They're back. As regular as the seasons, the students of Oneonta's colleges and those in Delhi and Cobleskill have come to these communities to live for the next nine months.
Nobody, not even the Census Bureau, knows for sure how many traditional students live in Oneonta. But just ask downtown merchants, Center City residents and the police, and you'll hear that there are lots of them.
Enrollment at the region's four colleges totals about 13,000, with more than 7,300 students attending in Oneonta.
And we know that at least the proverbial 99 percent of students are both academically serious and fun-loving outside class without causing trouble in the community.
After a long, quiet summer, merchants usually look forward to the return of students, especially at the start of the school year, with their extra spending money. Many of the downtown and Center City stores that cater to student needs rely on the college population for their continued existence.
Oneonta is a college town, and that means the community-at-large benefits in numerous ways. Besides the obvious economic benefits that go with the start of another academic year, many of the events and activities scheduled to stimulate students do the same for local residents, whether academic or artistic.
Of course, many people, especially in the Center City neighborhoods, like to complain about the return of students. You know, the extra traffic, the noise, the animals, the parties, the music. Unlike the downtown merchants, people in the neighborhoods learn to appreciate the quiet summer.
For the most part, however, students living off campus will make an attempt to be considerate if their neighbors make clear what is expected of them early on in the school year. Like now. It's called setting the tone.
That's exactly what the city will be trying to do in the coming weeks as police crack down on underage drinking, open containers and neighborhood parties that are illegal because of either drinking or the number of people present.
The "house party" has become more popular over the years since the drinking age was raised to 21. Indeed, along with the decline in the number of student bars and the increasing number of fake IDs, the "house party" is one of the major changes that resulted from the age increase nearly a quarter-century ago.
Neighborhood residents must be just as vigilant in showing student neighbors what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Have a neighborhood meeting, discuss expectations, come up with some rules and abide by them.
That way, if you have to call the police, it will be because the students have not lived up to a set of rules they agreed to.
Yes, the students are back, and we know the colleges also want their students to be responsible community members. The important factor is to keep communication open among the residents, the students and the colleges.
Print this story
E-mail this story
