It’s a sad thing this had to happen right outside of Gallaudet. After the riot in the 60s riot, rich people were moving out and the neighborhood depreciated. Since Anthony Williams became the mayor of DC 4 terms ago (I think), the government has been busy bringing businesses back to DC by sprucing up the neighbhorhood such as Downtown, Chinatown, Columbia Heights, U Street and soon Anacostia if they ever decide to build the stadium.

Even though DC government has their faults, I think they have done a great job bringing DC back to where it was before the riot. However, The government can’t do all the work. I believe that it is up to the University’s officals to invest into the community by using their money and students to change the face of the neighborhood. I saw this article couple of weeks ago in the Washington Post. It gives a good example on what Gallaudet needs to do: http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01164.html

Long story short, The University of Pennsylvania is located in the run-down neighborhood and even though they were a top tier university in the US, their enrollment was declining because parents wouldn’t let their children risk their lives by attending a college in a crime infested area. The university had to change their approach by running a study, using their own money to buy properties for renovation to bring in businesses and to get people to move back in the city from the surburbs. The university used this approach to sell to prospective students by saying “You can be part of this civic engagement.”

I always tell younger people that you can’t learn everything in a classroom or in books, but you will learn more by doing hands-on projects and getting involved in life itself.

If Gallaudet wants to be a good neighbor, they need to invest their money to change the image of the neigborhood and teach their students how to do these projects.

Safety is a big issue in and out of the campus of Gallaudet. Nick pretty much said it all in his comments.

Gallaudet needs to be more involved and more aware of what’s going on. Just look at Christa Roschaert, who’s has been fighting endlessly for Gallaudet to upgrade safety measures for Deaf-Blinds. Yet, she keeps getting the runaround.

We need to have another “speak-out” with students and administrator in regards to safety measures and such other things (like the banners that Adam mentioned, which I think is a GREAT idea).

GUAA is an odd acronym. Eliminate an A and it’s GUA, like the alien force in First Wave. Add a V and it’s a fruit. Anyways, GUAA is just weird.

Nick, that is a great article you linked to.

Compard to UPenn, Gallaudet may be a much smaller college with unique financial difficulties, but after reading the article, I really don’t see why Gallaudet couldn’t take some small steps in improving the neighborhood. The city council is already taking up much of the work by improving H Street as part of their Great Streets Initiative, so Gallaudet could join in and spread some of that feel-good up towards Florida Ave.

Wise up. The Board of Trustees or the Administration do not care about the students. They care about their positions and their paychecks and will do anything to ensure their positions and their oversized paychecks. Case in point: Gallaudet is one of 4 Federally-funded institutions of higher learning in the United States: USMA, USNA, Air Force Academy, and Gallaudet. All 3 services academies have had their fair share of drug and sex scandals, but not Gallaudet. Why is that? Because someone will have to be held accountable for these transgressions and it won’t be the higher-ups. Hang around Benson Circle any odd time of the day and you’ll witness a drug deal. Walk into any dorm, any floor, any random room number and you’ll find a drug dealer. The infamous “frog week”… need I say more? Indoctrination of the young deaf women into the role of the passive sex victim. And you wonder why Gallaudet enrollment is going down.

My own sister went to school in philadelphia, she was about 5 to 10 blocks away from U of Penn. And my parents felt that she was in a safe place. U of Penn took the hint 10 years ago, and what they did worked.

That article is definitely a clue as to what Gallaudet should do. I think most colleges should step it up and work on building up the neighborhood that surrounds them. Safety is definitely an issue.

Since I’ve grown up near the DC area. I’ve seen so many changes through the years. The DC government has definitely stepped it up a notch in cleaning up the rundown neighborhoods. I don’t think there are too many places where I don’t feel too secure. I just hope they keep it up and keep on making DC a fun, hip, safe place to go out any time of the day.

My brother also attended the university of penn. I visited him several times while he was attending school there and I though it was one of the most beautiful campuses that I have ever seen in my life. Now in response to Joe Dirt, its Gallaudet’s Admin that is the problem, not the Board of Trustees. You see the Admin keeps alot of things secret from the Board so they are blind as to what is really going on around campus. When I informed one of the members of the finance commitee that it is cheaper to live off campus than on, he was flabbergasted that no one had informed him of this information before, especally when it is common knowlege around campus. They do care about the students, when you said the board of trustees gets their paycheck, I am sorry to inform you but, they are a strictly on a volenteer basis and do not get paid at all, Gallaudet does only pay for their airfare to and from home and their hotel stay here, everything else is out of their own pocket. I agree that the admin should step up, but the main problem is who is gonna blow the whistle??

my mistake. mea culpa. But we agree in principle.

What an interesting perspective from an RIT alumni.

As a Georgetown alumni, I just generally avoid the Gallaudet area unless I have a conference or some purpose to be there.

