University commits to cooperation in Manhattanville, residents remain wary

Spectator looks into recent happenings at Columbia's Manhattanville expansion. Check out our stories on the construction of the new campus and the formation of a new development corporation in West Harlem.

On a recent rainy Wednesday afternoon, Manhattanville residents Laura Washington and Alex Blackwood walked through the area in West Harlem where Columbia is beginning to build a second home.

“I definitely don’t think of the expansion on a day-to-day basis. I know about it, probably more than other people because I seek out information on my own,” Washington said.

Blackwood agreed. “I think it’s really left up to people to be informed about what’s going on. I know everything from her,” gesturing at Washington.

Neither of the two friends knew much about the Community Benefits Agreement, a document that guarantees the University’s financial support of the community and had been publicly debated from 2006 to 2009.

“I know a bit about it—it seems kind of complicated. I don’t know what the terms are, I just know Columbia is supposed to help out, somehow,” Washington said.
Added Blackwood, “I guess it isn’t really buying us out, but that’s what it sounded like to me at first.”

Blackwood and Washington are hardly alone. Despite enormous effort by the University to make its plans public and countless town hall meetings, many Manhattanville residents say that they still do not know what the University’s plans are for the neighborhood.

‘YOUR EFFORTS ARE NOT SEEN’
Maria Cruz, who for 18 years has lived in 3333 Broadway, a huge affordable housing complex overlooking the expansion site, acknowledged that the new construction is “affecting a lot of people.” However, when asked if she knew exactly what was being built or what the changes would be, she responded, “Not at all. I don’t ask about anything.”

Grant Houses resident Deborah Griffith joked as she opened a letter from her Tenants Board, “Maybe this says something. No, it doesn’t.”

She continued, “I know all of this is Columbia property and they’re going to be building all of this. Everything I know about the expansion though, it’s not through the management, it’s just things that I’ve heard. I don’t know what will happen to the people living here, if it’s necessary to relocate.”

Alicia Barksdale, president of the 3333 Tenants Association, summarized her perception of the University’s outreach with five simple words: “Your efforts are not seen.” According to Barksdale, many of her tenants are still scared about the University taking over without knowing where to look for answers.

“The perception of the University is not good,” she said. “It’s very confusing if you don’t know if you’ll have somewhere to live.”

3333 resident Mary Autrey said she wants to sit down and meet with the “top dogs” at Columbia to better understand the expansion plan and the role of the community.

“They’re keeping a lot behind closed doors,” Autrey said. “Come out and say exactly what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and what our chances are.”

PROMISES, PROMISES
But University officials claim that they have provided numerous opportunities for local residents to inform themselves and to benefit from new programs.

“Among people who closely follow these issues, I don’t think that there are many misconceptions since we are always willing to respond to questions, answer emails, and attend community meetings,” said Maxine Griffith, the University’s executive vice president of government and community affairs.

Griffith’s office, which handles communication between the University, local community boards and politicians, maintains ties to the community by supporting local non-profits and community organizations, ranging from the Harlem Little Leagues to a Public School Improvement Program.

The University has also asserted its commitment to integrating community needs into the design of their buildings. Liz Diller, one of the architects for the new Business School buildings, said that public space and amenities have been a big consideration, and that her firm would be interested in meeting with Community Board 9.

“How do we make sense of campus but also make that campus accessible to everyone? How do we produce enough activities in there that actually draw the community inside?” Diller said. “The Business School really has to outreach … on the very local level in West Harlem.”

But some community organizers and residents remain skeptical, given what they consider a history of broken promises between the University and the community.

CB 9 member Brad Taylor claims that Columbia “continues to stumble” in building a relationship with the community due to disregarding past commitments. In particular, Taylor was angered by the University’s decision not to provide retail space for the community in the School of Social Work on Amsterdam Avenue between 121st and 122nd streets.

“For the University to unilaterally decide to turn this over to its own academic use without re-engaging the community does not bode well for commitments that it is now making in Manhattanville,” Taylor said.

COMMUNITY BOARD COOPERATION
The main channel for communication between the University and the community has been West Harlem’s Community Board 9. As demolition began and plans finalized, Larry English took over the board from longtime chair Pat Jones.

Upon his election, English made it clear that he fully supported the expansion, marking a shift in the board’s stance on the project and drawing scrutiny from some fellow board members and residents.
“The fact that I was not here through the war gave me a unique perspective,” English said. “It wasn’t in the community board’s interests to get up and walk away from the table.”
At the February general board meeting of CB9, English went on the defensive about his cooperation with the University, saying that it was still the most productive way to approach the project.

