The feud of city residents versus MSU students is one East Lansing rivalry that has nothing to do with wolverines.

Although a rocky relationship between college students and East Lansing homeowners might seem accurate — it's actually not as bad as it seems.

Families or individuals who choose to live and buy houses in East Lansing are undoubtedly aware of MSU and the fact that a large portion of East Lansing's population is composed of students.

But having a compromising attitude from both perspectives is essential in a cooperative relationship.

Students have to understand a property owner's perspective, and vice versa.

If a student lives next door to a family, it probably isn't appropriate to throw a raging party on a Tuesday evening. But the family has to realize it bought a home near student housing and be accepting of what that entails.

Whether you're a student or resident, if sharing a neighborhood doesn't sound like your cup of tea, there are still other options.

There are plenty of neighborhoods in East Lansing that don't have any student tenants whatsoever. And likewise, students can choose to live in apartment complexes such as Chandlers Crossing and Capstone Commons which are geared toward college students.

Still, student partying seems to be a constant topic of discussion around town.

A huge chunk of the student population has always been, and will always be, party animals. But that doesn't mean this group has the right to be disrespectful, rude or inconsiderately loud.

The city of East Lansing shouldn't waste its time discouraging students from partying. But what it should be doing is promoting respectful, responsible and safe shindigs.

And the East Lansing City Council took a step in that direction on Tuesday.

The council held a public hearing at the Union where students and residents were invited to discuss proposed changes to a party noise ordinance.

The discussion was kept to a minimum however, with only three MSU students and two East Lansing residents taking the opportunity to speak.

Expecting students to be courteous of their neighbors isn't too much to ask.

But adding drinking games to a list of party indicators isn't the best way to get a message to the students.

If a party has two or more indicators present, the existing party noise law allows police to ticket party hosts.

But just because a party has indicators doesn't mean it's necessarily out of control.

What is more important is to maintain an understanding between students and residents and a high level of respect.