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Friday, March 29, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

Life in the Heights

An intruder crept into the unlocked first story window of a house on Custer St. late one night last semester. Jenny Lipari, a senior nursing and psychology major, woke the next day to find money missing from her pocketbook and her roommate's cell phone and digital camera gone.
'It was scary,' Lipari said. '[Back home], things like that don't happen, so [being robbed] was a big shock – definitely not something I was used to.'
University Heights, where Lipari resides, is the Buffalo neighborhood from Niagara Falls Boulevard to LaSalle Avenue. There, burglary is a fact of life. The Buffalo Police reported around 150 robberies in the area in 2008 – a number that had nearly doubled since 2003.
Still, the area's nightlife, proximity to South Campus and cheap rent outweigh safety concerns for many as around 2,500 UB students who call the Heights their home.
'It's not the best area ever,' Lipari said. 'But it's cheap living and convenient because most of my classes are on South Campus. Also, a lot my friends live down here, so it's more convenient for going to parties and out [to bars]. On North Campus, you have to drive everywhere – it's a totally different experience.'
The cost of living in University Heights is another plus for students. According to Sub Board, Inc. Student Owned Services, which helps UB students find available housing, an entire apartment goes for $500 to $800 a month.
Ryan Acklin, a senior communication major, moved to the Heights this year from the University Village at Sweethome and said he found the cost of rent to be one of the area's most attractive qualities.
'It's way cheaper than where I lived before,' Acklin said. 'I paid $699 a month at Sweethome and I wouldn't say I got what I paid for – there was garbage in the halls and the buildings were cheaply made. The house I live in now is pretty well-built, it's just [about] one hundred years old.'
Acklin pays $260 in rent for his apartment on Winspear Ave., but this number often reaches $400 a month when utilities are added. Mary Clare Fahey, coordinator of off-campus student services, says many students tend to overlook these concealed charges.
'Not all landlords are trustworthy,' Fahey said. 'Students don't always realize the hidden costs of living off-campus, such as paying the water bill or exactly how much the gas bill or cable television will cost them. Not all students do their homework in advance, so [taking extra costs into consideration] is something I would definitely recommend.'
Access to transportation is another advantage for those living in the Heights. The UB Stampede bus system takes students to their classes on North Campus and a trip downtown is made less complicated with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority metro rails nearby University stop.
Those uncomfortable walking home from South Campus can utilize the Anti-Rape Task Force safety shuttle, which gives students living up to 1.5 miles away from campus a safe ride home, dropping them right off at their front door.
Gerald Schoenle, chief of University Police, says his department, the Buffalo Police and the NFTA Police have made a joint effort to increase their presence in University Heights.
'Things have improved since last semester,' said Schoenle. 'There were still some isolated incidents of robberies, but we feel the joint Task Force has been very beneficial in this regard. We patrolled Main Street on bikes and Segways with all three agencies.'
Despite their progress, Schoenle insists students take an active role in their own safety and adhere to general common sense precautions – something Fahey's office is working to promote.
'Statistically speaking, there is more crime in Buffalo than in Amherst,' Fahey said. 'So we've really worked on educating students about safety and crime prevention ... it's all about personal safety habits.'
Lipari said that after their house was robbed last semester, her roommate was so distraught she wanted to leave Buffalo.
'I told her that it could have happened to anybody anywhere,' Lipari said. '[Robberies] also happen on North Campus – how many people do you hear of getting their computers stolen from Capen? If people are careless, things are going to happen.'
Besides offering students advice on how they can protect themselves, off-campus student services also helps with issues like dealing with a roommate or landlord and how to be a respectful neighbor.
The office has also teamed up with Student Life's Late Night Programs and the Amherst Theater on Main Street, located in the Tops Plaza across from South Campus, to present Midnight Movie Madness every Saturday. This event features free showings of newly released movies for the first 200 UB students with a valid I.D.
Off-campus student services will also be throwing a 'moving off campus' fair on March 4 in the Student Union, which features personnel from campus legal services, environmental health and safety and the Getzville Fire Department to counsel students on how to live wisely on their own.
For more information, visit http://livingoffcampus.buffalo.edu
'It's important for students to pay attention and take personal responsibility for their safety – and when in doubt, they should call my office,' Fahey said.

E-mail: features@ubspectrum.com


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