As Penn State students, we must accept a great deal of the blame when unproductive, blatantly anti-student ordinances such as the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance gain serious traction within local government -- not because of any "nuisance" caused by students, but rather because of students' widespread apathy toward local politics.
Even though students represent a huge constituency within State College, our interests are not represented within the State College Borough government because too many students choose not to think about or get involved with local issues. There is no question that we have the numbers to change the outcome of these elections. It is imperative that students take an interest in local politics by learning about the candidates and registering to vote in State College -- or perhaps even by running for office themselves.
Both students and non-students share the blame for all aspects of the sometimes-rocky relationship between different groups of State College residents, and meaningful change can only come from a process that represents everyone within the community. Without the student vote, it is unlikely that incumbents who seek to pass divisive and possibly unconstitutional ordinances will be replaced by candidates with an actual commitment to a productive town-gown relationship.
David Rudnick
senior-biochemistry and molecular biology
