In an effort to welcome off-campus students to their new homes, community volunteers will distribute “welcome bags” tomorrow from 11-3. A community barbeque at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church will follow from 4-7.
The bags will be given to students living within the second city ward, which covers all streets south of Wooster. They will contain voter registration forms, directories of downtown businesses, a landlord-tenant booklet and other helpful items for off-campus students. Some bags include frisbees, hackysacks and a drawing number for 100 prizes to be given away at the barbeque.
Those in charge of the events are confident they will knock on every ward 2 door in four hours.
“The more people we have the more area we can cover, but I think in four hours we should be able to cover ward 2,” Barb Hoffman, health promotion coordinator for the Wellness Connection, said.
City and University officials wanted to reduce crime in ward 2. The city looked into specific local needs, and the University found a grant that is directed toward ward 2. Other money from the grant will help fund the events.
“Some of the funds that we got for the grant will go into buying food for the barbeque and some of the materials going into bags,” Hoffman said.
City prosecutor, Matt Reger, developed the idea for the events from Miami University, which has a successful welcome bag program.
“I found out about a similar program in Oxford, Ohio and it’s a community program in conjunction with Miami University,” Reger said.
Reger presented the idea to the City-University Summit, where it was accepted.
120 volunteers are needed, and Mayor John Quinn will be among those welcoming students. 3,000 bags from the Universtiy were stuffed in preparation
Several city and university offices have worked hard prior to the events. The Office of Student Life collected information from different University offices, and helped stuff bags. They also sought out volunteers from the University.
“We have sent out messages numerous times to different listprocs to see if we can get volunteers from staff and students and help pass the bags around,” Georgianna Folkins, coordinator for campus programs, said.
The Wellness Connection created a piece that will be in the bag. Mike Zickar, second ward city-councilman and psychology department faculty member, has tried to draw interest from residents in ward 2 and students.
“I’ve contacted residents in the second ward to try to get interest, and I also e-mailed some students who I thought might be interested,” Zickar said.
Students and residents wanting to meet their neighbors may have reason to be interested. Along with making students feel welcome, city and University officials also hope the event will bring unity. In past years the resident-student relationship has been strained, and residents have complained about students having loud parties.
Codified Ordinance 7239, which prohibits nuisance parties, took effect Aug. 1. The welcome bag program and ordinance are geared to diminish the number of nuisance parties and better the student-resident relationship.
Zickar described a resident with a developmentally-disabled child who always tries to get to know her neighbors. The resident often complains of loud noises.
“Just getting to know your neighbors is a good thing in that there’s a tendency for students to think of residents here as just old people, and residents to think of students as just loud noise makers,” Zickar said. “It just helps the two groups understand each other. If the students know it’s affecting this person’s life, then they could try to be more respectful.”
