When we object to A2-bashing, it has to be pretty bad. “Isn’t it ironic that Pfizer chose smug little Ann Arbor to be the first casualty of its downsizing?” And, more eloquently in the comments, “The sight of all those ‘preceived supereior imports’ In Ann Arbor just sickens me … Good job ANN Arbor. Now I hope your import breaks down.”
“[I]f you have $3.95 Million and a desire to live in Ann Arbor, then this very well may be your dream home,” writes Autoblog of Bill Ford’s house. It’s even got “a beautiful view of a lake Huron.”
Not sure what to make of this Daily letter about a young woman who demonstrated the outsize sense of student “entitlement” by taking too many plastic forks and spoons at the Michigan League? Maybe seeing it a second time in the News will help you make up your mind. Of course, the Daily wins the headline contest by going for the specific; their “Students [sic] entitlement on display in theft of plastic-ware” puts you right into the scene, while the News’ competing “Entitlement alive at campus eatery” falls flat.
The Battle Creek Inquirer attempts to stir up a little anti-higher-education sentiment with an editorial bemoaning plans for the “deluxe” North Quad. The new residence hall is “targeted to cost $175 million — about $38 million more than originally estimated. That works out to more than $380,000 for each of the 460 students who will be housed there.” Now that’s a statistic that makes sense — if the U is planning to demolish the building a year after it starts housing students. The new building will, of course, also be home to two academic departments and the School of Information, which the editorial somehow sees as further evidence of its decadent luxury.
When the House debated lowering student loan interest rates last week, one of the main arguments against the bill was colleges’ supposedly out-of-control spending on fancy amenities. This particular editorial isn’t the most egregious example, but many of these “lavish student lifestyle” stories have a very specific political motivation, and one that isn’t good for higher education.
Arbor Update links to a memo on the proposed Barton Green development, detailing the complaints of nearby residents who don’t want the condo development built, and, if it is built, want it completely cut off from their own neighborhood. One resident “pointed out that Ann Arbor was known for its parks, quality of life and neighborhoods.” Another said that “he chose this area because it did not consist of a lot of condominiums, which was what the outskirts of Ann Arbor was beginning to look like.” It’s always a good idea to move closer to the center of town when trying to avoid density. Actually, in A2 that may not be bad advice. One speaker said that “he chose this neighborhood because he cherished its peacefulness and low amount of traffic.” Well, we chose our current residence because we cherished its (not really so) low amount of rent. If that ever changes, we expect a public hearing.
Detroit Renaissance CEO Doug Rothwell doesn’t pull any punches in his interview with Ann Arbor Business Review about Ann Arbor’s role in the southeastern Michigan economy. The relatively successful A2 economy is often discussed as if it’s some kind of anomaly that’s best explained by intangibles like the vibrant, creative spirit of Ann Arborites, but Rothwell acknowledges the elephant in the room. “[T]he city of Ann Arbor ought to do everything it can to embrace the University of Michigan, support it, cultivate it and enhance the relationships with it and never have any division between town and university, because the university is what makes the town go.” Asked whether a focus on universities like the U and Wayne State might leave out other schools in the state, he raises the almost completely ignored distinction between research universities and other educational institutions. “[I]t’s not a matter of taking from one to give to another. It’s a matter of saying, research universities play a special role.” And as if that weren’t enough straight talk for most Ann Arborites to handle with their Thursday morning coffee, he suggests that the appeal of A2 for “young people who are attracted to urban environments” lies primarily in its proximity to Detroit. Are Detroit residents allowed to run for A2 City Council?
The News has a hilarious interview with the owner of The Flying Sheep yarn store. “Her educational background wouldn’t immediately make you think of yarn or sheep, however — she’s a trained historical preservationist.” Actually, that’s exactly the kind of background that would immediately make us think of yarn and sheep.
“Free parking isn’t,” the News suddenly discovers. Todd Leopold wonders why no one figured this out when every neighborhood in town was asking for free (okay, a whole $40) parking for their contractors and babysitters.
“Will merging housing policy boards reduce citizen input and further erode affordable housing in Ann Arbor?” councilmember Ron Suarez asks on his blog. This is the first we’ve heard of this, but aren’t those pretty much mutually exclusive outcomes?
A story in Monday’s Times warns what could happen when a college town downtown like Madison’s gets a little too revitalized: people go to restaurants and bars. The piece quotes a retired librarian who relocated to A2’s unofficial sister city for “the community’s progressive politics.” She now lives her progressive ideals by her participation in “a relatively new residents’ group, Capitol Neighborhoods, which is at the forefront of the push for stricter drinking rules.” Think globally, act locally!
Of course, the problem isn’t just with Madison. “In the Midwest alone, La Crosse, Wis., and East Lansing and Ann Arbor, Mich., are struggling with how to cope with the public mayhem often fueled by inebriated students,” the reporter, Susan Saulny, asserts. Remember, these are cities in the Midwest ALONE! Imagine how many more there would be if the reporter didn’t restrict herself to a single area of the country when rattling off names of allegedly student-mayhem-crippled cities without a shred of evidence!