I have lived in Stillwater since 1997. I originally moved here because I could see myself going to college at OSU.
After a few years’ work and some saving, however, I was instantly taken with the friendly people and small town beauty of Stillwater and decided to make it my home.
One of the greatest attractants for the community was the mutual respect and cooperation the city and the university shared. The relationship was refreshing after living on the west and east coasts and watching big universities roll over their host communities and treat them like slaves for the institution.
In the past few years, I have watched OSU systematically destroy that relationship.
When I moved to Stillwater, the folks in town were so proud to be the host city for OSU often calling it “our university” even though many of them had never been a student.
Now the term is “the university” and it is muttered with disgust and sometimes fear as the master plan has shown that now none of our homes are safe.
Of course, OSU is not completely to blame as our civic officials have utterly failed in their duty to stand up for the citizens of Stillwater.
They refuse to oppose the university on any project that may alter or harm the lives of its citizens. The mayor and city commission has made it clear that what OSU wants, OSU gets.
With such representation, the working people of Stillwater or the “townies” as the students like to call us, are left with no defense against a university that considers our neighborhoods nothing more than future construction zones.
The argument is made that OSU helps the community by providing jobs and services that Stillwater wouldn’t have otherwise.
It is true that OSU is a good place for townspeople to get a job in Stillwater, if they want to scrub dishes or take out trash.
In the last four years more and more clerical and office jobs, which have a chance of advancement and career development, have been turned into “work-study” jobs or are simply given to students instead of town residents.
More importantly, more and more OSU jobs held by residents are being given over to students after current job holders retire or leave their positions.
The non-student population hasn’t dropped in this town.
In fact, it has risen. Stillwater needs those jobs.
The most recent act of institutional arrogance by the university would be the recent project to recommend improvement to the downtown area.
It’s great that these students put in this work on this project for the community.
What’s infuriating to local citizens is that those same suggestions for downtown have been made for years by Stillwater residents with no response from the city but now that the suggestion has been made by OSU, it’s time to rubber stamp it.
Quite frankly “Who asked you?” How about for a change, OSU lets Stillwater worry about Stillwater and the university butts out.
I know that sounds unappreciative, but imagine you had a car you were working on and your buddy kept standing behind you. He then would make suggestions or worse just shove you out of the way and then do something to the car you didn’t want to do in the first place.
That’s where the relationship between this town and this university is; it’s our car, let us fix it.
If OSU wants to do something for the people of Stillwater it can employ more of them.
Also, they can quit tearing down its neighborhoods for things as frivolous as indoor tennis courts.
Please OSU, stop helping us.
Your cure is usually worse than the problem.
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