This town was made for you and me
By: Sam Perkins, At-Large Columnist
Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Opinion
Students, this is the town of Chapel Hill. Town of Chapel Hill, these are our students.
This is an introduction I've never fully realized. The Apple Chill festival at least gave me some sense of this, but as we all know, that great community event was "shot down." While the University fosters a good relationship with the town, students are disconnected from the town. The Chapel Hill community is great, and it would be nice to feel more like part of it. The town could provide a real-world training ground; UNC could do a few things to encourage that.
Dorms on campus are their own microcosms. It's definitely different from living at home but very much the same in the disconnect we have with regard to how everything around us operates and comes to be. Utilities and town services are the best examples of what gets left out.
I like the system some apartment complexes have where they cover all utilities … to an extent. The rent price will include, say, up to $60 for the water bill. But if you have a month where you feel particularly dirty or downright nasty, and just one shower doesn't do it, and you end up racking up a $70 water bill, you pay the difference (possibly with some interest on that excess). It's basically putting a credit limit on utilities, and given the struggles we have with utilities today, it's not a bad idea.
In the past the water shortage has been so bad that UNC considered sending students home. It's not such a surprise that students use utilities as though they're free. They don't see the costs of their actions. If on-campus students received water, electricity and cable bills, they might conserve these increasingly depleted and/or expensive resources.
When I moved off campus after my sophomore year, especially after living up here for the summer, I quickly realized how expensive it can be to keep a house at 75 degrees. And guess what: Setting the thermostat to 82 degrees is well worth the savings, especially when three people can accrue a one-month summer electric bill between $150 and $200. Learning lessons such as this during even just one year in a dorm can be invaluable for preparing for life and costs in the real world.
This is an introduction I've never fully realized. The Apple Chill festival at least gave me some sense of this, but as we all know, that great community event was "shot down." While the University fosters a good relationship with the town, students are disconnected from the town. The Chapel Hill community is great, and it would be nice to feel more like part of it. The town could provide a real-world training ground; UNC could do a few things to encourage that.
Dorms on campus are their own microcosms. It's definitely different from living at home but very much the same in the disconnect we have with regard to how everything around us operates and comes to be. Utilities and town services are the best examples of what gets left out.
I like the system some apartment complexes have where they cover all utilities … to an extent. The rent price will include, say, up to $60 for the water bill. But if you have a month where you feel particularly dirty or downright nasty, and just one shower doesn't do it, and you end up racking up a $70 water bill, you pay the difference (possibly with some interest on that excess). It's basically putting a credit limit on utilities, and given the struggles we have with utilities today, it's not a bad idea.
In the past the water shortage has been so bad that UNC considered sending students home. It's not such a surprise that students use utilities as though they're free. They don't see the costs of their actions. If on-campus students received water, electricity and cable bills, they might conserve these increasingly depleted and/or expensive resources.
When I moved off campus after my sophomore year, especially after living up here for the summer, I quickly realized how expensive it can be to keep a house at 75 degrees. And guess what: Setting the thermostat to 82 degrees is well worth the savings, especially when three people can accrue a one-month summer electric bill between $150 and $200. Learning lessons such as this during even just one year in a dorm can be invaluable for preparing for life and costs in the real world.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
slv
posted 2/29/08 @ 1:34 PM EST
Thanks for writing about this. In a lot of towns (formerly Chapel Hill) a small business community and a university compliment each other. A middle-class student population keeps rents low so small businesses and artists can thrive. (Continued…)
say wha?
posted 2/29/08 @ 2:06 PM EST
While I agree with the main point of this article, I have a hard time getting over the analogy of franklin street as a uterus.
"The IRS aborted The Rathskeller in December, and now Buffalo Wild Wings and Schoolkids have miscarried. (Continued…)
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