Opinion
The September and November issues of The Bridge contain thoughtful articles about a small segment of the University of Minnesota student population. One writer expresses concern over errors in judgement that endanger the student’s life; another reacts negatively to being labeled as “careless American ‘kids,’”; and another seems to advocate acceptance of “big loud part[ies]” as merely blowing off energy. Recently, a student at Mankato with bright hopes for the future died of alcohol over-consumption, emphasizing the reason for the concern.
As a 37-year resident of Southeast, I have seen the neighborhood go from largely family-dominated residential to one dominated by rental units for students. Speaking for my nearby neighborhood, the family housing on Como Avenue and Southeast 27th Avenue in general are very good neighbors. The diversity there is a joy to see, and their quiet neighborliness should serve as an example to the rest of the community.
Moving west from that housing project, things deteriorate. A couple of general issues might best express my concern:
Loud parties that last until 2–3 a.m. are not just “blowing off energy,” they are remarkably disrespectful. At 4 a.m., I might need to blow off some energy, too, by mowing my lawn or starting a jackhammer project on my sidewalk, but if I feel that would be inappropriate — let alone illegal — why would it be any different than 70–150 students disrupting the neighborhood for hours in the middle of the night? Students who sponsor and attend such events are less responsible than other neighbors.
The aftermath of the parties leaves debris strewn all over the lawns and only the few remaining nonstudent owners bother to pick things up. Bottles, cups, six- and 12-pack packages are all discarded wherever they are used up. One cup, in what was perhaps an attempt to conserve plastic, lay on my front lawn with the words “THE MAN” written in felt-tip marker. I thought it ironic that “THE MAN” would behave less responsibly than the children who walk to and from the bus on our corner every school day and do not litter, but he still feels self-important enough to call himself “THE MAN.”
The yards of the rental units tend to not be mowed in the summer, and sidewalks generally are not shoveled in the winter — not just the public part but also the sidewalk leading from the door to the street. I could go on to mention the vandalism of fences, garages, Christmas lighting, etc., but who cares? This is responsible? Is this the life such students plan to live when they graduate? I hope not, but it would be nice if the student body would express some righteous indignation to this small number of students over such irresponsible behavior. We few remaining homeowners can no longer do it ourselves; we need student support.
Students support this way of living by not taking a strong position against such behavior. It is not enough to state: “I don’t do such things.” It will require peer group pressure that holds others accountable in all aspects of life. If students remain silent on such matters, the irresponsible ones may assume that their behavior is condoned.
Nearly 20 years ago, when there were still children on the street on which I live, I was in the midst of replacing my roof. Eager to finish the project, I started working one morning at 6:45 a.m. (official city start time is 7 a.m.) and was given a well-deserved tongue lashing by a neighbor for being so rude. Today, garbage trucks can be heard at 6 a.m., and loud mufflers and parties destroy the peace at all hours. It is no wonder so many families have sold their homes and moved away.
The closing of Tuttle School will only make it more difficult to establish a family neighborhood. I did not feel Prospect Park needed a school to shore up their neighborhood as much as Como did, but they thought only of themselves when they lobbied behind the scenes to expand classrooms there. Why would a student community [Como] lobby for a local [elementary] school?
The imbalance of the Como neighborhood is now similar to a ghetto where there are too few responsible homeowners to keep the neighborhood looking nice. Even some homeowners have taken advantage of this decline in home and yard standards by storing commercial vehicles and general junk in their yards and by failing to keep their homes in good condition.
It makes me melancholy as we consider what could have been and as we think about looking for a home elsewhere.
last revised: December 18, 2007