Some student-friendly proposals
OK, one last post. If got paid by the inch I'd have owned the Herald by now.
The other result of that meeting between city and student leaders is a couple of proposals to let students know they're always welcomed in Grand Forks:
* Free soda pop and hamburgers. The city wants to sponsor block parties in the UND neighborhood to bring students and homeowners together. The premise seems to be that if they get to know one another, the homeowners will go easier on student partying. Student government already has an outreach initiative with the same idea. They used to call it "Don't Call the Cops, Call the Neighbors" (or something), but now they just call it the "Good Neighbor" program. I think the old one is more honest.
* A late-night UND to downtown city bus service. Students like hanging out downtown and a bus means nobody drives home drunk. Funding would come from both student government and the city with students paying a nominal fee ($1, maybe).
* Springfest 2007. Springfest 2006 went off without a hitch and city leaders are applauding the students and sponsor Suite 49 for pulling it off. Police Chief John Packett said he was skeptical at first but everything turned out much better than he thought. He said Suite 49 has applied for a license for Springfest 2007, so there is a next year.
* Council President Hal Gershman reiterated his desire to see UND open a classroom downtown, citing the example of the University of Manitoba. I had to get up to go to the boy's room so I missed most of what he said (It was kind of a long meeting and I'd been drinking coffee. Sorry.). But I looked this up on Google and found this report. It says UM opened an inner-city social work office a quarter century ago. This helps the neighborhood and gives the social work students experience. UND had looked at the old Metropolitan Opera House in the past but passed.
The other result of that meeting between city and student leaders is a couple of proposals to let students know they're always welcomed in Grand Forks:
* Free soda pop and hamburgers. The city wants to sponsor block parties in the UND neighborhood to bring students and homeowners together. The premise seems to be that if they get to know one another, the homeowners will go easier on student partying. Student government already has an outreach initiative with the same idea. They used to call it "Don't Call the Cops, Call the Neighbors" (or something), but now they just call it the "Good Neighbor" program. I think the old one is more honest.
* A late-night UND to downtown city bus service. Students like hanging out downtown and a bus means nobody drives home drunk. Funding would come from both student government and the city with students paying a nominal fee ($1, maybe).
* Springfest 2007. Springfest 2006 went off without a hitch and city leaders are applauding the students and sponsor Suite 49 for pulling it off. Police Chief John Packett said he was skeptical at first but everything turned out much better than he thought. He said Suite 49 has applied for a license for Springfest 2007, so there is a next year.
* Council President Hal Gershman reiterated his desire to see UND open a classroom downtown, citing the example of the University of Manitoba. I had to get up to go to the boy's room so I missed most of what he said (It was kind of a long meeting and I'd been drinking coffee. Sorry.). But I looked this up on Google and found this report. It says UM opened an inner-city social work office a quarter century ago. This helps the neighborhood and gives the social work students experience. UND had looked at the old Metropolitan Opera House in the past but passed.
posted by Tu-Uyen at 11:13 PM
31 Comments:
If you keep this up they'll have to rename the paper "The Daily Tran!"
'Peg Man. is a little LARGER than Forks.
So? There's still social problems here and lots of social service agencies in the downtown area for the social work students to intern at.
Interning downtown at social service agencies is great. But you reported that, "Hal Gershman reiterated his desire to see UND open a classroom downtown."
You added, "UM opened an inner-city social work office a quarter century ago. This helps the neighborhood and gives the social work students experience."
Whether it's a classroom some 20 blocks from campus, or a "social work office" to compliment, or compete with, the other social service agencies, it smells a little like a pork barrel proposal at the expense of state taxpayers to benefit downtown Grand Forks.
When I say intern, I mean that it's nice to have the classroom next to the social service shops where they would intern at.
Anyway, if it's more convenient for students and helps them learn, it wouldn't be pork. And that would be up to UND to decide. I've never heard of UND bending to the city's will before.
Most classrooms are irrelevant to internships, which are usually independent studies marked by occasional consultations in a prof's office. In a sense they're like student teaching, occurring after coursework has been done.
You're right. I'll change my answer to class field trips. Heck, the social work class could open up a clinic itself.