One time a few years ago, I attended a deaf house party near Gallaudet. It wasn’t pleasant at all. There was a “fight club” in the basement full of drunks and people were really getting hurt. Additionally, students were doing drugs and other illegal things that are rarely seen at Georgetown. After that experience, I just never had any desire to return.

Tim,

I am a Gallaudet alumni, and have several friends at Georgetown and attended several parties there. You can not say you never saw the students there doing anything illegal, just look at the outside of the dorms on a saturday and see all the trash and beer bottles laying around, now that isn’t that impressive to me. For the drugs they are visiable at all colleges…

Yeah, the area around Gallaudet is a sh*thole. In fact, there’s an article in the Washington Post today that probably described it well…. Gallaudet adjoins two ‘neighborhoods,’ Old City #1 and Trinidad. Trinidad’s property values rose almost 50% in 2004 and Old City #1’s values rose almost 25%. Similar increases were seen in 2003 and 2002 (not that high for Trinidad, I bet, but still similar). Yes, a sh*thole, you say…

Seriously, as a homeowner living only 3 blocks away from Gallaudet, I’ve witnessed major changes since I came here in 1995.

It’d be nice if RIT alumni would actually set foot onto Gallaudet and its surrounding environs before making half-assed comments based on hearsay and speculation.

The issue is not “all colleges”. The issue is fully Federally funded institutions, or at least the vast majority of the funding from Federal. Let’s not forget we are talking about the children of a lesser God who deserve some level of protection from insidious influences - they should not be doing drugs. The taxpayers want some level of reward on their investment and there will be a day of reckoning, friends. It’s called the law of averages. Gallaudet is due for a shakedown. Won’t be long now before someone walks up the Hill and blows the whistle.

Joe Dirt, you appear to have something really, really against Gallaudet. What’s up with that?

Oh, believe me, I’ve set foot there. Whether property values have risen is beside the point. Yes, things have improved. But it’s still a stretch to proclaim that the area around Gallaudet is “safe” in the same way as walking down Georgetown or even Adams Morgan.

From a RENTER’s perspective, I don’t have to put up with unsafe neighborhoods. From an INVESTMENT perspective, you may want to invest in a up-and-coming-but-still-unsafe neighborhood to get in while the going is good.

But a typical college student shouldn’t have to fear for his/her life every time he or she walks to school (also at night).

It’s not against Gally. It’s against the way Gally is being run. It is being run in the self interest of mainting position and status quo and “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME”. Deaf people deserve better. They deserve a better admin, better public safety department, better everything. They need a hero. You can’t stand up and fight for your rights if you’re stoned out of your mind or some clique rivalry has diverted your attention - a technique known as “divide and conquer”.

I’m so glad to see this kind of discussion taking place. Gallaudet IS a showcase for the world, deaf and non-deaf alike. The campus is truly a gem in this area. And it’s so so so frustrating to see other universities in D.C. area getting a face lift with coolest stores, taverns, restaurants, and shops nearby. Joe has a good point—Gallaudet needs to have friendly tangents like a nice tavern a block away, a college-like coffeehouse right across the street, and a quaint bookstore on the other side of the campus. All those little things will make the campus much more friendly and inviting. I’d love to see ZipCar service available on campus. It’s really a form of deprivation that we aren’t getting the same business opportunities as other universities around here. In my opinion, I feel this is a civil rights issue, not just public safety issue.

I could go on and on because I feel very strongly that we deserve a safer place and the process is going to take a long time before we get there. But I feel we need to make some noise about this. Some community action and I don’t know how. Does anyone?

WONDERFUL point, BonSasso! I agree 100%

Honestly, I think there needs to be more grants and small business loans for deaf people. Back in 2001 I did get involved with revamping the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Entrepreneurs Council (DDHEC) and changed the name to National Deaf Business Institute (NDBI). I’d like to see more funding from DC and the Small Business Administration to transform H Street into a thriving business community for the deaf as well as African Americans.

Gallaudet University could start by buying some of the buildings and fix them up into empty storefront. The lease payments received from the storefronts should eventually cover the cost of bringing them up to code. It would clean up the neighborhood, encourage people to invest more into the homes to raise property values, and make the area safer. All big pluses for Gallaudet.

So why wait any longer?

I’m coming to the discussion a little late, but I think to appreciate the changes (or lack thereof)thus far, one has to understand the history of the area. It was a fairly racially/economically mixed area prior to 1968, and H Street was one of the central business districts for DC’s black community, and for the NE. But generally, since the buildup of the surrounding areas in the 1880s/1890s, it was largely a working-class/middle-class area– look at old pics of Gally– no iron bars, no chain-link fences back then! The “white flight” of the 60’s, exacerbated by the riots in the wake of Martin Luther King’s death in April 1968 (Gallaudet was taken over temporarily by the military during the riots, who used campus as a base while they dealt with the unrest and mayhem just blocks away) left the H Street corridor and its surrounding neighborhoods economically depressed for decades.

