At a time when it seems the relationship between MSU students and East Lansing city officials is at a definite low, the community can certainly use an organization like the Community Relations Coalition. Formed in 1999, following the riots of that year, the coalition is composed of students, permanent residents and university and city officials. It seeks to make sure that all of those groups live in relative harmony.
Sounds great, right? The CRC is possibly one of the most valuable organizations in the area - or it could be, if the group were more proactive.
As it stands now, the CRC is not doing an adequate job curbing bad feelings. For as much good work as it accomplishes in communicating resident concerns about noise and handing out goodie bags, among other things, the CRC is failing to address the real issues that are causing tensions - at least on a level that most students can see.
For instance, maybe student-city relations would be more stable if students weren't having housing options near campus systematically taken away from them. Maybe the relationship would be more cordial if severe noise policies weren't put into effect. Or, hey, perhaps the police could stop unjustifiably teargassing students to try and repair things.
These are the city actions students take issue with. And yet, nearly two weeks after the April 2-3 disturbances that caused the latest rift between students and officials, the CRC has yet to take a stand.
CRC officials know that simply trying to let this issue blow over is no way to repair bad feelings. They realize that something must be done, and yet they don't know where to begin. It certainly seems that a group that has sought to unite the city and students for almost six years should be able to utilize some of its experience when the situation calls for it most.
The bottom line here is that something must be done soon. Many students want, and deserve, an apology. City officials tout police actions as a success. As both of these groups push their own opinion, the CRC needs to take action immediately to try to ensure the relationship doesn't plummet any further.
