| Author | Message | ||
     BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 5 Registered: 2-2005 |
Hey everyone. I've lived in the Village for about a year and a half now and I've just discovered Maplewood Online - it seems like a great way to stay in contact with other residents of South Orange. Anyway I am a member of Seton Hall's Village Liaison Committee - we created ourselves so that we could try to mend some of the bad blood that exists between residents inside Seton Hall's gates and those in the Village proper. We are planning several events and service projects in the near future that will help bring all South Orange citizens closer together and "bridge the gap", so to speak - so look our for the VLC name. I started this thread so that people could address anys specific Seton Hall questions or concerns so that either I can answer them for you, find the right answer for you, or relay your concern to the right person - so please post. Thanks to everyone on other threads who have answered my questions, I will keep posting on those threads because I do want to know what is going on in SO as I plan on living here for quite some time. | ||
| Daniel M. Jacobs, PP, AICP Citizen Username: Conrail Post Number: 12 Registered: 1-2004 |
What a great idea. I have lived in SO for two years now and I have always been struck by how little interaction (positive, that is) there is between SH and the SO community. The one time I saw a SH lecture posted at Starbucks, I couldn't even find an open gate at SH so that I could attend the lecture! In any case, here is my suggestion: If the committee could convince SH to place its campus bookstore in the center of the village it would: A) increase foot traffic downtown B) give the town a high-quality academic bookstore C) link the village to the university. Just an economic development suggestion. . . | ||
| Pizzaz Citizen Username: Pizzaz Post Number: 1548 Registered: 11-2001  |
Excellent suggestion. A jitney running to the University's old main entrance and circling within the drive to the student center would be nice. As Reagan said to Gorbachev - tear down these walls.  | ||
| cmontyburns Citizen Username: Cmontyburns Post Number: 710 Registered: 12-2003  |
I'm always surprised at the amount of ill will directed toward Seton Hall by residents. There are plenty of people here (as in this forum) who believe that Seton Hall students do little aside from start fights at bars. | ||
| singlemalt Citizen Username: Singlemalt Post Number: 821 Registered: 12-2001  |
It's up to Seton Hall to give back to the South Orange community and not the other way around. I've lived here for around 5 years now and if I didn't drive by the school I would not even know it existed. The Village provides a lot of services to the school (police, fire, etc.) and what do we get in return? Most schools would place the bookstore in the Village (as suggested above), why not Seton Hall? Most schools would not surround the entire campus with a fence, which by design seperates them from the community. Most schools would take corrective action on unruly students living in the surrounding neighborhoods. Seton Hall turns its back. Most schools would be more generous to the village in the form of donations since they are of tax excempt status. Not Seton Hall. Unfortunately, the only time I hear about Seton Hall is when the students get arrested for fighting in the bars or if I catch a score on Sportscenter before going to bed. | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2005 |
Great suggestion Daniel. We would really like to see a university store downtown - it would bring us downtown AND the current SHU bookstore is ridiculously over priced. We have also been pushing (thank you Pizzaz) for the jitney to service Seton Hall both to bring residents up here and to get students downtown. Maybe one of our Trustees can answer this - but I was wondering: when the grant was awarded to South Orange to be put towards the jitney - were Seton Hall's 2000+ residents counted among the population of South Orange? Because then SHU should definitely be part of its route. Also CMonty - it is true that there is some current ill will between the two groups and it is a shame because it is a very small part of the SHU population who does go out and cause trouble in the Village - and we would like to show everybody that most of the student body is glad to be living here. | ||
| Daniel M. Jacobs, PP, AICP Citizen Username: Conrail Post Number: 13 Registered: 1-2004 |
I forgot to mention that I grew up in Teaneck, which hosts FDU. Admittedly, FDU is not as prestigious as SHU, but the university bookstore was located on the main street and I used to browse there as a teenager. My grandmother used to walk down to the FDU to take classes and attend lectures to complement her HS education. During Summer 1992, when I was finishing my thesis, I used the FDU library to borrow materials from Rutgers and NYU via interlibrary loan using my parent's "town and gown" card, which provided access to the library. | ||
| Dave Moderator Username: Dave Post Number: 5380 Registered: 4-1998  |
I have to say, for a college that prides itself on a strong Communications dept., it's about time SHU discovered SO/MOL. :-) | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 1736 Registered: 4-2002 |
BMO: The jitney grant was purely based on the number of commuters that use the train stations in town (along with other factors like limited parking). A bookstore has been discussed previously on MOL, but SHU has not been interested in seeing a bookstore off campus. There are very few small independent bookstores in any suburb in the Northeast. We have reached out to a couple but so far there has been no interest. Daniel Jacobs: South Orange residents can use the SHU library (proof of residence required). Some businesses in town have stated that they get a large amount of business from SHU (Dancing Goat, Urban Femme, Cryan's, Bagels' Abroad to mention some)but none of them could survive if they had to depend solely on SHU. | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 7 Registered: 2-2005 |
