Keep it down! Don’t park there! You can’t live here!) It’s a prizefight between university students and local residents. Only they’re fighting in heavyweight, while we’re bloodied up in the corner, bullied featherweights.
Last semester I didn’t understand the ruckus regarding AU students Deon Jones and Tyler Sadonis’ candidacies for local government. It seemed irrelevant to me. Why vote in D.C. when most of us aren’t permanent residents and we’re not apportioned a vote in Congress?
Please forgive my ignorance. Now I know.
Like many AU students, I live within two miles of campus. Frankly, the rent is too damn high, but it’s an incurred consequence of living close to school. My cranky neighbors have reprimanded me numerous times for parking in unmarked but sacred spots. As spacious as my street is, if I dare deviate from my usual spot, I face the wrath of grumps that would make Gilbert Gottfried sound pleasant.
I, like many of you, pay a fee to park in Zone 3. However, all of Zone 3 isn’t open to us. In fact, our university allocates resources to ticket its students/professors for parking in the open spaces which they’ve already paid for. It’s outrageous. The intersection of Macomb and Nebraska is a perfect example. Almost all residents have garages — very few park on the street. Nevertheless, AU patrol cars target students and ticket liberally. Their website claims, “We are committed to fairness, honesty and trust.”
Kind of like Bristol Palin is committed to abstinence.
One remedy is to lift the ban during schooldays until 5:00 p.m. (when lots become free). As college students, we’ll avoid exorbitant parking lot fees, and residents who need the spot(s) after work will have plenty of space.
That’s just one potential solution. Many more disagreements exist.
Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson, e-mailed students a new law describing Draconian punishments for vague noise infractions. Most D.C. students are considerate and have no intention of disturbing the peace. But how can residents not expect a little noise from students who are crammed like the Metro at 5:00 p.m. into dorms not to release from the rigors of school, internships and jobs to stretch their feathers?
Banning noise from nearby colleges is like expecting not to sweat in a sauna. It’s preposterous. Although noise can be mollified, it’s the irascible residents who need to quiet their exaggerated complaints.
We’re not alone. Georgetown columnist James Butler described his personal experience in a recent issue of The Hoya, while Jake Sticka advocated greater participation last semester. Thankfully, some are taking action. According to the George Washington Hatchet, “D.C. Students Speak — a group of local college students trying to get student voices into city debates — is circulating a petition to repeal the noise act, saying the law actively targets students.”
The group’s website states, “Despite comprising 15 percent of the District of Columbia’s population, we hold only two of the 276 citywide Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats. With ANCs being the level of government that most directly affects students, this is a serious problem.”
They’re right.
During my undergraduate work at San Diego State, I encountered the same battles. My brother at the University of Colorado-Boulder phones me about his. It’s a nationwide epidemic. Our petulant, overzealous neighbors enjoy all the perks of living by a university, yet cry foul with any inconvenience attributed to students or the school. It’s time for them to grow up.
I would love to work together with residents to address these issues, but most are myopic and self-interested. The evidence is proven by the ridiculous ordinances we face. While it’s doubtful transient students can significantly impact this uneven climate, it’s worth noting that as we age, let us remember not to follow their selfish example.
Conor Shapiro is a graduate student in the School of International Service and a liberal columnist.
edpage@theeagleonline.com
