EDITORIAL: An open letter to our new mayor
Mayor Ling,
Congratulations on being elected mayor of Mount Pleasant. We, representatives of the Central Michigan University student body, are excited to learn more about you and your philosophy on local governance.
We’re aware of your more than 40 years of experience in local government. You seem well equipped to lead the city forward.
Let us be clear: We would like to be a part of that mission.
The trouble is recently, relations between CMU students and city residents has become contentious.
We feel the tension has been largely one sided.
We are eager to experience all Mount Pleasant has to offer, but would like to feel welcome by local government and residents when we leave campus.
Today, we feel over-policed, distrusted and watched by a paranoid minority of city residents.
You, the mayor, are a symbolic figure in this community. We are part of that community. Your words and actions are indicative of how the local community feels about CMU students.
We know not every city commissioner is fond of having such a large student population dominating the city’s social scene 10 months out of the year.
We’ve heard some commissioners make disparaging remarks about students during public meetings. Those comments create a culture of resentment.
During your time as mayor, we’d like you find the answer to a question we can’t seem to put our finger on: Why are city residents afraid of us?
“End of the World” parties ended 30 years ago. The people who upset you then aren't us. We were not even born yet.
Some of the policing measures the city has taken to curb our misbehavior recently are petty and insulting.
As you know, in September the city hired a code enforcement officer whose job is to make sure we pick up our trash and turn our music down if a neighbor complains.
We are adults. All we ask is that we are treated as such.
The truth of the matter is that what city residents remember – the infamous “end of the world” parties at the base of Main Street – are a distant memory.
There is nothing to be afraid of or insecure about from this generation of students.
We urge city officials to engage us, on social media and in public forums. CMU is a politically-active campus. We would love to see local government officials physically on our campus.
We’re proud of the job Ian Elliott, our student-city liaison, has done bringing our concerns to decision makers in Mount Pleasant.
Please embrace that relationship with him and keep in mind his concerns, are often all of our concerns.
Once we graduate, and if we have children, many of us will likely want to send the next generation of students to a public university in Michigan.
We’d like to think back on our time going to school at CMU and living in Mount Pleasant as a friendly one.
Right now, we feel like we are viewed as an enemy of the people who live in this city.
That's not good for you, the city or CMU.
It's time to change the conversation. We would like to see that change start with you, Mayor Ling.
Sincerely,
Central Michigan Life
