Students filled out questionnaires and spoke about their concerns for the East neighborhood at the University Neighborhood Preservation Association’s question seminar for students Wednesday night.

Only seven students attended the meeting held in the Schine Student Center, which UNPA hosted in an effort to improve East neighborhood conditions for both student renters and permanent residents.

UNPA Executive Director Joanne Stewart said she thought students and off-campus community organizations found multiple areas of common ground.

‘I love hearing from students. It’s a fresh perspective,’ Stewart said. ‘And actually, they agree with a lot of the things with the permanent residents.’

Students were asked about what they liked and did not like about the off-campus neighborhood by UNPA officials and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Center for Community Design Research, said Darya Rotblat, director of the Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Services.

Students complained about the poor conditions of their houses, a lack of parking spaces and feeling at risk to off-campus crime. Students were then given a large map of the East neighborhood area and were asked to pinpoint both the areas they valued the most and those that made them feel the most concerned.

Students listed the Westcott business district, Barry Park and Oakwood Cemetery as their favorite places to be. They also cited a lack of speed signs and Thornden Park as areas of concern.

Many of the questions asked to SU students were proposed by other groups in the East neighborhood community. Stewart said UNPA has also spoken with senior citizens and landlords, among other groups.

‘We are trying to facilitate a process for everybody to feel comfortable speaking about it, so they feel that they can talk without being criticized or put down,’ said Maren King, assistant director of the Center of Community Design.

After the open discussion, students were asked to fill out a questionnaire that asked them which aspects of the East neighborhood they would like to preserve and which aspects they would like to change. Multiple students mentioned their appreciation for the diversity between renter and resident houses and expressed frustration with the lack of parking, particularly during Carrier Dome events and university business hours.

The data taken from the focus groups will be analyzed, which will lead to more research in the neighborhood, King said. Once that research is finished, off-campus neighborhood associations can begin drafting policy changes that will be beneficial to both renters and residents in the neighborhood.

‘I think this type of program is crucial to facilitating a change and a direction and defending the off-campus experience,’ said Jon Peres, a graduate student in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

While the meeting’s results were meant to represent the entire off-campus student population, some attendees were disappointed that such a small fraction attended. Peres, who was a community ambassador for SU last year, said groups like UNPA need to promote student meetings more aggressively and try using social media to attract student interest.

‘I was hoping there’d be more individuals,’ Peres said. ‘It’s unfortunate because I think students here have positive insights that they can bring to the table.’

The discussion was one in a series of focus groups conducted by UNPA in an attempt to improve East neighborhood living conditions and relations. A focus group was held Dec. 7.

Stewart said she has been to plenty of meetings between off-campus students and community members and enjoys hearing fresh ideas every time. Though the meetings are more for the benefit of owner-occupied residences than renter-owned ones, she said, student input is crucial for bettering the neighborhood.

‘It’s not about us versus them,’ Stewart said. ‘It’s about trying to find some common ground.’

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Published on January 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm