Editor's note:
On Feb. 7, Lisa Khoury asked Ellen Dussourdthe following in an email: "How many international students live in the University Heights or what percent live in the Heights?" Dussourd responded on the same day: "I have no way of knowing how many of our students or what percentage of our students live in University Heights."
In Dussourd's Letter to the Editor, she wrote, "Most international students live in the Heights." Khoury wrote: "Many, if not most, of the 5,500-plus international students who come to UB live in the Heights, said John Wood, senior associate vice provost for international education."
Dussourd suggested Khoury talk to Wood, who couldn't provide a number of students living in the Heights, either. On an interview on Feb. 11, Wood said: "I would guess that there is a large number living in the University Heights, only because of the cost. And our international students are very cost sensitive ... it is not surprising to us that you'll have more students gravitating to that area where the rents are lower and perhaps more opportunity for them to share the houses and have more tenants in one place than perhaps is allowable in some of the newer places, like on Sweet Home where it's more strictly controlled."
The numbers in Dussourd's letter are of those who register their homes and do not include any international students who haven't registered their homes in the Heights.
Khoury also wrote "many, if not most" of international students live in the Heights because Sub-Board, Inc. (SBI)general service manager Lorenzo Guzman said most of the international students he deals with move to the Heights. Khoury also met several international student residents in the Heights who said many live there.
Dussourd said in her letter: "It is not correct that we recommend that incoming international students live in the Heights." Nowhere in Khoury's article does it mention UB recommending the Heights as a recommended area to live.
Dussourd also wrote in her letter: "Third, it is not correct that international students find out about off-campus housing concerns only at International Student Orientation. We send all incoming students an e-newsletter with detailed advice and tips about choosing off-campus housing during the summer before their arrival in Buffalo."
Khoury wrote in her article:"Currently, the university forewarns its students by providing online tips for renting off campus. At international student orientation, UB advises students to be careful before renting homes, though many have already signed their leases."
Congratulations to Lisa Khoury for her well-researched, well-written Feb. 25, 2013 article on the University Heights. She is to be commended for her passion, conviction and activism regarding this issue. There are some inaccuracies in her reporting, however, so I am writing to clarify a few points, particularly with respect to international students, whom my office serves. In addition, coverage of the University's significant efforts to address problems in University Heights has been incomplete so I am writing in that regard as well.
First, it is not correct that most international students live in the Heights. Based on information provided by UB's Campus Living and students' zip codes in UB's InfoSource system, we estimate that 17 percent of UB's enrolled international students live off-campus near UB's South Campus (zip codes 14214, 14215, 14216). We further estimate that 19 percent of enrolled international students live in University housing, 20 percent in West Amherst, 10 percent in Amherst, 7 percent in Williamsville, 4 percent in Tonawanda or North Tonawanda and the rest elsewhere in Buffalo and its suburbs.
Second, it is not correct that we recommend that incoming international students live in the Heights. Neither our office nor the International Admissions office recommends specific places for students to live. The International Admissions office sends incoming international students information about on-campus housing and a brochure developed by our office about the pros and cons about living on and off campus, but it does not make any housing recommendations.
Third, it is not correct that international students find out about off-campus housing concerns only at International Student Orientation. We send all incoming students an e-newsletter with detailed advice and tips about choosing off-campus housing during the summer before their arrival in Buffalo. The same information is also available on our website.
As you may know, our office organizes a one-week International Student Orientation program each August and a four-day orientation program each January. One important focus of our orientation program is safety and housing. All students attend a mandatory University Police Session, which is offered by University Police and includes content tailored to international students. All students are strongly encouraged to attend a session on "Protecting Yourself: Scams, Fires and Landlords," which includes a presentation by our office and a second one, titled "Fire Safe Living," presented by UB's Environment, Health and Safety office. Both of these sessions are offered twice during each orientation program to facilitate maximum attendance. Thanks to SBI Legal Assistance, which offers special hours during our orientation program, newly arrived international students can also receive legal advice before signing off-campus housing leases.
Our office's focus on safety and housing does not end when International Student Orientation is over. Once per semester, we send students a special safety e-newsletter, which includes tips from Buffalo and University Police about how to be safe on and off campus. In our weekly e-newsletters, we also include tips about home and street safety. Last spring, we organized UB Safe Day, which included exhibits and presentations on "How to Be Safe on the Street & in Your Home" and "Housing Problems: What to Look for & When to Call the Erie Country Department of Health." Exhibitors included the Erie County Department of Health and UB's Counseling Services; Environment, Health and Safety; Off-Campus Student Services; SBI Health Education; SBI Legal Assistance; Student Health Services; University Police and Wellness Education Services.
