The City of College has made a habit of leaving students unexpected gifts over university breaks. During winter break 2007, the city left students a hard shot at representation when they scheduled a special council election for January. Last summer, they gave Knox Box residents new permit parking restrictions while most of them were at home.
This summer, it seemed as if the city had finally given students a gift they could use: a streamlined way to recycle paper and plastic in one bin. Early in August, the city gave every city home a 65-gallon bin meant to make recycling convenient. Instead, the new bins have caused headaches in city hall, as students who moved into the Knox Boxes over the last two weeks have placed trash in the jumbo bins, contaminating truckloads of city recycling.
The problems with the recycling program underscore the long-standing communication gulf that exists between the College Park government and the students who live in the city. The burden to bridge that gulf, and prevent future summertime surprises, should fall on the shoulders of leaders on both sides.
In this case, the miscue seems relatively innocent. City Public Works Director Bob Stumpff said his staff placed instructions in the new bins when they issued them in early August, adding that contractors working in the Knox Boxes this summer could have thrown them away. But the city officials now grumbling that students have ruined their designs have to ask themselves why they couldn’t wait two weeks and roll out the new bins along with the start of classes.
Students can’t expect city business to halt when they leave for breaks, but city officials can’t expect their town to function fine without considering the student population. On one hand, officials need to inform students in order to prevent slip-ups similar to this recycling error, but beyond that, students are an asset to the city. They drive business downtown and attract the city attention on the statewide radar.
The recycling debacle provides only a small example of what can happen when the city ignores students, and yet they routinely execute some of their most important business when school’s not in session. They scheduled an important public safety presentation for late August last year, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a few councilmembers mentioned revisiting the city’s contentious noise code policy this summer. The city administration controls scheduling, and, in turn, they hold the valve on city-student communication.
But it’s not as if the city hasn’t reached out to include students before, and it’s not as if student leaders have done much to show they merit more attention. In last year’s council elections, the Student Government Association pitched a massive turnout drive, hoping for 200 student voters. Although it’s unclear how many students actually voted, no more than 30 rode SGA sponsored buses to the polls. And while an SGA-appointed liaison sits in on every council meeting to supposedly represent student interests, they have failed in previous years to adequately engage students in meetings important to them. Talk has swirled as to whether the liaison should have a vote on the council. We’re all for the idea, but think that so far, past student liaisons haven’t shown they’ve earned that privilege.
It’s too early to pass judgment on this year’s liaison, Dan Hartinger, but if any confusion remains on this recycling issue by this morning – when the recycling trucks roll into the Knox Boxes – we expect to see him there. They city cannot work without considering students, but history suggests that an improvement in city-student relations will likely have to begin with a student’s initiative. While this recycling confusion has only caused minor frustrations, Hartinger’s involvement on this issue would signal to city officials that they have a partner willing to involve students in city affairs. Once they’re there, maybe the city will take the next step.