Sadly, H Street really hasn’t recovered since. I saw a few changes when I visited DC in September, but not enough of a radical change to warrant saying the area is “safer.” Attempts to improve the near NE, such as Hechinger Mall, didn’t work.

When I first came to DC and Gallaudet, Orleans Place (and many other streets in the area!)was infested with drug dealers, Trinidad had ambulances and cop cars blaring sirens nightly, and it was generally not the best part of town. While I lived off campus, visited friends off campus, and never had problems at all at any time of day, I do know of others who have been mugged. One friend was mugged twice.

It didn’t help that Union Station and Mass Ave weren’t all that great either, until Union Station was refurbished and re-opened as a tourist attraction and transportation hub in September 1988. Since then things have improved in that area, but not up along NY or Florida Avenues. Now with the opening of the new Metro stop and new construction in that area, slowly encroaching gentrification spreading from there and from Union Station’s environs, and a tight housing market all over, I see change coming for the areas west and south of Gallaudet. Despite the rise of property values, Trinidad is still one part of town I wouldn’t hang around in, day or night.

Now, as to improving things: administration or no administration, BOT or no BOT, why wait for the powers that be? I’ve always felt that student groups, such as the Greek system, should perform some community service, do outreach with the neighbors. It’s easy to hide out in the fortress called Gallaudet; it’s harder, but may pay off in the long run, to go out door-to-door and meet the neighbors, send a rep or two to neighborhood meetings, etc. If those property owners and renters that are law-abiding and responsible see that Gallaudet cares about the community at large, it’d be easier for everyone to keep an eye out for each other and to work together to keep the neighborhood clean and healthy. If Gally’s population doesn’t care about the surrounding area, why should those in the neighborhoods outside care about Gallaudet? Just a thought…

As far as partying and drugs go, no school is immune– some have a larger, wilder reputation (deserved or not) than others, but no school lacks problems with alcohol/drug abuse. The campus may or may not have a bigger problem with sexual abuse/assault than other campuses, but I’m not qualified or knowledgeable enough to comment on that.

One final thing– Joe Dirt, you’re off a bit– Gallaudet is one of SEVEN federally-funded post-secondary institutions– the five military schools (West Point, Annapolis, and the schools for the Coast Guard, Air Force, and one more that escapes me at the moment); Gallaudet; and Howard University (although it may be that Howard’s funding has been reduced a bit in the last couple decades).

(Sorry– my “comment” a post on its own!)

I live just across the street from Gallaudet. If you are so that paranoid that you only feel safe in Georgetown or Adams Morgan, walk down far side of Florida Avenue to the Metro at night. After the ATF headquarters opens you will feel better.

I would love to see more University involvement in the area. One way or the other it will soon be a very different neighborhood. The link below can give you a sense of what is happening in the area at the moment. The massive amount of development here is the real story.

While it ain’t pretty, take a trip to A Litteri for Italian wholesale and wine. Yummy subs too. There is nothing like it.

http://www.livejournal.com/~thom202

I see some good and bad points but I need to give my two cents (yes, again).

I feel that Gallaudet is has more of a school for the deaf feel than as a university. Take a look at other schools for the deaf in the U.S. Even though I have not visited most of the schools, but I have visited my fair share – most of them are not within walking distance to a shopping center, restaurants or stores.

I also don’t believe that the administration at Gallaudet will do anything to invest in community since they do not understand business or have a strong business acumen. The majority of the administration has a degree (or two) in human services or humanities. Other than the business department at Gallaudet, I do know that two administrators that have business degrees: V.P. Paul Kelly and Gary Aller. I hate to say this but they run the most ineffective and corrupt system I have ever seen in a college setting.

The business school at Gallaudet is not great. I know people who have graduated in that program and they are struggling to find a job in the business world. I looked at their program and it seems to me that it is very limited. But if they would wake up and understand investments and how to do it, they will teach their students about civic engagement. Students will then have a better chance of getting jobs since they will be able to add their experiences on their resume.

One last point I would like to add… Another reason the Gallaudet administration will not invest into the community is because they do not have to sell their name to prospective students. Gallaudet does not have other schools to compete with other than NTID or CSUN. They already have a worldwide reputation – the name itself is a recruitment tool already. Other universities have invested their money in order to spruce up their surrounding neighborhood or set up businesses so they can maintain (or hopefully increase) their enrollment because they have to compete with other universities. Gallaudet is basically a monopoly and they are not capitalizing on this “monopoly” even though it is in its best interest to do so.

[…] Auditory issues took the front page with discussions around cochlear implants, raising a CODA, and CueSign Camp. We were visited by some nice, sordid stories of ASL-wielding muggers around Gallaudet and the XX Winter Olympics. But as always, living in DC involves random encounters, whether that’s a Mack Daddy or the “IT” person. […]

i agree with nick. safty is a huge issue, inside and outside Gallaudet. Chrsta should be being helped by the addminisrations of our school, not hindered….