I am working on a few different posts. This is a lot harder than I had imagined. I am new to the blogosphere and I appreciate your patience. I am trying to get more information from SU regarding the housing situation, to start, and will follow up later.
I was so impressed with the comments from my SU post yesterday I thought it would be worthwhile to recap a few of them on this post. I am grateful many readers took the time to “weigh in” and respond.
I attempted to edit some of the 50 comments, highlighting excellent points that were made. Clearly it became too lengthy and my editing sometimes ruined the substance of the comment. My inexperience has wasted a perfectly good day. Live and Learn.
Here is the link to the comments: https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=31586983&postID=2316704126284221940
This issue has many levels and is not unique to just our community. I still have more questions than answers. My biggest question is why haven’t our elected officials, community leaders and SU administration done more to bring us all together? It appears neither side is being heard. Do we even have a “community liaison” working with one of our biggest employers/biggest assets?
One more question...Is it just me but the signs you see all over town, “SU Student are Welcome” is a bit of a negative? I understand it is a marketing attempt but I feel it is a little weird. It reminds me of the 50’s era when there were signs in the window stating you had to be a certain race to come in the store. A very bad, embarrassing time in US history. Of course SU students are welcome, we clearly need to do a better.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
29 comments:
I think the SU students welcome sign is advertising that they accept the GULL CARD. But, I am not sure.
How can we reach you, aside from the comments?
Thanks.
alberobutzo@wmconnect.com if you're talking to me?
2:14--That sign is in the window of the slumlord GNI, don't think they take the GULL CARD.
L caruso its patience not patients, don't mention it.
those signs are telling su students to apply and not to assume they will be turned away because of all of the negative reaction the community has towards students.
it's really quite simple. for as long as I can remember, as someone who grew up in the pinehurst neighborhood, i have seen a multitude of negative reactions towards students renting, mostly from the homeowners in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus.
you know the deal..."I (joe homeowner) want it (it being the influx of dollars to my community) but not in my back yard" philosophy.
I know that Debbie Campbell has been interested and involved to the degree that she can. She has asked to serve on Town Gown and was passed over for Councilwoman Shields who doesn't attend much. She asked that the administration arrange a forum with elected offifials and university reps to discuss mutually beneficial solutions to parking and could not get support form Comegys, Smith, or Shields, let alone the Mayor to do so. She has worked closely with the SGA VP/Pres. on crime task force as well as with Chief Lashley. She is concerned about the quality and safety of student housing as well as all housing and community safety. You should call her and talk.
The thing is several offices/people/organizations have tried in the past and it just was always talk. Nothing was every folowed through. Mostly SU broke their promises as to what the admin would do.
Where does SU fall into the stats as far as being a biggest employer? IS PRMC still the biggest?
Its ironic though, because countless number of kids have that sign as a piece of decoration in their rental homes haha
GNI properties will keep the students security deposits most every time, leaving the non-destructive students with disgust for the local businesses in general.
Most local businesses are very respectful toward college students, although Walmart has made it tough for the smaller local businesses.
The Welcome signs were just a promo tool of the Chamber in response to students frequently saying, "I don't feel welcome here."
Funny, that's how a lot of residents feel who have been here 10, 20, 30 and 40 years!
Both Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen have reached out to the university community. I think students like those two more than the landlords want to think, if the couple of students I know are any indication.
Barrie Tilghman, the council majority (Comegys, Shields and Smith), and Janet Dudley-Eshbach are all empire builders.
The students get used as pawns. I'd like to see the students and homeowners get together and kick all those sorry butts out.
Actually, the "SU Students Welcome" signs always p!ssed me off - I took classes at UMES. What, our money is no good here? You know, there IS another college just 15 miles down the road...
You know alot of the homes and homewoners adjacent to SU were THERE FIRST. The zoning in these areas is clear, the use of single family homes for multiple student rentals is illegal. The University was a small commuter teachers college when most of the homeowners bought in this area, the explosion of students needing housing is recent and it is unfair, untrue and illogical to condemn residents that have lived near the college for wanting the LAW enforced. How dare a homeowner who has poured their blood seat and tears into their home for 50 years expect the zoning to be enforced and deprive model citizens like the local slumlords of a quick buck. They really have a nerve. Why I bet the homeowners in Nithsdale, Tony Tank, Kensington Woods etc.would welcome six or eight students living next door, urinating on their manicured chemically enhanced lawns, fornicating on the hoods of their cars and all of the other lovely behavior us lucky city residents have experienced.
if u take issue with the college---SELL OUT! (plain and simple)
I understand the signs are for the Gull Card, marketing. Not being critical, at least the Chamber is making attempts. In my opinion it is just not very effective.
