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Arbor District wecomes students back 'home' with open arms

Sunday, September 30, 2007 1:19 AM CDT

Our neighborhood has felt mighty empty all summer. The time between semesters is an opportunity to take vacations, or in the case of some faculty, spread out across the globe to pursue their research agendas. But what we've missed are the students. Their high energy and joy of living can become a burden on some week-end nights, but on the whole they are a delight. Something is really missing when they're gone.

This Sunday afternoon we're having our Welcome Back Picnic in the Arbor District. It'll be held at Hundley House on Main and Maple. There'll be hamburgers and veggie burgers and there will be students. At least we hope they'll join us older folk again this year. You never know. They may find something else that grabs their interests on a beautiful autumn Sunday afternoon.

We have made a concerted effort in the Arbor District to make students welcome. We placed "Welcome Back Students" signs in our yards as the semester began. Led by Arbor District President Sandy Litecky, we passed out cookies and juice at a neighborhood information stand located at St. Francis Catholic Church. We walked the neighborhood handing out information packets that gave advice to students about housing codes, crime prevention, and the neighborhood. The packets were prepared by Larry Dietz of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and we were happy to cooperate with SIUC's outreach. We have formed Neighborhood Watch groups with our student neighbors like the one at First Presbyterian Church led by Robert Luebbers. And we have consistently advocated for better and safer housing for the students who share our neighborhoods.

We hope the sun will shine and that our annual picnic will be a success. But in the back of our minds are some worrisome questions. As we welcomed the students back, we heard many distressing stories of unsafe and dirty conditions in the rooming houses and apartments. Those who knew to call City Hall had code inspectors quickly dispatched to require landlords to bring their places up to standards. But the city is so far behind in their inspections that there are properties that haven't been looked at in many, many years.

In the Mayoral campaign Brad Cole made a promise to increase the number of code inspectors, paying for them with inspection fees on the rental property. His proposal was bold and welcome. We have heard it will be on an October City Council agenda and hope that it passes. We think it is critical to have annual inspections of rental property so that the students will be safe and secure in our neighborhoods.

And finally there is crime. This past week, in the space of two days, four serious crimes, including a shooting, were reported in a one and a half mile area near Grand Avenue. It's not our neighborhood, but the students' concerns in the area sound very familiar. They say they're "afraid to walk the streets at night," while others say that "they would feel safer if their landlords would install dead bolt locks on their doors." Dead bolt locks are required by City Code. But if there is no inspection of the rental properties, who is to enforce the law?

We are concerned about our neighborhoods in part because we are deeply concerned about the future of SIUC in Carbondale. SIUC is our livelihood, the engine of business, the cultural center of the region and the reason most of us are here. But the town has long ignored the effects of terrible housing and crime on our recruitment and retention of students.

We think that our student neighbors are worthy of a beautiful, safe and comfortable college town. We're working towards that vision. If you live in our neighborhood, or know people that do, or would like to meet us, please come to our picnic this afternoon. And bring some students.

We'll throw another veggie burger on the barbie.