KINGSTON – People charged with alcohol, noise or other nuisance offences during homecoming and two other party times will have to answer to the courts.

The city and Queen’s University announced Monday a pilot project that will see court summons issued to people charged during move-in week, homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day.

“Individuals will be required to appear before a justice of the peace in Kingston, regardless of where they live and will not have the option to pay the ticket by mail or online,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson.

“Individuals charged with these offences will be required to take responsibility for their actions in person. By having to appear in court people can better understand the negative effect that their actions have on the community as a whole.”

The university will also have an opportunity to use public court documents to determine how many of the people charged are Queen’s students.

“We understand from the police that roughly about one-third of tickets are typically issued to Queen’s students at these parties in the university district,” said Queen’s University Principal Daniel Woolf. “Of the rest, we know that some of the tickets go to Queen’s alumni. The changes being introduced will allow us to identify Queen’s alumni and students who are issued a summons.”

Students who receive a summons could receive non-academic punishment from the university, he added.