Students Voice their Concerns at First Town Hall Meeting

On Tuesday, October 27, 2015, Professor Timothy Magrath lead FSU’s first town hall meeting of the Fall 2015 semester. This three part series is hosted by FSU’s J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs and the Office of Civic Engagement.  Beall was a United States Senator who desired for students to become involved with student affairs.

Tuesday night’s conversation spoke of local issues that FSU students, community members, and public officials saw. Topics ranged from Frostburg’s night life, accessibility to off-campus areas, and police involvement.

The first concern that opened up the floor was the ratio of student population to city residents.

County commissioner William R. Valentine stated, “There are 5,700 students and 9,002 residents.”Most students want a push for Frostburg to be a more thriving area, especially at night. Main Street is one of Frostburg’s popular areas and the most closest to campus. By redesigning Main Street, students believe more jobs will be available. Without work study or a car, it becomes a little more difficult for students to apply for jobs. Main Street can be a prime area where students can work without having to travel long distances. In addition, Main Street could service 24-hour establishments which would include restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. Commissioner Valentine responded that the issue with redesigning Main Street is having enough space to build all of these revenues.

“New development may result in tearing down homes and existing businesses,” Valentine pointed out. One student explains the main reason why Main Street would be a beneficial area of newly designed businesses, is because the City of LaVale receives the money that students spend, although they reside in Frostburg.

On the other hand, one student believed creating chain stores and clubs would make FSU feel less intimate. Instead of changing Frostburg’s atmosphere, the student suggested having a bus system that would take students to nearby schools, such as West Virginia University. WVU is a more vibrant city, and having the option of travelling to the area will still allow Frostburg to maintain its intimate nature and allow access to entertainment some students desire.

While some students enjoy the night life and entertainment, others enjoy helping the community. A student, who is heavily involved with volunteerism in Frostburg, believes students should use their time to help others. The student suggested student clubs and organizations could have mandatory outings once a month that served and gave back to various communities in Frostburg and Allegany.

The conversation next jumped to campus police officers and their presence. One student asked, “Why are there so many cops present at parties?” Chief Cynthia Smith quickly responded, “There’s going to be a higher police presence [to] prevent violence and crimes from happening.” She added, “Students won’t talk to us.” A lot of students feel campus police only show their faces at parties and their goal is to stop students from having fun.

Officers building relationships with students is a constant issue brought up. One student suggested, “Officers could walk around campus instead of only arriving when there’s a problem.” By doing so, students will feel much more comfortable around officers and maybe won’t have the same assumptions. Students push for more officers and want to be able to put a name to a face. In addition to relationship building, students asked for defense classes. Chief Smith stated, [while] there aren’t enough resources available for that, I hope there shouldn’t be situations where students need to fight.”

Students also discussed housing options in Frostburg, a major concern for students. One student shared a story about a friend of theirs who lives off-campus. The student had to live in their basement for several weeks because their entire upstairs was “undergoing renovation.” The student had leaks and an empty promise from their landlord stating the house would be fixed by a certain date. Many of the off-campus housing is out-of-date and dangerous for students to live in. “Landlords should be held accountable,” the student said. Fortunately, there is some newly renovated housing where students can live. In the meantime, if students have any problems with housing and/or landlord issues, they can contact City Hall at the Community Development Office.

Magrath encourages students to attend town hall meetings as well as talking to local community members and public officials to voice their opinions. There are two remaining town hall meetings this semester: Tuesday, November 3, 2015 and Tuesday, November 17, 2015. Both meetings will be held in the Atkinson Room in the Lane Center at 6 p.m..