UMES is another excellent university! It appears we have a lot of bridges to build! And a lot to be proud of.
PS asdfjkl - sorry was rushing for a doctors appt, need to double check before I post! You guys don't miss a thing.
The stickers say your money is welcome....that is it....just keeping it real :)
General Login,
You got it all backwards and twisted. Your money is welcome here, but you arent.
L Caruso,
Good response, I like that. You have my respect.
The current mayor and the current SU president have never gotten along. As a result, Town/Gown relations have been poor. If only both would leave...
I think the reason that the university and the locals are in this bsaket is because the college was small when I was young, and it grew and expanded with no actual plan or foresight into the future of both. It was just a land grab, no thought or plan. Time passed and here we are, with no more of a plan then they had back then. The landlords(the bad ones) are just roaches(millionaires) but still roaches. The fact that the college is right smack in the middle of Salisbury doesnt help matters much, there is no solution both sides need to meet somewhere in the middle. Thats the best your ever going to do. Both sides need to give and take some. The older local home-owners need to remember when they were young and the students need to realize that some of these local citizens have a world of experience under their belt. Thats where wisdom comes from. Work with one another. Maybe youll get lucky enough to have someone elected that will actualy care what both sides want and deserve. Now your banking on democracy, wow...
Let's have a positive comment.
Congratulations to the SU Mens's Baseball Team for being named #1 in Division III TODAY!!!
UMES another Joke of a College, pay your fee-get your degree, well in 7 years that is.
L. Caruso, you have more comments on the old post. Last I had looked at it, it had about 30 comments.
Doug Wilkerson, that's right. The university grew and ran right over the residents. That's not the students' fault. But the students should stop telling the residents to just move out. Many residents do remember they were young once and recall that being young did not involve destroying other peoples' property. Many residents were here before the current students were born.
That said, I bet the students and residents would get along a lot better if it weren't for the landlords, Barrie Tilghman and Janet Dudley-Eshbach. Two stir trouble and the third ignores trouble. All three are steamrollers.
Why should the homeowners have to move out? As stated earlier the zoning LAW does not permit rentals to multiple college students. That is the point of the argument. it is the same residential zoning that many other owner occupied neighborhoods have, and should be enforced. Instead you have slumlords sitting on the boards that allow variances of the law. The root problem seems to be the adherence to and enforcement of zoning laws. Do you see any potential single famiiy homeowners buying in rental areas?
A big thumb-in-the-eye (or was it a flip of the bird?) was what an SU official told a number of local businessmen a few years ago, when asked what plans SU had to provide additional housing to accommodate the planned 2000+ increase in enrollment-- (there was nothing for housing in the capital budget)-- he said words to the effect- "we plan to just use the housing available on the local economy."
Now, I'm sure that suits the slumlords just fine, but where are you going to put 2000 more kids (and all their partying friends?)
SU wants to spend their money on the profit-producing facilities, and force Salisbury and Fruitland to provide their housing facilities.
Is that any way to act?
Could that have anything to do with the local 'intolerance'?
To 4:52 PM- I'm going to pee on you doorstep tonight and maybe in your gas tank. I did not appreciate reading your opinion of the college students. You must not have listened to President Obama. The big word is CHANGE. Move out and make room for change. We need your house for college housing.Old people need to change and get a new vision of the future. Don't be stagant. You may rot where you stand.
Real classy comment. Is there any wonder why hard working, honest homeowners have issues with some students with comments like Mike Moeder? Do you honestly think you intimidate people who grapple with the realities of life like mortgages, insurance, putting food on the table? When your biggest worry is what 12 pack is on sale this week?
Mike Moeder, I hope you were being facetious. If not, you're part of the problem.
Granny who voted for Obama
Sell out or face emminent domain u choose!
You think the college is big now? Wait till it becomes a research university with 30,000 undergrads.
Take a day trip to College Park some time
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