The recent flaps involving the New Haven Firemen and the Cambridge Police made me wonder if what happened in those two prestigious university towns wasn't somewhat predictable, due to attitudes developed over time.
Of course, Bellingham and Western Washington University also have some 'issues' that seem to be resilient enough to defy any easy or lasting resolution.
Without being exhaustive, these issues pertain to neighbors, landlords, transportation, taxes & fees for service, competition for jobs, different attitudes toward responsibilities and codes of conduct, enforcement problems, and the like.
Those interested may appreciate this Wikipedia website for a short history and summary of this unique type of relationship.
A quick read may surprise you, because of the number and type of problems that some Bellinghamsters may feel are unique to our town.
Here are a few excerpts as examples for those not wishing to review the entire link:
---------
The idea of a school of higher learning as a distinct and autonomous institution within an urban setting dates back to Academy founded by Plato c. 387 BC.---------
---------
The initial relationship between the medieval universities and the host town was adversarial for various reasons, and over time the universities’ growing autonomy and independence from local control led to increasing tensions with host towns. Also, the steady encroachment of universities upon neighboring areas created a point of contention between town and gown (continuing to the present).
---------
The medieval universities formed as guilds of masters (teachers) and/or students on the model established by the crafts guilds. Once the scholars were able to receive a charter, they would begin negotiations with municipal authorities to secure fair rents for lecture halls and other concessions. Because they had no investment in a physical campus, they could threaten to migrate to another town if their demands weren’t met.
---------
Many university students were foreigners with exotic manners and dress who spoke and wrote Latin, the lingua franca of medieval higher education. Students often couldn't speak the local dialect, and most uneducated townspeople spoke no Latin. The language barrier and the cultural differences did nothing to improve relations between scholars and townspeople. The tenor of town-gown relations became a matter of arrogance on the one hand and resentment on the other.
---------
Following the upheavals of the High Middle Ages, relations between the European universities and the host towns evolved toward a pattern of mutual support. Cities, on some occasions took over payment of salaries and provided loans, while regulating the book trade, lodgings, and the various other services students required. Eventually, cities began to take pride in their universities rather than look upon them as adversaries.
---------
Over the centuries, the relationship between town and gown has remained ambivalent. There have been points where a university in crisis has been rescued by the urban dynamics surrounding it, while at other times urban developments have threatened to undermine the stability of the university. Conversely, there have been occasions where the university provided a focus and coherence for the cultural life of the city; though at other times, it has withdrawn into itself and undermined urban culture.[2]
---------
If there is one constant in town-gown relations over the centuries, if can be summed up with the maxim, “Students will be students.” College students, past and present, have a good deal of free time notwithstanding their obligations to study. How they use this time is often perceived as troubling or disruptive by non-students
---------
Residential colleges became a fixture in European universities, while American colleges (often located in small towns) sequestered students in dormitories under close supervision.
---------
The doctrine of in loco parentis had developed both as a legal concept and as a custom in the United States. The Latin phrase meaning "in the place of the parents," held schools to a high standard of care for the welfare of students. However, this legal concept was eroded by the Bradshaw decision[4] and by subsequent court rulings. The pendulum would swing back toward the medieval model where students could enjoy significant autonomy in their choice of residence and habits.[5]
---------
The trend of American students living off campus had emerged during the post-World War II era. The Servicemen's Readjustment Act legislation, popularly known as the "G.I. Bill", provided large numbers of returning veterans with the financial aid to pursue college degrees. Many veterans were older than traditional-aged students, or had families to support; this further spurred the growth of off campus housing. It was estimated that by century’s end as many as 85% of American college students lived off campus (Carnegie Commission). This residential trend — and other factors — would mitigate the division between town and gown (but not necessarily the tensions).
---------
However, the recent integration of campus and community has not been without problems. For one thing, an urban university can generate major traffic and exacerbate parking problems in adjacent neighborhoods. The quality of neighborhoods near a university may deteriorate.
---------
Local residents and members of the university community may clash over other political, economic, and demographic issues
---------
Municipalities and universities continue to negotiate police jurisdiction on and near campuses.
---------
Raucous off-campus parties and the excessive noise and public drunkenness associated with them can also create town-gown animosity.
---------
To a large extent, “town versus gown” disputes have moved from the streets into the courts and city hall. In the US, a rash of disputes between public universities and host cities have developed in regard to the cost and benefits of the town-gown connection. Universities boast that their existence is the backbone of the town economy, while the towns counter with claims that the institution is “robbing” them of tax revenue. But as universities expand their campuses, more land property is removed from local tax rolls. Attempts are being pursued to redefine the basic financial terms and conditions upon which the relationship is based.
---------
Despite the rise in legal battles, universities and host towns have an incentive to cooperate, as the schools require city services and need city approval for long-range plans while the university towns need remuneration for public services provided. The “engaged university” is a recent term describing community partnerships and joint planning with city officials.
---------
Town-gown parameters may become increasingly difficult to define in the near future. Geography is less salient as a factor in urban higher education in the Information Age.
---------
The 12th century witnessed the birth of the first predecessors of the modern university; many educational futurists argue that the division between town and gown is rapidly fading, and that the 21st century is the cusp of another revolutionary educational paradigm. According to these forecasts, the 21st century college student may well be someone sitting at his or her personal computer miles from a college campus.
Raucous off-campus parties and the excessive noise and public drunkenness associated with them can also create town-gown animosity. -- The end result was the university's adoption of a new "Code of Conduct" to govern student behavior.-----------------------
I can remember my college days in Charlottesville, VA - also a relatively small town compared to the school size- had some of these issues too.
And, it's easy to see why, when different rules and lifestyles apply to different populations of people living in close proximity.
Then, there's the difference in commitment between temporary residents who come here for a few years for education purposes, and permanent residents who have a vested interest in seeing their town being a stable home.
Given the range and inherent complexity of 'town & gown' issues, plus the notable trend toward off-campus living and remote Internet learning, it seems reasonable to expect that student codes of conduct and inter-local agreements between towns and colleges are the best-fit remedies available.
Having been both a student in a distant town and resident of multiple communities with colleges, I have seen both sides of the issues and problems that are possible.
Because I had previously arrived at a similar conclusion some time ago, the new information cited above seems to re-confirm it.
That is not to diminish any real difficulties that residents may have, but to point a reasonable direction toward resolutions likely to work without further exacerbating 'town & gown' or other relationships, or imposing unnecessary additional public costs.
My two cents worth.
--------------------------------------
WWU recognizes the types of problems that off-campus living can create, as this link demonstrates:
