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The University of Louisville will never be described as having a centralized campus. Dorms sprawl westward amidst convenience stores and laundro-tans. Student parking is relegated to ever-more-distant locations. And, all the while, the majority of university attendees commute.
As our campus extends outward, the interactions, both positive and negative, between students and local residents will increase. Any person who has been the victim of a crime in the neighborhoods surrounding the Belknap campus would likely agree that the fate of the university is inextricably linked to the fate of the community at large.
Students have always been aware of this connection. We park on Lee or Gaulbert streets, despite the plaintive signs requesting otherwise, and many of us live in Old Louisville apartment buildings. Popular locations for student congregation, such as the Granville and the Mag Bar, are Old Louisville fixtures, appreciated by students and local residents alike.
While our campus is consistently safe and well-policed, the fringes of school grounds and the surrounding areas have not always been similarly secure.
In light of this, we at The Louisville Cardinal enthusiastically support the Department of Public Safety and their recent initiatives to expand campus policing into the Old Louisville neighborhood.
Moreover, President James Ramsey’s promises in his State of the University address, which included the Signature Partnership Program in cooperation with West End residents, are a welcome sign of commitment to the city of Louisville and its growing population.
Ultimately, these commitments to the city and its inhabitants will result in a mutually beneficial arrangement. As the quality of education improves, so too will local job applicants’ new-found human capital better support their community businesses; in this situation, a rising tide truly does raise all boats.
The university’s estimation of a broader liability to students is an excellent allocation of resources and will hopefully aid in creating the “liveable, vibrant” campus that President Ramsey envisions.
