The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Students Are Residents Too, Alright Jerkoff

To the Editor:

This letter comes in response to the recent article on quality of life violations that are so prevelant around Burlington. For some reason, President Fogel and UVM/Burlington police are under the impression that the only item that constitutes everyone’s quality of life in this city is the noise level. Apparently, irrelevant is the fact that most UVM students live in rapidly decaying and vastly overpriced, slumified houses that landlords and the city are in no way held accountable for.

As long as the city continues to receive money from students over so-called noise violations, it will continue to turn a blind eye to glaring violations to our quality of life.

My house, for instance, on a certain street so directly targeted in last week’s article, has had illegible graffiti spewed across its most prominent side since midway through the summer. When I moved into said house at the beginning of the school semester, I was informed by my landlord that the city of Burlington would be taking care of it.

Although the city could not spare any of its resources on a can of white paint, within the first 48 hours after our inquiry into the defacement, it did take action. Burlington acted by deeming it necessary for a cop intermittently to park outside our house for three hours. The cop was stationed, anxiously waiting to question each of my house-mates about a noise violation that was reported at 5:00 pm on a Saturday afternoon.

It’s time for the city of Burlington and President Fogel to stop trampling on student rights. They need to remember that students play an important role in the economic livelihood of this city in other ways than just via payment of noise fines. They must bear in mind that many students, despite it all, consider themselves to be residents of this city. Our quality of life is just as important as that of any other resident of this city.

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Students Are Residents Too, Alright Jerkoff