Living in a small college town

In 1900 the City of Oneonta was a railroad town, with a population of 8,900. At that time, there were 150 students enrolled at the Oneonta Normal School.

In 1950 the population was 12,265 and the railroad was still a vital part of the economic vitality and culture of the city. 1300 students attended school within the community.

In 1960 the two campuses were under construction and the year round population was about 10,500 with an additional 2500 students.

In 1980 the year round population had dropped to 7,600 but the student population had exploded to nearly 7300. The railroad was in decline and the economy was more dependent on the two colleges and two area hospitals. At that time, the city of Oneonta had become a “college town”.

2002 finds us in much the same place. In Oneonta, for nine months of the year, more than a third of our population is 17-24 years old. These students come from areas of the state that are very different in population size and ethnicity.

Other communities across the State or Country may differ from Oneonta because they did not have the railroad, but undoubtedly they had some other type of industry that provided economic support to the community. At this time, the nation’s economy is driven more and more by the service sector and small local economies are dependent on their colleges and universities.

The benefits of colleges and universities to the community are many. Colleges and universities enhance the community’s cultural offerings and they bring a more diverse ethnic mix to the community that reflects our nation as a whole. In this the 21st century they bring the technical connections to the Internet, allowing a small community to connect with the entire world. The full time residents here reap a wealth of enrichment both culturally and financially from these institutions.

The Concerns

The concerns that arise when a town shares its community with a college or university are few but probably universal. They arise from issues that relate to housing, parking, partying, violence, and finally infrastructure.

Whether the halls on campus are full or not, every “college town” has a certain amount of off campus housing as rental property that certain students desire. Apartment complexes or homes rented largely by students can become mini dormitories without supervision. They are often in a neighborhood with families and children and the elderly. Habits and hours of college students are often different from the neighborhood in which they reside, and this can become a concern for neighborhood residents.

There is hardly a college campus in the country that does not have parking problems. In the small community these problems overflow into the neighborhoods near campus. The high number of student owned vehicles can over tax the community’s municipal lots, and create parking problems within a community’s central business district.

Every institution of higher learning’s goal is to prepare their students for a career and adulthood. Much of this is accomplished in the classroom. A great deal of the maturation process is done in social situations outside of the academic halls. “Kids” are away from home many for the first time, and the experience of parties, clubs and bar hopping make up a part of their social scene. Partying in off campus housing is typically disruptive to a neighborhood. Club and bar hopping off campus creates personal safety issues for the students and community members.

We live in an increasingly violent society. More and more individuals (students and community members) carry personal weapons. As you and I well know, many individuals in society are desensitized to violence. New York State has recently adopted a policy allowing on campus police to carry weapons. How much of this is in response to the increase in violence that impacts both the campus and the town community?

These four issues lead to a diverse number of illegal activities. A small community finds its law enforcement dealing with noise ordinances, code enforcement, open container problems, parking tickets, underage drinking, illegal drug trafficking and use, plus the threat of violence from students who may or may not be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. “College towns” can find their police force overwhelmed and under staffed. The community may lack the resources to pay and retain its law enforcement officials. Police officers are forced to deal with issues found in more urban areas, and the community may lack the compensation to train its law enforcement officials to deal with the more complicated issues that impact the community.

As a last point we need to consider the issue of infrastructure. Campuses can over tax the community’s resources, creating strains on water resources and landfill usage. These issues can create huge expenses for a small community.

What are the solutions?

Positive town gown relations should be the goal of all colleges and university and the communities where they are located.

The first step to finding solutions is quite simply enhanced communication between the community’s business and political leaders and the university’s administrative staff. With superior communication, problems can be dealt with before they become too expensive or too difficult to manage. The parents of the students who are attending a university need to be involved by university administration, especially when the problems relate to a student’s personal safety or illegal activities. The community, campus administrators, and the parents of students should work together to create a safe and healthy environment for education and socialization.