Georgetown Students Battle With D.C. Residents over University's Future

Although you might think of Georgetown University and the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. as one and the same, right now, those two sides are firmly divided over the future of the school and the surrounding community.

On one side, you've got GU students who back the "Georgetown University Campus Plan" - a proposal that includes revamping the college's library, build new athletic facilities, increase the size of its graduate programs and include more parking. They say it's "vital towards the long term health of the university."

On the other side, community members are afraid that this plan will make their lives tougher. The proposal doesn't include more on-campus housing, so all those new students would be living among regular neighborhood residents. And that's something they're not too keen on.

Students writing at DC Students Speak have created a petition, supporting the plan, which has garnered over 800 signatures. Although opponents of the plan are pushing for more on campus housing, these students say there's no room on campus for such housing and students should be able to choose to live off campus.

"We believe that as young adults, students have a right to live off-campus if they choose to do so. To argue otherwise is to argue that students are not equal members of the Georgetown community," they write.

But the Citizens Association of Gerogetown says having college students as neighbors isn't easy. "Student misconduct will erode the quality of life in Georgetown," the group writes, citing a correlation between 911 calls and the amount of students living in a neighborhood.

Georgetown student Kara Brandeisky says she's seen the stares from residents who don't want students in their neighborhood, "But there’s simply nowhere else to go," she writes.

And as the plan moves forward, the battle has only gotten more contentious. Last week, supporters on both sides argued for over an hour and a half at a special meeting held to discuss the matter.

Whatever happens, one thing is certain: the students' and the residents' lives will be continuously intertwined for the years to come. Maybe they can still find a way to work together to benefit the whole community.

Photo credit: Kyle Rush