2008 Woodie Awards
Picking a fight for the wrong reasons
The Georgetown Independent
Issue date: 1/29/03 Section: Editorials
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Battles between the University and area residents are a constant in the Georgetown area. Oftentimes, these disputes arise from legitimate complaints: excessive noise or drunkenness by students, unfairly vindictive residents. To some extent, the tension between the groups is inevitable; two groups with such disparate interests and habits are bound to be in conflict at points. Sometimes, however, actions by one group or another unnecessarily isolate the conflict. When such an event occurs, the group committing the act should be condemned.
That is the case with the recent decision by certain neighborhood activists to go public with opposition towards the University's Performing Arts Center. Amazingly enough, there has been no resistance to the Performing Arts Center itself. At every point since the University released its Ten Year Plan, the Performing Arts Center has been universally praised as a means to bring students back on campus and improve the social and cultural life of the school and the surrounding area.
Disregarding years of support for the Center, officials ostensibly representing the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Burleith Citizens Association have argued against allowing the construction to continue. The dissenters, admittedly, are not suddenly changing their opinion on the value of the Center. Instead, they are using the Center as a convenient prop in fighting their larger battle. Their battle is one over enrollment, student behavior and student cars. The protesting residents argue that Georgetown University has failed to live up to those aspects of the school's Ten Year Plan, and thus should not be permitted to continue construction resulting from the plan.
Certainly, residents should expect the school to live up to its agreements. And, if Georgetown does not, neighbors must have a means of holding the University to its contract. That said, attempting to stall a valuable addition to the school for unrelated purposes is ridiculous, and only serves to further alienate students from the community. Too many residents make an honest effort to get along with students and the University to have the relationship ruined by actions such as this one.
That is the case with the recent decision by certain neighborhood activists to go public with opposition towards the University's Performing Arts Center. Amazingly enough, there has been no resistance to the Performing Arts Center itself. At every point since the University released its Ten Year Plan, the Performing Arts Center has been universally praised as a means to bring students back on campus and improve the social and cultural life of the school and the surrounding area.
Disregarding years of support for the Center, officials ostensibly representing the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Burleith Citizens Association have argued against allowing the construction to continue. The dissenters, admittedly, are not suddenly changing their opinion on the value of the Center. Instead, they are using the Center as a convenient prop in fighting their larger battle. Their battle is one over enrollment, student behavior and student cars. The protesting residents argue that Georgetown University has failed to live up to those aspects of the school's Ten Year Plan, and thus should not be permitted to continue construction resulting from the plan.
Certainly, residents should expect the school to live up to its agreements. And, if Georgetown does not, neighbors must have a means of holding the University to its contract. That said, attempting to stall a valuable addition to the school for unrelated purposes is ridiculous, and only serves to further alienate students from the community. Too many residents make an honest effort to get along with students and the University to have the relationship ruined by actions such as this one.