By Shelley Taylor
The North Village Improvement Committee would like to thank the
Daily Bruin for its July 22 news coverage and editorial comment on
our first annual meeting. Brian Sullivan’s article,
“Residents, students raise concerns about Westwood,”
(News) accurately depicted the ground covered.
However, there are several statements within the Daily Bruin
editorial, “NVIC must work with students for change,”
(Viewpoint) we would like to clarify.
The title of the editorial, “NVIC must work with students
for change,” hits it right on the head. We cannot hope to
make the experience of living in the North Village a more enjoyable
one without the important input of the student residents.
Brian Sullivan’s article reports residents’ concerns
about a number of issues, including trash, Midnight Yell, and
alcohol consumption. The Bruin editorial, however, inaccurately
characterizes these concerns as NVIC proposals.
While we encourage responsible drinking behavior, the NVIC does
not endorse academically penalizing students for drunken behavior
as put forth in the editorial. To characterize this as a proposal
by the NVIC would be like reporting the Los Angeles City Council
proposes to allow residents to carry guns simply because a meeting
participant suggested doing so during the Council’s public
comment forum.
The NVIC had a successful first meeting. As your article stated,
we are dedicated to one main goal: improving the quality of life
for all North Village residents. We embrace and encourage the Daily
Bruin’s call to involve students in this process. However,
only a few students chose to attend and we hope more students
participate in the future. Since the existence of the NVIC, UCLA
has been tremendous in its assistance, but there is always more
work to be done. We are beginning to form committees to address
several of these issues and encourage all interested students,
residents, property owners and managers to join with us in the job
ahead.
The NVIC does not want to minimize any of the opinions offered
by those attending the meeting. Anyone who chooses to live in the
North Village is aware of UCLA’s presence; if one did not
wish to be part of a college community, one would choose to live
elsewhere. But that is not to say those who choose to live here
should be denied a nice place to live.
Apparently Isla Vista’s reputation as a party town is
infamous. When those who care about a community do nothing, they
feel helpless, hopeless, and frustrated and then they move on. Such
is the case in Isla Vista. When no one steps forward to guard the
gates, the deterioration escalates. We all must strive to prevent
this from reaching a point of no return, and that takes the
involvement of not just property owners and management, but of
residents ““ students emphatically included. Without student
input, the goals of the NVIC will never be realized and
everyone’s quality of life will be affected.
Inaccuracies aside, the editorial promotes discussion and
hopefully solutions.