Those students who were left out in the cold by the School of Management have been allowed to apply for the business minor over the next year. They deserve a big "thank you" and congratulations.
Most students understand the issue of overpopulation in the classroom, and the need for administrative solutions to such. It was not the elimination of the minor program that bothered us; it was the sudden and hasty nature of the choice.
For the next year, students will have the opportunity to participate in the school of management minor program, after which time the program will be eliminated permanently. The solution isn't perfect, but it is fair. Students who were formerly slighted now have the chance to finish what they started.
Each year, UB students endure a housing catastrophe. It's become hard to find decent lodging at a reasonable price, and on-campus housing is not offering any new solutions.
More and more, students are leaving campus as the dorms are in shambles. On-campus housing should take a cue from the more attractive, more comprehensive and increasingly popular off-campus housing developments such as the University Village at Sweet Home and the developing community on Kenville Road in Cheektowaga.
One new community, which will be called the University Centre Student Housing Community, is currently being renovated with $96 million in funding. Similar to the popular Sweet Home apartments, the new community will offer a movie theatre, fitness gym, and pool to its residents.
Along with these benefits come higher prices that put strains on exhausted students' wallets. At Sweet Home, leases for next year will be between $585 and $800 plus electric. As of right now, the Kenville Road development is somewhat cheaper than other options, but after costly renovations, prices may rise.
Not to mention a commute to North Campus will take longer from this new complex. As of now, South Campus is 11 minutes away from North, whereas Kenville Road is 15 minutes away. That might not seem like much, but every minute counts in a student's hectic daily schedule.
Community members are concerned about the safety issues posed by increasing student populations. According to The Buffalo News, other student apartments have produced over "200 police calls in a year," which translates into at least one issue every two days.
Students who live on campus do not pose as many disruptive threats. North and South are relatively separated from their surrounding communities. Moreover, UB provides its own law enforcement for the 7,000 students who live on campus. The growing population of off-campus residents will put additional tensions on the suburban police force.
The threat of decreased property value should be a concern for the community. When students live off-campus, the use of alcohol becomes more prevalent. Broken beer bottles and other negligent litter will increase. Also, amplified disruptiveness will undoubtedly replace the once passive atmosphere.
However, this is not a catch-22. The resolution to the housing issue exists is building more on-campus housing, which goes hand in hand with UB 2020's pillars of "achieving growth" and "building UB."
More needs to be done for the students' well being. Often, students would like to be able to walk to class. Students don't want to commute a half-hour or more to get to their classes on time - they want to sleep in.
UB can attract more students to come here by building up and out: more lodging and better lodging. However, this does not consider the current funding flux UB is experiencing. It is up to administrators to find the money, because this must be done.
The issue at hand is not that students are leaving UB lodging for alternatives - it is all well and good to have options other than those on campus. Rather, it is time that UB begins to offer more options.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
