Seton Hill University (SHU) students who recently moved into downtown and Southwest Greensburg have not received such a warm welcome. An article in the September 16th issue of the Tribune Review mentioned an incident in Southwest Greensburg that happened during the weekend of August 30th. A party that was held at the house of several SHU students was broken up by local police. Five people from the party were also cited with minor offenses. The students involved with the party were unavailable for comment.
With the headline in the Tribune Review article, “Influx of college students irks many Southwest Greensburg residents,” some students are concerned with the way SHU off-campus residents are being portrayed by the media and viewed by the public.
“That headline makes people think that the students are violent and terrorizing the borough,” said David Royce, a senior and off-campus resident.
By Rachel Prichard
Senior Staff Writer
Seton Hill University (SHU) students who recently moved into downtown and Southwest Greensburg have not received such a warm welcome. An article in the September 16th issue of the Tribune Review mentioned an incident in Southwest Greensburg that happened during the weekend of August 30th. A party that was held at the house of several SHU students was broken up by local police. Five people from the party were also cited with minor offenses. The students involved with the party were unavailable for comment.
With the headline in the Tribune Review article, “Influx of college students irks many Southwest Greensburg residents,” some students are concerned with the way SHU off-campus residents are being portrayed by the media and viewed by the public.
“That headline makes people think that the students are violent and terrorizing the borough,” said David Royce, a senior and off-campus resident.
Jolene Nieves, a senior and on-campus resident was irritated by the headline because “it makes people instantly think that there is an onslaught of crime or serious problems.”
The headline was part of a quote from a Southwest Greensburg resident who felt that with the population of students moving in, the borough must be protected.
“Yes, the amount of students living off-campus is bigger, but the article makes it seem that there are huge parties all the time and that there are tons of problems every weekend,” said Mike Byzon, a senior and off-campus resident.
“I’m not saying the parties don’t exist, but you don’t see the problems that you see with college students in Oakland, Morgantown, or even Clarion. We (SHU students) are not burning couches in the street.”
Students living off-campus would like to be seen as residents of Greensburg who bring work ethics, good attention, and money to the community. They are tired of the stereotype of the “non-stop partying, annoying neighbor” being placed on them.
“Every August and January, the local Wal- Mart makes a lot of money by students and their parents coming in to stock up for the semester,” said Justin Starkey, a senior living off-campus.
“We’re patrons of your city,” said Nieves. “We spend our money in your mall and shops. We eat at your restaurants. We drink in your bars. We work for your businesses. Students need to be seen for the positive things they do for the city of Greensburg and how we have helped it grow.”