Tense community relations discussed at General Assembly meeting

Last night’s General Assembly meeting had students discussing community relations and helping an alumnus. Both Temple Student Government Campus Life & Diversity and Local & Community Affairs committees discussed the ongoing hostility between area residents

Last night’s General Assembly meeting had students discussing community relations and helping an alumnus.

Both Temple Student Government Campus Life & Diversity and Local & Community Affairs committees discussed the ongoing hostility between area residents and students living off campus at yesterday’s General Assembly meeting.

TSG Vice President of External Affairs Elliot Griffin asked students at the meeting to share their opinions on the issue’s inevitability.

“No matter where you live, people are gonna do in their house what they’re gonna do in their house. You’re not gonna be able to control that,” said sophomore Samuel Bias.

Recent rowdy student parties and new housing built by private developers have neighbors on the offensive, committee members said. But with Temple’s expansion, the numbers of students seeking off-campus housing around North Broad Street is expected to increase.

Bias said he thinks the university should be able to enforce measures to prevent disruptive student behavior off-campus.

“Some might think we’re disrespectful with the space that we have…I’ve seen people run into problems. It’s because people don’t have a common ground,” Bias said.

Another student said the issue was not with “individuals who would pick up someone else’s trash or take care of the area that we’re in,” but rather with “the majority” that don’t.

Director of Local and Community Affairs Kenloy Harris said his committee will work to continue promoting the Good Neighbor Policy, noting complaints about student parties after last week’s Temple-Penn State football game.

“You want to kinda put the community at ease…just talk to them,” Harris said.

Students suggested events such as a “clean sweep” litter project and an inclusivity policy toward neighbors for block parties could improve living situations.

TSG Student Body President Colin Saltry also delivered an update on TSG’s letter-writing campaign for Temple alumnus Jimmy Curran, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy.

Due to state budget cuts, Curran is losing his state medical assistance. Curran’s home health insurance no longer covers what is needed for him to work his full-time job as a market research analyst at Independence Blue Cross.

“There’s been a gap, in between the money he can get from his insurance company and [what he can get from] Independence Blue Cross,” Vice President of Services Ugo Obilo said.

Since last Monday’s meeting, TSG received close to 100 letters on Curran’s behalf, Griffin said. The letters are addressed to Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare Gary Alexander, as well as other state legislators.

Amelia Brust can be reached at abrust@temple.edu.

3 Comments

  1. This has gone on for years. The local community wants to blame Temple for everything wrong in their neighborhoods, but don’t want to admit that without Temple the area wouldn’t be as safe and starting to clean up. Temple has tried to be a good citizen to its neighbors by offering scholarships to local students, opening facilities to locals, etc. The locals want more and more and feel they deserve it.

    Temple needs to focus on themselves…not the community. The community does pay the crazy high tuition that we have to pay. And helping the community isn’t going to do anything to help Temple increase in the national rankings. FOCUS on helping the students first…

  2. James…agreed. The local community’s demands of TU has always been more akin to extortion. This is just Clarke pandering to his base.

  3. The old, bitter, drug & alcohol abusing, ignorant and racist people living in the Yorktown community make absolutely no sense in their attempt to fight against individuals looking to drop big bucks into their drug ridden, inner city blighted, grocery cart pushing, ghetto. No DECENT family in their right mind would want to reside in North Filthy and the majority of people who live there, only stay because they can’t afford to leave.

    These Yorktown Fools prefer to leave abandoned houses scattered throughout the vicinity and treat COLLEGE STUDENTS as criminals when they allow their own kids & neighbors to rob, steal and sell drugs right out of their own backyards. Black people like myself should be embarrassed by the actions of these Yorktown Fools. I would NEVER raise my children in such a broke down, beat up community. Without Temple, Yorktown would be nothing. This sorry excuse for a community has absolutely no validity and no future and it is only a matter of time before these people rot away and their kids sell their souls, LIBERATING the landscape of lost hope…

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