturday there were a few parties, but nothing out of the ordinary," she said. "If I had a little one (a young child) I think I'd be more concerned."

Although the Colagiacomo family said the situation is improving, it seems as though the exodus isn't over. On Norland there are four houses for sale and two that have recently sold.

One street over on Secretariat Place, 'for sale' signs grace three lawns. And on Woodbine Place it's more of the same, with three houses for sale by owner and two still unsold by the developer.

Derik Reyes, a third-year engineering student at UOIT, said the street is hardly ever loud. Mr. Reyes has lived on Secretariat Place for two years after living on Dalhousie Crescent, a student neighbourhood on the other side of Simcoe Street, in his first year.

His new street is much quieter than his first year digs were, he said.

"There aren't a lot of parties here, really," he said.

The low noise levels some residents of the area said they have experienced have not been the case on all student inhabited streets. Dalhousie Crescent lived up to the reputation Mr. Reyes said it had.

Police are investigating a dispute at a large house party on the crescent early Sunday that left a student with stab wounds.