I received the following email this week, in reply to my post entitled, “Observing Living Conditions,” from a concerned, involved citizen. First the email in black, and my replies in blue.
Dear Mr. Adams,
I just wanted to e-mail you to thank you for your opinions on this issue of student housing in Whitewater. It is reassuring to hear that there are community members out there that really understand the complexities of this issue. I will be the first to admit that there are some students living among us that are horrible to their neighbors, and they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. It is just a shame that the other 90% of the student population who are good members of the community are branded with the same reputation, no matter what they try to contribute….
Adams: My pleasure. The cramped, narrow-minded resentment of students and the university is one of the great follies of our town. It’s undeniably true — to all but the most obtuse — that we should be one community, not two (and certainly not two at war with each other). Whitewater would shrivel without the university. An angry resentment of the campus is self-injurious.
There can be great charm in university life, and it should be free from the badgering of the city and a few residents who cajole others into that way of thinking and acting. I remember, as though it were yesterday, the joy I had when I first walked through the campus of my university, from one end to the other, awed by the many buildings around me. It was an honor for me when my family would visit, and we would walk about the campus together. That’s part of America — it’s a place of unrivaled colleges and universities, of knowledge theoretical and practical.
Those who attend college now are entitled to liberty, privacy, and respect no less than I was in my time.
Best regards,
Adams