Community group laments low level of U. involvement

The Spruce Hill Community Association works with an area that many students call home. It may not be a familiar name to many students, but the Spruce Hill Community Association is one of the most influential forces in University City. And although SHCA is only one of several neighborhood groups in West Philadelphia, it is especially significant to the University because it handles the area -- from 40th to 46th streets between Market and Woodland streets -- where many students and faculty live. Neighborhood groups such as SHCA are dedicated to organizing area clean-ups, voicing residents' concerns to legislators and offering residents an opportunity to meet their neighbors and build a sense of community within the area. In addition, the group offers crime and safety information programs and works towards the physical rehabilitation of University City. Membership within the organization is voluntary for residents who live in SHCA's jurisdiction, but the group charges mandatory dues, including an average $5 per month for students. The group recently released a "Spruce Hill Community Renewal Plan," which received the Pennsylvania Planning Association's top award for "comprehensive planning by a small community" in January. Yet despite their involvement with an area largely inhabited by students, SHCA members have expressed disappointment that students -- as well as University administrators -- are not as involved with the group as they should be. "It's important to us to have more students involved," SHCA President Patrick Starr said. He expressed concern about the level of University interaction with the group, but added that the group's relationship with the University is "evolving." But he emphasized that "we're still concerned that community interests are heard by the University at the right level and the right time." Spruce Hill residents have expressed opposition to the University's decision to expand the blue-light phone system, as well as to the existence of the Penn Escort System. Starr emphasized that the University must realize that its actions have a direct impact on the community. And he stressed that as SHCA works to improve the neighborhood, "it would help us a great deal to improve our relationship with the University." But SHCA Vice President Sharif Ali said cooperation between the University and Spruce Hill residents has improved recently, pointing to a clean-up day scheduled for April in which students and Spruce Hill residents will work together to remove graffiti from the area. But Starr described the University's overall affect on the neighborhood as "complicated." "To give credit where credit is due, the presence of the University is one of the reasons this community is so diverse," Starr said. "It attracts a lot of people and stabilizes the neighborhood." But he added that many residents feel the University itself contributes to several of the area's problems through programs such as Penn Escort, which residents claim takes people off of the streets and reduces neighborhood safety. "Our relationship with the University adds a lot to the community," Starr said. "But there's a push-pull in that relationship." And Starr noted that when he claims that students could make a difference in the area by becoming more involved with community efforts, he speaks from experience. A graduate from the University's class of 1979, Starr said he came to love West Philadelphia when he moved off campus as a sophomore. "I moved to 46th and Locust streets, which students today would consider to be off the face of the earth," he said. But Starr's time as a student marked the beginning of his involvement with SHCA, and he has remained in West Philadelphia since leaving the University. "People in the neighborhood have a real sense of commitment to it," Starr added. "It's a terribly interesting place with a lot of interesting things going on."