A couple of recent events have made me reconsider Connecticut College’s relationship with New London. The first was during freshman orientation, which, for the first time, included a community service day. The class of 2016 was divided into groups and sent to placement sites anywhere from the homeless shelter to Fiddleheads Food Co-Op. Before setting out on their beautification missions, Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio spoke to the assembly about the importance of giving back to our adopted community. I was impressed with the mayor’s speech, and began to regret my low level of involvement in New London over the past three years.
A few weeks later, when I found out Mayor Finizio was due to speak at SGA’s weekly meeting, I eagerly attended, hoping to record some of the same inspiring words for the Voice. It took me a while to get my bearings as he launched into a very different refrain containing words like “financial mismanagement,” “referendum” and “bankruptcy.” In this speech, the mayor campaigned for Conn students to vote in a referendum to pass his budget proposal, the major tenet of which was a 7.5% tax increase.
After his speech, I asked him the wrong question. I asked if it was ethical for students to vote for a tax that we wouldn’t benefit from. I should have asked if it was ethical for students to vote for a tax that we will never actually pay for. The difference is monumental.
He explained that we would indeed benefit from the tax increase. The increase would keep Exchange, Tiki and Muddy Waters open. The increase would ensure that we have adequate fire and police forces to intervene on campus when necessary. The increase would beautify Hodges Square. In terms of students’ commercial interests, the tax could only improve our experience in New London.
However, in terms of the human impact, something Mayor Finizio not surprisingly neglected to mention in his speech to SGA, a tax hike could be crushing. Students who didn’t look beyond the mayor’s speech may not have had the full picture, a problem highlighted in the news article published in this issue.
Furthermore, in explaining why students should be interested in this referendum, Mayor Finizio implied that our engagement with New London is and should be about the businesses downtown, instead of the people we live among. He’s absolutely right – our relationship with New London as it stands right now is reliant on a small handful of popular businesses, but it shouldn’t be just about that.
I believe that Conn students voting in New London in this particular case is unethical for one reason only: we are not only imposing hardship on New London residents by voting ‘yes’, but we are freeriding off of a tax increase that neither we nor our school would pay.
As if the “privileged kids on the hill” stereotype needed any more ammunition, this debate is only weakening our relationship with the people of the city. I am by no means discouraging voting in New London. However, we as students need to be judicious as we select the issues to weigh in on. And when we do cast ballots, it must be with full understanding of the issues and their implications; this is the golden rule of civic responsibility.
Let’s face it: the difference between Connecticut College and the New London community is stark. We need more initiative to better integrate “the hill” with the downtown. Remember that it was the New London community who first provided financial assistance to found our college. We are fortunate to have a beautiful campus and a competitive education; we have to share the wealth. It is our responsibility to cultivate relationships with the people of the community through productive avenues, like community service. The freshman community service day was a great success, and should be replicated for all four class-years. Furthermore, clubs and organizations should plan retreat days in the city. Getting involved in New London shouldn’t just be about voting in a referendum when the mayor asks us to, but involvement should be a habit integrated into the everyday life and culture of Connecticut College.
-Meredith
Editor in Chief
Meredith, I appreciate and admire how carefully you’re weighing this, and I understand your reluctance to vote for a tax increase which you won’t have to pay. However, I would still encourage New London’s college students to vote in our municipal elections, and here’s why: I don’t believe democracy should be weighted in favor of property owners. Would you discourage a tenant in public housing from voting? Should a person with $500,000 estate vote more often than the owner of a small $90,000 home? Our community is comprised of wealthy homeowners, struggling homeowners, renters, the homeless, and students. In the voting booth, we all matter equally.
As far as the college not paying taxes, I do hope our government and the school can negotiate a way for Connecticut College to contribute more. But that doesn’t mean that the college is a freeloader, or that you are a freeloader by association. I walk through the arboretum when I can’t afford to go to Ocean Beach. I check out books from the Shain library, I’ve attended plays and concerts on campus, and I’ve been invited to vend at your coffee shop. The college employs quite a few of my friends. In short, you are part of what makes New London special. You are 6% of our population, and if you care enough to learn about our issues, I hope you will continue to participate, both inside and outside of the voting booth.
Well written Meredith and right on!
Thank you Meredith for this article. With you writing this article you have just given so much to the New London residents. It really means a lot to us.
Oh my gosh!!!! My faith in the youth of America just got revived in the twinling of the eye right then and there!!! Might I add that while the Conn College work on reaching out to the Citizens of NL–may we also reach out to the students. After all–if things would have went Daryl’s way–these kids would have a disaster on their hands right now. If we reach out to them–we can be influential in demonstrating the true quality of being a part of our City!
I wiull also add that there are plenty of ample opportunities for volunteer work within this City of NL–Opportunities that may even allow for you to gain real hands on experience within your choice of studies. We have a good number of social services agencies–a great hospital–and not to mention many youth who could use positive influences in their lives. As Susan said Meredith–thank you for objective opinion you planted here!!!