Residents Say Campus Is Not Always Welcoming

As plans for Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion forge ahead, some West Harlem residents have expressed concerns that the new campus will be unfriendly to it neighbors. However, the University says that it is committed maintain access to campus spaces for local residents.

“I’ve lived in Harlem all my life, and I’ve always felt real comfortable in my community, but now I’m worried that with the University expanding there will be all these areas I won’t be able to enjoy,” neighborhood resident Sheralee Rodriguez said.

Residents were split on whether the Morningside Heights campus offers a positive or negative precedent for Manhattanville.

“I come here almost every day with my kids, and we all love spending time here,” resident Helena Bunnett said. “It’s always felt very welcoming to me, and what I really like is that there is space for everyone—for students, for kids, for the whole community.”

But some said they feel less than welcome.

“I live just two blocks away, and up until about six weeks ago my neighbor didn’t even know that you could walk through the campus—she thought it was private property,” local businessman Andrew Robertson said. “She’s lived in the area for 10 years and never once walked through those gates.”

This might surprise nearby resident and frequent campus visitor Joyce Appleby.

“I’ve never once felt unwelcome or excluded on campus,” Appleby said, “and one of the things I really like is that you can never tell which of the people around you are students and which are not. The area is always beautifully maintained, and I feel far safer sitting and reading here than I ever would in one of the parks.”

It is this feeling of inclusion that Columbia spokesperson LaVerna Fountain says the University is keen to extend and improve as it develops further north.

“We are part of the local community, and we want to reflect that as we develop,” Fountain said. “We really want the new areas to be open, inclusive, and accessible to everyone, and we’ve worked very hard with members of the local community to try and make sure that this will be the case.”

The task may be a complex one, according to Robertson.

“I don’t think people always realize just how imposing the campus is,” he said. “Those big gates make it seem so unwelcoming and exclusive, and I feel like I’m not good enough—smart enough—to walk through them.”

Fountain emphasized that the plans for the new development specifically did not include any gates or walls and expressed a hope that locals would feel comfortable walking through and enjoying the many different areas.

“We really want to encourage residents to use the paths and open areas,” she said, “and hope that by involving the local community in the development of the plans we can make the area welcoming and accessible to everyone.”

sarah.lockwood@columbiaspectator.com