THE ISSUE: Task force, BC discuss neighborhood problems WHAT WE THINK: Students should be part of solution
Town-gown relations are often among the foremost problems facing universities, especially as they seek to expand. Boston College is no exception. After another Allston-Brighton task force meeting Tuesday night, one can't help but wonder when, if ever, the neighbors and the school will be able to reach some sort of consensus about BC's new expansion plan.
Tuesday's meeting was filled with more conversation about the community's uneasiness about BC's Master Plan. As usual, the main complaint from the residents concerned boisterous, off-campus students, who have long plagued the neighborhoods with late hours and rowdy parties. The new Master Plan aims to remedy this problem with 610 new beds, increasing the proportion of students living on campus to 90 percent, and cutting the number of students living off campus by approximately half in the process.
So why is there an argument? The majority of these new residence halls would be on the newly acquired Brighton Campus, located just a short walk down Commonwealth Avenue. Neighbors believe that this will result in increased noise and disruption in their neighborhoods, while BC officials see the plans as a way to take students out of the neighborhoods. In addition, the neighbors want to see all students housed on campus, a demand that BC maintains it cannot meet.
One way to approach this seemingly intractable dispute would be to involve students in the conversation. The main source of conflict is between students and neighbors. By better understanding the habits and relationships between the students and the neighbors, a more amicable solution might be reached. Unfortunately, with task force meetings taking place far from campus, students are left out. By holding meetings closer to campus and inviting interested students, these meetings could be far more productive.
Students are the face of the University, especially for the neighbors. By including them in this discussion, neighbors will have the opportunity to see a different side of BC students and recognize them as more than simply an unruly menace that takes to the streets on Friday and Saturday nights. Not only would neighbors and students be able to air their issues face to face, but students also could bring a variety of perspectives and creative solutions to problems that administrators have been incapable of resolving.
Perhaps most importantly, students deserve a place at the table. The Master Plan discussion is inherently about student issues. When questions like whether students will be allowed to live in single-family houses off campus come up, students should be there to give their input. For this reason BC should look to scheduling some sort of forum that could include both neighbors and students at a location convenient to both.
BC is a rising intellectual university, which brings with it a call for growth. Furthermore, as it is located on the outskirts of a major city, noise and expansion should not be strange to surrounding residents. The students of BC enrich this area greatly and also help to keep many local businesses afloat. They offer babysitting, tutoring, and yardwork services to neighbors. Of course, this does not excuse their behavior on the weekends. The fact is, however, that this area is - and will continue to be - populated by students and neighbors alike. If they are ever to learn to coexist, they must talk out the problems that are present now and recognize how proposed solutions will affect their relationship.
Noise is an unavoidable side effect of both a college and a city, but it is a factor the Master Plan is aiming to contain. Instead of having administrators endlessly butt heads with neighbors for the actions of their students, bringing students to the meetings could help explain the behavior and disruption that takes place on the weekends. Both sides have opinions to bring to the table, but without direct contact, sparks will continue to fly. As an alternative to yet another task force meeting far from campus, perhaps it is time to sit down and have a sober discussion between all concerned parties.
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