When UW-Madison students arrive on campus, they are greeted with a wide array of resources to make their time at the university as productive and comfortable as possible. Arguably, some of the most helpful yet underutilized of these resources are the Madison city alders. When this editorial board met with alder Scott Resnick recently, we were welcomed with a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of the city. Resnick exemplifies many characteristics that foster a productive relationship between the city and its constituents. Students and the city alike would benefit from more involvement from individuals with Resnick’s dedication and initiative in city politics.
After meeting with Resnick, we are encouraged by some of the steps the city is taking to improve campus safety. We believe that initiatives that seek to impact the root of the crime problem in the city are vital to reducing its prevalence. Programs where mentors identify individuals who have the potential to engage in problematic behaviors and assist them with finding productive ways to spend their time, or others where police officers approach and greet known gang members by name while they are out downtown seek to prevent crime before it occurs. While we strongly believe that this prevention is key to curbing crime, criminal activity downtown typically decreases in the winter so we will have to wait until spring to see the effects of these programs.
Nonetheless, our appreciation for efforts taken by the city is not without reservations. After talking with Resnick, we came to the understanding that student housing on the south side of Regent Street is in a different police zone than the rest of campus. We believe that in order to best protect students, the campus area should be contained in one police zone. This would ensure that police are able to attend to concerns on campus without having to first attend to what could be considered more pressing issues in other areas of Madison, while guaranteeing that consistent lines of communication exist between all police patrolling areas inhabited by students.
Aside from safety issues, we also appreciate Resnick’s insight into Madison housing policies. We believe that landlords should be held accountable for maintaining the safety of their buildings, no matter how low the rent is. While some city officials might argue that low rents could bring a new demographic of people to the campus area, low housing costs make living affordable for students.
Issues regarding housing, such as the upkeep of buildings, are prime examples of issues that students should not hesitate to collaborate with alders on. Alders can hold landlords accountable to an extent, but students should also utilize sources such as the Tenant Resource Center to become educated on what their rights are when signing a lease. This mutual support between the city, its officials, the university and its students on issues such as safety and housing will help us to build a better Madison.
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