University's Efforts to Address Problems in University Heights
Since our office has had concerns about street safety and substandard housing conditions in the Heights for a long time, we have sincerely appreciated the university's efforts to improve the Heights. The establishment of the Off-Campus Student Services office in Sept. 2008 and the commencement of "housing blitzes" in April 2011 were particularly welcome. According to information provided by Dan Ryan, director of Off-Campus Student Services, half-day housing blitzes are conducted 6-7 times per semester on Saturdays, when students are available to let inspectors into their homes. Six-hundred fifty properties on Cusker, Englewood, Heath, Highgate, Lisbon, Merrimac, Minnesota, Northrup, Tyler, Winspear and West Winspear have been inspected so far. If housing code violations are found, the landlords are cited and, if necessary, taken to court. A second round of inspections has taken place on some of the streets. We particularly welcome these housing blitzes since some landlords use intimidation (e.g. threat of deportation or legal problems) to silence our students about their substandard housing.
We appreciate the efforts of Jane Fischer, director of SBI Health Education, in expanding the hours of the Safety Shuttle to 4 a.m. in 2009 and, in 2011, adding an additional stop at Parker Hall. The Safety Shuttle, which transports students to or from South Campus within a 1.5-mile radius (with some key apartment complex additions) is a service appreciated by many international students.
We appreciate the efforts of UB's Parking and Transportation Services, which implemented the Grover Cleveland and Maynard Stampede stop prior to the Fall 2011 semester. Maria Wallace, director of Parking and Transportation Services, negotiated with First Transit, UB's transportation provider, NFTA and the NYSDOT to establish the new Stampede stop. This stop provides additional housing options for students without cars, thus enabling them to move out of the Heights.
Last, we appreciate the efforts of University Police, which started joint patrols in 2009 with the Buffalo Police along Main Street on Thursday through Saturday nights. The patrols run during the first several weeks of the fall semester and start up again toward the end of the spring semester. The university has also purchased security cameras, which have been installed on Main Street at the corners of Englewood and LaSalle Avenues, and traffic signal or streetlight poles at the corners of Winspear and Parkridge, Main and Custer, and Englewood and Eley.
Response to The Spectrum's Suggestions
I wanted to respond to the Spectrum's suggestionsas well. The Spectrum is looking to the university administration to solve the problems in University Heights. In fact, it is insisting - even demanding - that the university assume responsibility for police protection in the Heights, and purchase and renovate houses there for student occupancy. Let's put aside for the moment the question of whether the university can legally assume responsibility for police protection in the Heights or whether it can afford to purchase, renovate and operate houses there.
Since we live in a time of finite resources and almost infinite needs, there are questions which seem reasonable for The Spectrum editorial staff to ponder. For example, would students who do not live in the Heights support investing millions of dollars there in lieu of hiring more academic advisers and professors, upgrading classrooms, laboratories and computer equipment, etc.? Would students who live in the Heights be willing to forego cheap housing (e.g. $150 rent per month) and, instead, pay more for housing operated by the university? Since the answer to these questions is uncertain, allow me to suggest other ways that The Spectrum can help students who live in the Heights:
1) Expose the deceptive advertising practices of landlords in the Heights (e.g. the use of UB's name and campus photo that give incoming students the impression that the rental business or property is connected to - or even owned by - the university).
2) Inform students about safer housing options that do not cost more. Publish articles about students who do not have cars yet have found reasonably priced housing outside the Heights. (Unfortunately, students often choose unsafe housing and neighborhoods because they are unaware of better options.)
3) Help educate students about street and house safety, tenants' rights and landlords' responsibilities and so on. There are many experts at UB who can provide invaluable information about signs of electrical problems in your home, tips to protect yourself on the street, etc. Publishing those tips would be a great service to the campus community. (I will be glad to direct you to those experts.)
4) Give good landlords some publicity, thus helping students find good ones and avoid bad ones. Publish articles about students who are happy with their landlords so other students will know who they are.
5) Ensure that The Spectrum does not inadvertently contribute to the problem by advertising substandard properties and those owned by problem landlords in The Spectrum's classified ad section.
6) Advocate for more responsible advertising of off-campus housing properties by the student-run Off-Campus Housing Office. If the OCHO receives a credible complaint about a landlord or property, advocate that it withdraw the ad, investigate the complaint and not repost the ad until the property is cleared by housing inspectors. Advocate that it furthermore obtain a list of properties owned by problem landlords and refuse to advertise any of those properties. (Too many students find their substandard housing on the OCHO website.)
Thank you for sparking a spirited discussion of this important issue.
Ellen Dussourd
Director, International Student and Scholar Services
