So much is being said regarding the relationship between a permanent resident and a temporary student living in East Lansing. However, in my opinion, not much is actively being done.

Sure, "welcome packets" for students are nice, but are they truly effective? My husband and I moved in late April, and had the wonderful experience of living in East Lansing during the summer months. Now the majority of students have returned, which to us is both good and bad.

We live in a residential area of the city, and when walking to bars, students often take short cuts through our Bailey neighborhood. Now that they are back, we, along with our neighbors, have had property destroyed, plants ripped up, garbage knocked over and recycling stolen and scattered about. That's not to mention the fact that we've not had a restful night of sleep and have had to resort to shutting our windows for quiet. I can handle loud voices, but when students become destructive, that kind of behavior is unacceptable and frankly, quite sad.

I have lived on both sides of the fence, one as a student and now, as a resident, and I view East Lansing as a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I love the young culture and sense of wonder most students bring to this town, because I too remember those days fondly. However, East Lansing needs to be viewed as more of a city and less of a college town by everyone within this small community. Maybe students and residents alike need to take notes from our rival counterparts in Ann Arbor, who place the city first before the university.

Attending a prestigious Big Ten establishment is an honor and a privilege and should be treated as so. (If you don't realize that already, you will some day, I promise.) The town is not for the taking by the students. Let us all respect each other and act as the adults we are.

Tali Hylen
2000 alumnus