When I was in journalism school, we had this thing called "news lab" where we served as a cheap news bureau for all the weekly newspapers in Seattle. Those guys must've been real desperate.
"The premise seems to be that if they get to know one another, the homeowners will go easier on student partying."
I would be in favor of this with the previso that the students show up as drunk as they are when they are partying. That way homeowners learn whom they are dealing with.
http://www.und.edu/org/stgov/cabcrawler.htm
The above URL will take you to a program that is already in place. Does it get used? Obviously, since it is consistently renewed in the student government. The question, though, is if there is enough usage to create a demand for an actual bus service. That might be something to look at before the city and student government spends more money on another project.
As for the "Good Neighbors Project," I just really can't see that doing any good. For the most part, I have never seen great relations between "Students" and "Residents." Residents do not like the idea of temporary residents (ie. students). I still haven't figured out why this is, since it is the high school and university student populations that provide the extraordinarily low-wage staffing of facilities (retail, restaurants, service, etc.) so the Residents can continue to receive services and goods at lower prices than our metro cousins.
And for some reason, my login doesn't work anymore (something about no google account found), so just letting you know this is UnvoicedGF posting. I hate the anonymous option.
Hey JM, long time no post. Your login works so there is a link to your blog.
To answer your question about the cab crawler, the students at the meeting yesterday complained that it takes a long time for the cabs to come around. Also, the bus can take care of more riders than the cabs, so that's another advantage when everybody leaves the bar at 2 a.m. It kind of sucks to wait outside when its 20 below.
"Residents do not like the idea of temporary residents (ie. students). I still haven't figured out why this is"
It is because students do not see themselves as part of the neighborhood, nor do they believe they owe anything to the well-beingof the neighborhood. I am surrounded by "private sector dormitories," and have witnessed for years how the freedom they enjoy of getting away from mommy and daddy's rules has resulted in obnoxious and irresponsible behaviour. When they begin to show some maturity and self-discipline, homeowners may change their opinion.
Odd that it worked and told me otherwise. Ho-hum.
I agree, the 20 below temps are annoying to wait in, but are they looking to replace Cab Crawler with the buses, or augment the program?
It would augment. The students at the meeting said maybe the competition would make the cabs more responsive. Note that that's what I've heard. I haven't talked to the cabs so I can't vouch that the complaints are justified.
"* A late-night UND to downtown city bus service. Students like hanging out downtown and a bus means nobody drives home drunk. Funding would come from both student government and the city with students paying a nominal fee ($1, maybe)."
So if getting drunk students home safely is a priority, is it fair to ask what the hell they're doing at the university. I always thought education was the priority, not nightly enebriation.
So if getting drunk students home safely is a priority, is it fair to ask what the hell they're doing at the university. I always thought education was the priority, not nightly enebriation.
That's asinine. No one said that drinking is a priority. This is to be funded by student government, not UND. Are you opposed to students having some fun on the weekend? Have you forgotten what being young was like?
Anyway, the students at the meeting anticipated your objection. They said that:
a) Not all students go downtown to get drunk. The bus would help those who don't have cars.
b) Students will go downtown no matter what, so you might as well keep them safe.
"and a bus means nobody drives home drunk."
Your words.
"Are you opposed to students having some fun on the weekend?"
And no, I'm not. Except that for students, it seems fun and alcohol have become synonymous.
Haha. You're probably right but that's kind of true of all of Grand Forks. They're only emulating their elders.
Maybe. But I bet that if there were no UND in Grand Forks, there'd be no binge drinking rated second in the country.
and there would be a helluva lot less of other things in GF w/o UND.
Everyone of those students spends $$$ and there isn't a business in town that will turn them down.
Those business come to town and we all get to use them.
One thing I wasn't happy about though, was the "student discount" that my teenage daughter couldn't use because she was only a "HS Student." But that's life I guess.
Was there talk of the bus going anywhere besides downtown? I can only imagine the uproar from the Southtown businesses if the bus were only to go downtown.
Another thing, I suppose that since UND is a State institution that they cannot use their own buses for this use, but too me that would be kind of ridiculous, the UND bus drivers are college kids looking for anyway to make an extra buck whereas the City bus drivers are career people who don't want to be working at 2am. It'd be nice to see some common sense on this issue, but what do I know.
