“SERIOUSLY!!??”
The first word of Varsity property manager Barbara Stienke’s email to residents says it all, really.
The message, sent Sept. 19 following the barrage of vandalism in recent weeks, implores students to stop “tearing directional and safety signs off of walls, stealing pictures, punching holes in walls, destroying exit signs, breaking glass in stairwells and hallways, vomiting in the hallway, gum on carpet, [and] dumping trash in the hallways.”
Although some residents seem to think guests are the ones causing most of the problems, Stienke’s email notes that residents must be responsible for their guests.
But the key word in all of this isn’t “guests.”
It’s “responsibility” — something residents, their guests and Varsity management all seem to be avoiding.
The Varsity has been hailed as a sign of the new and improved Route 1. The $97 million luxury apartment complex, completed this year, has beds for nearly 1,000 students and retail space for soon-to-be opening establishments, such as Looney’s Pub and Bobby’s Burger Palace. Along with the neighboring View apartment complex and the proposed East Campus redevelopment, The Varsity is part of university President Wallace Loh’s plan to make College Park a top-20 college town.
But to many residents paying anywhere from $950 to $1,500 a month, the complex has been little more than a venue for drunken buffoonery. Varsity management, instead of just sending incredulous emails, could do more to prevent such destruction.
According to several students, it isn’t that hard to get into the building, even without an invite. Many speculated that freshmen roaming the halls looking for parties are likely the ones to blame for the destruction. In yesterday’s Diamondback article, one student noted, “[Administrators] weren’t that strict on security.” Another suggested the complex install security cameras in the hallways.
If guests are wandering the building without resident accompaniment — as is required in the lease agreement — The Varsity should hire security guards to keep them out and punish residents who don’t follow the rules.
In an email to The Diamondback, Stienke wrote that managers hope to “affect positive change … through open communication,” and they are “prepared to pursue eviction and/or criminal action.” If this “open communication” — such as Stienke’s email to residents — doesn’t have an impact, The Varsity has an obligation to its tenants to pursue legal action against those responsible.
The residents who aren’t causing trouble have an obligation to report those who are, even if that means turning in your neighbors. If random drunks are wandering the hallway, report them — management can’t fix a problem if it doesn’t know about it.
Which brings us to the buffoons themselves.
This editorial board gets it: It’s just college, right? It’s a time for fun, craziness and shenanigans; doing something you might regret in the morning. Underage drinking is part of the equation, and so is figuring out your limits.
College nightlife revolves around alcohol, but wanton destruction shouldn’t be a part of that.
The Varsity shouldn’t have to take additional measures to keep people from destroying the building. Residents shouldn’t have to deal with broken glass or vomit and garbage in the hallways. Students who invite others into their apartment must take responsibility for their visitors, and guests — whether invited or not — should act like they’re in luxury student apartments, not a zoo.
Students have plenty of complaints about College Park and the Route 1 corridor — some more warranted than others — but if they want more development near the campus and hope to enjoy the restaurant, retail and nightlife options that frequently accompany development, students need to prove themselves capable of embracing new establishments. Otherwise, investors will put their money elsewhere and the Route 1 corridor will devolve, taking hopes of a top-20 college town with it.
Should that happen, The Varsity and its residents would surely be among those responsible.
Seriously.
