Editorial: Being a better neighbor

No one wants a bad neighbor—you know, like the ones that are too loud late at night, don’t clean up after themselves or are too unfriendly to wave “Hello” in passing.

It’s true: Bethlehem’s Southside community is known to have some bad neighbors. Or, more like a bad neighbor.

In Lehigh Valley Live’s series “Edged Out,” the Southside’s relationship with Lehigh University is explored, detailing the troubled feelings residents have about living next to us Lehigh students. 

In fact, the Princeton Review ranked Lehigh within the category of “Town-Gown Relations are strained” in their 2021 issue.

As Lehigh student housing and rent prices have skyrocketed over the last several years, students have increasingly moved into town, while Bethlehem longtimers have regularly moved out.

The feelings and experiences described and recounted by members of the community are, of course, valid and residents should be mad. They have good reason—what once was a town of small mom-and-pop shops and family-owned, affordable homes has become one of six-story buildings and college students.

However, we believe that the direction of this anger is often misplaced and directed unfairly toward Lehigh students rather than the University.

We want to make a point: Lehigh students are not the same as Lehigh University. We are not one entity. In fact, while no student is the same as the next, not one of us wants to be the cause for your concern. 

Contrary to popular belief, we’re not all wild party animals looking to degenerate and trash one neighborhood after the other.

Although the temporary nature of our stay may lead to some struggle, there are many students who genuinely care about the Southside community during the short time they have in Bethlehem and want to work to better Lehigh’s strained relationship with the community, whether that’s through volunteering or supporting its local, small businesses.

With so many shops and restaurants in close proximity to campus, Lehigh students are routinely visiting to grab a bite or make a purchase. While it’s true that many students’ socio-economic backgrounds are ones of privilege that prove to be unrepresentative of everyone who should be welcomed onto our campus, it is a reality that their disposable income is helping the local economy. 

In addition, students actively work with Lehigh offices to serve the area and its residents—particularly collaborating with the Community Service Office through tutoring programs at community schools or orientation programs aimed at immersion in service projects around town.

Of course, we’re not perfect and many of us have areas in which we can improve. But, we are not the base cause of this strain.

Despite the work of Lehigh’s offices to ease community tensions, the institution itself is its true source.

Since its founding in 1865, Lehigh has continued to buy local properties to build new campus amenities and earn new assets, pushing residents out and dismantling the Southside’s rich character. 

For example, the Gateway at Greenway Park is one of the most looked-down-upon projects in Southside Bethlehem’s recent memory. Now the tallest building in the area, the six-story property was built on the site of a former community garden, sold for $70,000, and is now partially leased by Lehigh as part of their Path to Prominence plan. 

Still not fully leased three years after its construction, two of its floors consist of Lehigh offices and departments, including Purchasing Services, Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Development and Alumni Relations and the Controller’s Office.

From the eyes of community members (and many Lehigh students), our university is whitewashing and gentrifying an area typically known for its diversity and historically appealing character, creating a division between students and deep-rooted residents of Southside Bethlehem.

As Lehigh students, we are listening and want to know the ways in which we can be better neighbors. 

As your neighbor, we want to advocate for the Southside community and voice these concerns to our institution. 

As community members of the Southside, we are not the same entity as our institution. 

Now, Lehigh, how do you plan on being a better neighbor?