COLUMN: Affecting change in West Philadelphia

From Jeffrey Snyder's, "Snyde Remarks," Fall '98 From Jeffrey Snyder's, "Snyde Remarks," Fall '98At the end of last spring, a couple of friends and I were looking for an off-campus house. Knowing we had a late start, and not wanting to be thrust into the areas far from campus, we signed a lease with University City Associates, the real estate arm of the University, for what barely passed for a row house on 39th and Sansom streets. Around the beginning of October, however, I returned home from a long weekend to find a trailer parked in front of our house. Although the subsequent construction was at times inconvenient, I have been extremely impressed with the transformation that took place. UCA completely replaced our porch and installed new lighting to brighten up our entire side of 39th Street. I can hardly recognize my house as the same dump I rented last spring. And the improvements go far beyond my street. University officials, through the UC Brite program, have been working with area landlords and residents to encourage the installation of new lighting with the promise of a 50 percent reimbursement of the cost incurred. In a relatively short time, this program has made the neighborhoods surrounding campus brighter, more attractive and, most importantly, safer. Overall, the program has made significant progress and resulted in major improvements. Those landlords who have participated in the program have increased the value and desirability of their properties and helped improve the area. But there are still plenty of dark blocks that could use additional lighting, such as 40th Street between Spruce and Pine streets and the 4000 block of Walnut Street. Students considering signing leases with landlords who haven't should pressure them to join the program. If they realize that students are concerned with lighting, they will likely put forward the investment to continue to attract tenants. In addition to its role in the UC Brite initiative -- for which it should be commended -- the University was instrumental in getting the University City District off the ground. Efforts of UCD volunteers, who remove graffiti, clean sidewalks, plant trees and boost security in the 120-block area west of the Schuylkill River, are noticeably effective. Unfortunately, as these efforts are being executed, the same students who are first to complain about the "ghetto" that surrounds the University are those that cause the most destruction. I can't count how many times I have seen students litter both on and off campus. In fact, it is a safe assumption that many of you who a reading this column will think nothing of leaving The Daily Pennsylvanian on your classroom floor when you're finished with it. Students leave food wrappers in classrooms, drop papers on Locust Walk, empty their mailfolders on the floor of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and enact other such atrocities almost constantly. We cannot complain that our campus and the surrounding area are not attractive when students are largely culpable. Students instead must consciously take action to improve the area. This starts by properly recycling this DP when you are finished reading. When you miss the garbage can on Locust Walk, pick up your trash instead of leaving it there. Take some pride in the area and help make it a place where we can be proud to live. With support from individual students, we can further the influence of programs such as UC Brite and the UCD. And we may be surprised with the dramatic improvement to the appearance of campus when we return for our five-year reunions.