Maybe. But I bet that if there were no UND in Grand Forks, there'd be no binge drinking rated second in the country.
Nope, of course not. Then again, we'd just be an obscure and unnoted point on a map that held zero significance, even though the massive drinking problem would still be prevalent. I grew up in this town, went to the local high school; I know that there is no such thing as "waiting until the legal age to drink" happening, let alone the "adults" (who are often times just older aged children) who are partaking of many more drinks than they should.
Yes, you've touched on a sore spot. Who knows, maybe I'll dedicate my next (and long overdue) blog post to this horrible condition called "I'm bored, let's get drunk" so I'm not chewing up Tu-Uyen's space.
As for bussing downtown, perhaps a better solution would be to bring in more entertainment venues to the downtown area, making it a possiblity to bus students down there not only for the purpose of alleviating drunken driving. Imagine, well-lit pool halls, a late-night fitness center and climbing walls, karaoke clubs, late-night bistros or other restaurants, etc. all in a concentrated area of downtown, accessible to a large number of students clambering to escape their dorm halls. Envision this, rather than the old fogey antique shops, designer faucet store, and smoke-choked pool hall that are already there.
See, now you got me in a mood...
"Then again, we'd just be an obscure and unnoted point on a map that held zero significance"
I think some perspective is needed here, because in the greater scheme of things, that's exactly what Grand Forks is. This not a criticism, just reality.
College students, many away from home for the first time in their lives, may think they can liberate their urges and get as wild as they please, whether in a neighborhood or at a downtown bar or anywhere else. However, I doubt if they would get away with it in their parents' homes or their home neighborhoods (if so that is pathetic). Thing is, here they are in another location which just happens to have noise ordinances. As adults or pseudo-adults, college students need to remember with freedom comes responsibility. Any person in any neighborhood can have the police called on them for making too much noise, such as a teen with a boombox outside a residential house. Rules are for everyone!
Thanks for the lecture, Dad.
You see, tu, you really don't get anywhere with sarcasm. I notice you use it and ad hominems instead of coming up with a constructive rejoinder. If you disagree with a post, argue the point.
There was nothing to disprove.
As adults or pseudo-adults, college students need to remember with freedom comes responsibility.
It's like saying the sky is blue. No, really?? Didn't we all have this lecture about the time we were 14?
Rules are for everyone!
Whoa, paradigm shift! The argument (in an entirely different thread, I might add) isn't if rules are for everyone, it's if the rules are a little too loose.
So why didn't you say that in the first place instead of blowing the comment off?
You are welcome, Tu-Uyen, for the lecture (tongue in cheek)! I don't know if the rules are too loose. I do think it is ridiculous to have a separate rule for college students from that which governs the rest of the city re noise and disturbance. At the same time, I think if students or ANYone wants privileges, those privileges can't be abused and continue to be extended. If college students have shown in the past that they have a greater tendency to have noisy parties or are disturbing neighborhoods with their behavior, then the googley-eyed monsters are gonna come out of the woodwork and shut them down, and probably scrutinize them more carefully in the future. That's life. You get out of it what you put into it. If you give sh*t to people, you're gonna get sh*t back. You can't have it both ways. Just because UND is a boon to the city in so many ways doesn't mean that exceptions should be made for bad behavior, esp. if it's against the law.
geez UND students seem whiney. you're pickin on me! (sarcastically) I wonder why!!!!!?
Wait, are we talking about the same thing? The rezoning thing was aimed in such a way that it primarily affected students, meaning that's a special rule for a special group. Yeah, it was landlords that took the hit, but all the complaints that lead up to rezoning was about students.
The other rule we were talking about is the 24-hour noise ordinance. That affected everyone. But some readers thought it was goofy because it requires you to trust that the authorities will never abuse the rule.
When you say "I do think it is ridiculous to have a separate rule for college students from that which governs the rest of the city" you are totally misreading the situation. It is a citywide ordinance. And it has been enforced in areas outside the UND neighborhood, which I talked about in the other post.
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