Yes UB’s primary job is education but since many of these students leave their parents for the first time ever, many are still children in their own minds. Hence why there are soo many student programs set up for support of the students. UB is very much in charge and responsible for the well being of the students.
I do agree with you that UB should urge students move into oncampus housing, that would be much easier for the University to care for them. Large problem with this is on campus apartments. There simply isn’t enough, many students get denied entry into them so they are forced into the dorms for another year, or they move off campus.
South campus is a very very good place for students due to the Transportation that UB already has setup between north an south campus. its free and the most convenient option. I would say 50% of the students living on campus, or just off campus don’t have cars, many from NYC that don’t even have their drivers license or learners permit. Transportation makes this a very big draw for students to live elsewhere and because of this UB should again put serious emphasis in the area’s where there is a strong concentration of their students is.
I agree bitching isn’t going to fix it. But right now UB is crippled with their budget so they can’t fix it either. neither can the CITY. This is a community outreach project at this point
From a city perspective, they have no incentive to fix this because the trash would just go to some other part of the city. They’re obviously not going to the suburbs so if you fix up and price them out of one lower-class area, you’re just robbing Peter to pay Paul. (no pun intended) They’ll end up in some other cheap neighborhood that right now is tolerable, but could quickly go downhill.
The city has the manpower to deal with this, what it’s lacking is the political will. If someone wanted to get organized and use this shooting as an issue to push for the political change needed the change could come even with the poor economy.
Unfortunately the people in power right now are more interested in union raises and revenue generating red light cameras. Unless you change the people driving policy in the city you shouldn’t expect a change in course.
Get some strong candidates to run on the “stop bad neighborhood sprawl” platform and you could easily take North, University, Delaware and maybe Masten districts.
Kearns in South district is already on the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, so that would give you 5-4 majority on the issue.
Need to find a better slogan than, “stop bad neighborhood sprawl” though. It has to be simple, something idiots can grasp without really having to understand like, “Yes we can”.
“Take Back Buffalo” works, and people are already somewhat familiar with Take Back The Night, so you could build on that.
If you have been to a community meeting in the heights you know why UB is not improving the area. When I lived in the heights we would get fliers all the time telling us that we are the problem in the neighborhood and we lead the gangs ( I did not live in a frat house or a crazy party house by any means).
The community meetings are only about how to get students kicked out the neighborhoods and screaming how UB involvement is ruining the heights. Community groups in the area are very outspoken and firm where they stand on wanting nothing to do with UB.
They do not understand that when students move out more scum moves in and more 16 year old thugs are running around with guns and mugging people. I understand that college kids can leave trash, but trash can be picked up and thrown out.
Also the community group has a webpage out there with examples of “student problems” with pictures of the houses and examples. They continue to blame the students for violence as well instead of trying to curtail the actual problems
sweet home is $650 a person per month. There are a lot of students who simply cannot afford that. This nice housing is the same thing as the city/suburbs comparison. Expensive nice safe housing in the suburbs, those who can’t afford it live in the heights
I skimmed through and dint see anything so sorry for my redundancy if this has been covered but:
My co worker (who was once lab partners with the victim) says this kid graduated with his Bachelors in electrical engeneering just one day before he was shot.
He was in fact a big “thug” from NYC who tried to push the sale of drugs on my coworker several times.
Was a very loudmouth kid who tried to pick fights with my coworkers engineering friends several times.
^^ Yeah… and if true, it baffles me that this kid who was apparently smart enough to make it through a pretty difficult Electrical Engineering major, still was too stupid to keep his head out of trouble.
This wouldn’t surprise me, and that was my first impulse when i saw his picture and that he was from the Bronx.
however what would surprise me was if he was a combination of that and smart enough to get an EE degree from UB, that’s no joke.
Im sorry, but I have no mercy for “those people” who cant escape the “thugg life” image despite their escape from “da hood.”
I had the same reaction to this as when I heard about those NFL players getting shot the last few seasons. Obviously they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The problem is, they have no trouble being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
true. Well thankfully I’ll be out of this area shortly and hopefully can forget it.