Just some general info to clear the air. Seton Hall pays approximately $150,000 annually to the village in lieu of taxes - it is increased each year according to the tax rate, for example last year it was $147,191.56, this year it is $150,541.17. Seton Hall has donated $1 million to the SOPAC which will be dispersed over 20 years (which is probably when it will be finished, hehe just kidding). Now about misbehaving students off campus - the school puts such students through judicial punishment besides whatever civil punishment they receive from the police. Judicial punishments for unruly students can range from community service to expulsion from school, and these cases are heard by board made up of students and faculty. Every reported incident goes through the judicial process. Finally every time the SO Rescue Squad comes to campus for an alcohol related incident - students are charged a $250 fee. A donation of $3000 has been given to the SO Rescue Squad over the past two years. What the VLC is working on: We are currently working with the SO Police Department on a telephone system where students-call-students, so that when a neighbor is disrupted by a party or noise violation, he or she can first call this "hotline" and the student on-duty will call the problem house, warning them that should they not quiet down, their neighbors will be calling the police. This will hopefully solve a lot of the noise/party problems and in a lot of cases save the police from making a trip to a noisy house in the middle of the night. It will also improve relations between off-campus students and their neighbors. We are also working on some sort of annual public safety donation that will hopefully aid the fire dept in buying some new equipment. We understand that SHU uses public safety utilities and we would like to be able to give something back. The VLC has a community service sector, that once up and running, will provide South Orange residents a number to call if they need help shoveling their driveway or raking leaves, etc. That should be up and running in the next month or so. Our business sector will be taking a survey of students to see what kinds of businesses they would like to see in town - what kinds of businesses they would patronize. We will be working with the Chamber of Commerce, MSSO, and eventually (hopefully) the Downtown Redevelopment Management Committee, as well as the BOT to make these business ideas a reality. These are some of the many projects that the VLC will be working on this year. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 1737 Registered: 4-2002 |
BMO: Just one correction to your post. The $150,000 payment is for property SHU owns outside the main campus and is approx. equal to the amount of municipal taxes the village would have received had those properties remained privately owned. SHU does not make a payment for the campus. SHU does make some donations including $10,000 to main street each year. I think it has been great that several students including you have become more active in the community. It will go a long way toward improving relations. | ||
| LibraryLady(ncjanow) Supporter Username: Librarylady Post Number: 2235 Registered: 5-2001  |
BMO< May I ask if you are a student at SHU, a faculty member or resident of S.O.? Or all of the above? Are are three represented on your new VLC? | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 8 Registered: 2-2005 |
Thanks for clearing that up Trustee Rosner - your support is always appreciated. Library Lady I am a student of Seton Hall and resident of South Orange. Our committee is made up of dedicated students, but we have a faculty advisor and we have the full support of the Seton Hall administration, with whom we meet and update regularly. | ||
| Bobkat Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 7724 Registered: 5-2001 |
I have posted this before, but will mention it again. Many colleges and universities have their own fully sworn police department. I don't see why SHU continues to rely on the SOPD for primary protection. Heck even the 1,300 student small college in a town of 10,000 in rural Pennsylvania my son attends has their own police department. South Orange has a police department with approximeately the same number of officers as Maplewood, even though the Village population is only around 75% of Maplewood's. Ever wonder why? BMO, how many alcohol related runs does the SO Rescue Squad make in a year and where does the $250 fee go? To the Squad or to the University? OK, so since I live in MW I probably shouldn't butt in on this, but, heck, a lot of South Orange folks post on MW matters. | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 9 Registered: 2-2005 |
... Last year we held a meeting between the students and the Board of Trustees, the first of its kind, at least in recent history, so I am told. We were able to open dialogue between the student body and the Village government. At the beginning of this school year we were able to register approximately 1000 students to vote and then pressed to have the District 12 polling location moved to the University Library so that students could more easily get to the polls. I also want to quell the fears of anyone who is thinking this is a temporary group which will dissappear as soon as its current members graduate - we will make sure that that does not happen. We are about to kick off our second Get Out the Vote drive to ensure every student is registered to vote, we have begun and will continue recruiting new members to our team, and we have developed a training program so that future VLC members will be able to carry on the work we are doing. | ||
| Tribble Citizen Username: Tribble Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2003 |
All I can say is that it's a breath of fresh air to read something from someone on this site that is so co-operative, upbeat, well intentioned and proactive. Way to go BMO. Be prepared for the inevitable potshots from our beloved professional gripers (but hang in there). And in the spirit of such welcome enthusiasm, the wife and I will stop by the campus this weekend to get our Pirates baseball hats. A long overdue visit from these 5 year SO residents. Keep it up! | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 10 Registered: 2-2005 |
Bobkat - your questions/comments are definitely welcome here. I will find out the numbers for you on the number of runs to campus. Right now the fee I believe goes to the University who in turn makes a donation to the Squad - from what I have heard I think that the original plan was to donate that directly to the village and that they (SHU and the Village) are going to work on putting something in writing. | ||
| marion cobretti Citizen Username: Marion_cobretti Post Number: 82 Registered: 1-2005 |
what is shu's platform on lion's and tiger's procreating within themselves? and can library lady join the basketball team (walk on)? | ||
| BMO Citizen Username: Bmo Post Number: 11 Registered: 2-2005 |
Well Marion, I think anyone who could improve our record from this year would be welcome on the bball team - hehe. But seriously it would be great if we could get enough interest in town to start some carpools so more residents can come to the games. And don't forget we have a great baseball team and a great soccer team as well as a women's bball team who all play on campus. | ||
| Bklyn1969 Citizen Username: Bklyn1969 Post Number: 20 Registered: 7-2004 |
Does Seton Hall not have any Police or Public Safety officers of its own? Bobkat makes a good point. I'll echo it with my own experience. I attended a school of 1,500 that was in a small city about 4x SO in pop. The school had a Public Safety department with squad cars, an on campus office, and 24/7 officers on duty. The school wasn't an uber endowed mini Harvard. It was strapped for cash too, but it considered providing this service an essential function. I would guess that Seton Hall is an exception if it doesn't provide a similar service. If it doesn't, then we SO taxpayers are really getting the shaft in paying full fledge police officers to supervise the antics of college students. |
