New housing has not been built on the SIUC campus for more than 40 years. Now, University Housing and the Architecture Department are brainstorming ideas for the creation of an on-campus apartment complex - the first of its kind at this University.
This is a welcome step in a town with serious housing issues, and the measure should be approved. It's no great secret that Carbondale has housing problems, and it's time to create a livable alternative to the residence halls.
Affordable and well-kept housing is essential for recruitment and retention, a problem with which our University continues to struggle. While it's important to improve on-campus housing options, the administration should make off-campus housing a priority as well, and press the city to do something about it. Homes in the $200,000 range continue to shoot up on Carbondale's west side. Meanwhile, the housing for students downtown - the first area prospective students will see and where they will eventually live - gets shabbier and shabbier.
Even a cursory view of downtown should be sending up red flags. From chunks of paneling hanging off houses to inadequate exits to questionable wiring, when is the city going to take action? We hope that it's not too late when it does. We hope that something is done before a disaster such as a fire serves as the wake-up call.
As early as last summer, housing issues dominated the agendas of the City Council and the Undergraduate Student Government. City Council members Brad Cole and Maggie Flanagan each introduced plans in June to solve some of Carbondale's housing woes. Cole's included a seven-year tax abatement plan, while Flanagan suggested forming a Housing Development Corporation. The University and City Council did secure a grant from the U.S. Housing Department in October that will help low-income residents find funding to own a home. While this is a wonderful program for Carbondale's citizens, student renters are still holed up in living quarters that resemble tenements more than homes.
USG President Michael Perry has discussed the creation of a tenant union where a ledger of complaints could be used to refer students to landlords with good records or warn them to stay away from others. While this is a positive measure, it will hardly be enough to change the tune of landlords who make the sale because their properties are close to campus - regardless of living conditions.
Year after year, we hear big talk and see little changes. Residents are sick of the complaints, sick of looking at these dilapidated eyesores, and they are certainly sick of living in them.
It's time that the University and the city step up together and say, "Enough talk." Let's act on making the University attractive, and let's start by making Carbondale livable for students.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
