RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF BRIGHT LIGHTS.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

A group of West Hills residents gathered Tuesday night to voice concerns about the bright lights of an imposing new neighbor, the DeVry Institute of Technology.

``I feel like there's a thousand eyes watching over me through my bedroom window,'' said resident Maria Kemp, whose rear windows face DeVry. ``The lights are on too long and too bright.''

DeVry officials, who said they want to be good neighbors, held the meeting to address concerns of about a dozen people who live near the institute at Roscoe Boulevard and Fallbrook Avenue.

``We truly want to be a part of the neighborhood, and we mean that,'' said the school's dean, Iraj Borbor, as he led the residents on a tour of the new 100,000-square-foot facility and its million dollars in computer labs. ``But we cannot make any promises. . . . Security is of a concern to us.''

These words were little consolation to several of the residents.

DeVry officials said that they have planted more than 200 trees around the school's walkways and parking lot in an effort to shield the light, but the trees are immature and need time to grow.

Charlene Rothstein, the president of the West Hills Neighborhood Association, said that while the trees should help someday, ``it's still an uphill battle.''