Wesleyan’s campus isn’t gated (thankfully). However, judging from the number of Middletown residents who can be seen on campus, you’d never guess that Wesleyan was not a walled fortress. Wesleyan acts like its own separate community, even though we are a part of Middletown. While we learn about racial and class inequalities in our classrooms, we replicate them daily. There is no official, clear University policy about non-University affiliated people using Wesleyan facilities, yet authorities and students act under the assumption that Middletown residents have no place in the Wesleyan community.
For example, Middletown residents are frequently kicked out of computer labs, despite our surplus of computers. The University’s official policy on computer lab use by non-University affiliated people is vague and unclear; however, the policy that is actually enforced is very clear: Middletown residents are not allowed in Wesleyan computer labs.
Are we happy with the current state of alienation between Middletown residents and Wesleyan students? Allowing people from Middletown to use our abundant resources could be mutually beneficial. It could be great if growing up near Wesleyan was a positive experience for Middletown’s youth, and if Wesleyan students took advantage of living in a diverse and vibrant urban community.
Agree? Disagree? Have better ideas than we do? Come to SDS’s Town-Gown Relations Forum in PAC 004, Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 4:30 p.m.!
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