By Joseph Reardon, Staff Writer 

As Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval considers tightening the city’s juvenile curfew following recent violence downtown, Xavier University officials say the measure has had little effect on campus life or student activities.

The proposed changes come after incidents at Fountain Square, prompting city leaders to discuss an earlier curfew — potentially as early as 6 p.m. for minors in certain areas. Pureval also suggested an increased police presence downtown to prevent future conflicts.

Pureval has asserted that the ongoing gun violence in the city’s urban core is absolutely intolerable, and he has announced significant new measures to address it. He stated that the city’s Civil Disturbance Response Team (CDRT) and SWAT will be deployed at Fountain Square from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. He is also proposing legislation to move the curfew for unsupervised minors in the Fountain Square District from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Although these changes sound drastic, they will likely have little effect on Xavier students.

“Cincinnati’s curfew does not impact programming given that many of our students are over the age of 18 and we do not offer many events that have students out past 9 p.m.,” Assistant Director for Student Activities Alecia Conway said

Xavier University Chief of Police Aaron Jones— who previously served with the Cincinnati Police Department — said the policy’s impact on Xavier has been minimal.

“It hasn’t affected us as much,” Jones said. “We haven’t really seen large groups of juveniles hanging out around Xavier’s campus, fortunately.”

Although the curfew is primarily a city issue, Xavier Police are authorized to enforce Cincinnati municipal law, Norwood ordinances, Ohio state law and university rules. The department’s jurisdiction covers both Cincinnati and Norwood, giving it a unique dual authority.

“If we did have an issue or a problem, we have the ability to enforce it,” Jones said. “But my first response to my officers would be, let’s call Cincinnati in and see how they want it handled.”

He added that XUPD frequently collaborates with Norwood Police because many students live off-campus in that area. “Arresting or charging one of our students is always a last resort,” he said. “We’d rather deal with things administratively than put a criminal charge on a student.”

Jones described curfews in general as “a helpful tool” for law enforcement, but he could not speak about the specific effectiveness of Cincinnati’s curfew. “It’s always nice to have that as an option when you are trying to discourage crime and disorder,” he said. “Anecdotally, I’ve seen some improvement downtown, but I can’t speak to its true effectiveness.”

Pureval’s proposed expansion of the curfew has sparked debate among Xavier University students. Sophomore Philosophy, Politics, and the Public major Jacob Wineinger, disagreed with the idea of expanding police presence or restricting access to public spaces.

“We don’t need more police or more laws controlling where we can go,” Wineinger said. “If we truly care about absolute protection in the streets, we would enact stricter gun control. Introducing heavily armed troops downtown may only escalate the situation.”

While the curfew may shape downtown policy, it appears unlikely to change life on Xavier’s campus. “If we end up having to arrest someone, it’s probably not going to be for curfew,” Jones said. “You’re probably doing something worse.”

Xavier has faced enrollment pressures this year and sustained concerns about downtown safety could affect recruitment pitches that highlight Cincinnati’s cultural and internship opportunities. University admissions materials often emphasize Cincinnati’s arts scene, professional sports and corporate internship network as key advantages of attending Xavier. If prospective students or parents begin to view the city as unsafe or overly restrictive, it could undercut those selling points or make competing schools in quieter suburban areas more appealing.