“I take responsibility to come to you … and lay out to you what I believe is the right direction for this organization for the next six months. I don’t expect for everyone to agree with me,” English said.

But CB9 member Savona Bailey-McClain claims that English’s attitude does not fully coincide with the concerns of the community.

“I do feel he needs more understanding,” she said in an interview last month. “We’ve got some people who are still pretty angry about the development and … people are concerned about him being in the position.”

Taylor does not share Bailey-McClain’s concerns.

“Comments that I’ve seen and heard the chair make on the issue of the community’s relationship with Columbia stress the building of a productive relationship going forward. That could just as easily be seen as ‘pro-community’ as ‘pro-Columbia,’” he said.

Griffith said that English has adapted well to the challenges of the project.

“He’s done his homework and become very sophisticated about the University,” said Griffith. “When an issue arises, perhaps unlike the average citizen, he often knows whom he should speak with.”

Over the past few months, English has had several informal one-on-one meetings with University administrators, according to Community Affairs Associate Vice President Victoria Mason-Ailey.

“I’ve learned that Columbia is not one big entity that moves in one step,” English said. “The relationship is evolving and we’re trying to develop trust between the University and the residents.”

CONTINUED RESISTANCE
Though the community board has adopted a more conciliatory stance with Columbia, one group has remained staunch in its censure.

The Coalition to Preserve Community, a neighborhood group actively opposed to the expansion, has held several protests in recent months, despite the increasing pace of construction.

“It’s important to keep before the community and the larger public the failure of the University to live up to the promises it made in connection with the expansion,” said Ruth Eisenberg, one of the founders of CPC.

CPC member Ellen Isaacs said that CPC plans to continue protesting about job creation, affordable housing, and the types of buildings that can be constructed under the plan.

“Columbia University’s expansion can only be mitigated by building a movement of community residents, students, and their allies,” Isaacs said.

Recently, CPC has been in communication with a new crop of student activists to raise awareness about the expansion on campus, as SCEG, the student group against Manhattanville, has been relatively inactive in the last year.

“Student activism hasn’t been around about Manhattanville because students feel that it’s a done deal. But I think that students don’t realize the scale of the expansion, that it will take many years to develop,” said Yoni Golijov, CC ’12, who has protested with the CPC. “We do have a lot of time to change things.”

Fellow organizer Alex Klein, CC ‘12, says that the students he protests with haven’t yet formed an official group, but they plan to do so by the beginning of the fall semester. Unlike SCEG, however, Klein and other protesters may not make their group an official Columbia-recognized club, giving local residents the opportunity to join.

“We want it to be something that all types of people can engage in,” Klein said.

In the meantime, CPC co-founder Tom DeMott says that his group is here to stay.

“Resistance to Columbia’s deceit is a matter of self respect,” DeMott said. “We’ll just keep being out there, and let others determine the impact.”

MOVING FORWARD
Two teenage girls, residents Nyesha McNealy and Emoni Gandia, remained hopeful about the expansion as they walked though their neighborhood last Friday.

“I don’t like how they’re pushing people out, but the neighborhoods are a little better now,” McNealy said.

Emoni agreed, though she said it is a little bittersweet. “I think Columbia is going to provide better opportunities and more education around here, but this place is going to change. A lot of the stuff here has history, has memories.”

3333 Tenants Association president Barksdale is also trying to be optimistic, particularly since the University arranged a meeting with the tenants of 3333 this Wednesday. “There are a lot of things that need to be addressed now that it’s all really beginning,” she said. “You can’t always go by first impressions.”

Susan Russell, director of operations for City Council member Robert Jackson, said that Jackson is open to starting on a clean slate with the University.

“What happened in the past isn’t relevant anymore. What we’re trying to focus on is that the University and community have shared interests,” Russell said. As for the benefits that Columbia has promised the community, “He [Jackson] is prepared to give the University the opportunity to do what they promised.”

From protesters to politicians to the community board, the general consensus is that the University needs to listen to its neighbors as officials make important decisions in Manhattanville.

“Bettering the University’s relationship with the community is not rocket science,” said Taylor. “It involves building trust by acknowledging, not dismissing, community concerns, and by living up to promises.”

Daphne Chen and Jackie Carrero contributed reporting.

abby.mitchell@columbiaspectator.com