Be there

Public hearing will address borough housing ordinances

For years, the State College Borough Council has produced plan after plan that would restrict student housing.

And to students, the plans, PENU and RENU, sound more like Pee-eew.

Now the council is looking at two more ordinances. One would place space separation requirements on student rentals of one- and two-family homes. The other would limit the occupancy of town houses to three unrelated persons. Both would limit new conversions, but not affect existing rentals.

The council cited noise as a major factor in the proposal of these ordinances.

But the solution is more simple than kicking students out of certain areas because they are sometimes noisy.

The solution is enforcing the laws against excessive noise that already exist.

There is no need for housing regulations when there is a perfectly good law and police force in place to enforce it.

It may surprise the council that students would be willing to cooperate with the State College Police Department, but many are willing, especially at the risk of being cited for noise violations.

What's really going on is a struggle between the students and "adults," or established residents of State College. But here's the irony.

The students who attend Penn State live in apartments and residence halls with total strangers and learn to get along just fine.

But the permanent "adult" residents of State College can't seem to get along with their neighbors, who happen to be students.

It seems that it's the students who are a little more cooperative than the residents. So why are students being singled out as the problem?

Well, it seems the council has found a way to include "student" in the housing clause and still have it be legal. Funny, that sounds like discrimination.

No one on the council is representing the students, but students live in State College as well and deserve to have their views represented.

Undergraduate Student Government members and all students who live in the borough or who plan to in the future need to attend the public hearing on the housing ordinances at 7:30 p.m. March 17 in the council room of the State College Borough Building at 119 S. Fraser St.

Student presence will make a strong impression, one that's likely unexpected.

After all, it seems strange that the hearing -- one that directly affects students -- is being held on St. Patrick's day, which is also the day after spring break, when students aren't likely to attend in powerful numbers.

But students need to worry more about where they're living next year than what bar they're heading to next for green beer.

Students, it's time to find out about these ordinances and what negative effects they may have on your future living situation.

Make yourself heard.

Protest has protected students in the past, and it could work again.

If students turn out in force and present a united front against the housing regulations, it may just prove their point -- that students know what needs to be done and are willing to do what it takes to make a borough that's welcoming to everyone.