Being the undergraduate representative on the Campus Partners board of trustees is not loads of fun. It doesn’t impress my dates, it doesn’t leave me with much free time and it sure as hell doesn’t win me friends at parties.Being accused of everything from “tearing down all of High Street,” to “fronting a plot to get rid of all the bars,” to “kicking out all of the poor people” is always a sure-fire buzz kill. This is especially frustrating because I love High Street and the campus nightlife, and I come from a working-class family.To many students, south campus represented the culmination of college life, and was the epicenter for campus entertainment. To many administrators (both within the city and university), it embodied all of the dangerous excesses of college life, and was seen as a blight on the community and an embarrassment to Ohio State.I think the former analysis is too lenient and the latter too damning. The truth is that it was a place to meet friends (both old and new) and have a good time on the weekend (and sometimes on the weeknights). I am not advocating a return to the old south campus bar culture, but rather for Campus Partners’ 7.5 acre Gateway project to embody everything good about the past and current Ohio State experience, while also embracing new and exciting options.The possibilities are almost endless, but I think a general consensus has been reached that the following types of businesses would fit in well: dance clubs, bars, small live music venues, pool halls, bar and grills, small movie theaters, etc. Current residents of the sight, such as Panini, Skully`s and Cornerstone should and will be given strong consideration for inclusion into the project. These businesses are already successful, and the developers would be hurting themselves if they failed to include them.Additionally, this publication has recently suggested that a replacement for the possibly soon-to-be-defunct Newport be placed there, a sentiment that I echo. In general, the businesses should appeal to a broad audience, and they should be affordable. My hope is that Gateway will become a place with an active and inclusive nightlife, an area that excites students and engages them in their interests. Certainly, various types of retail establishments and restaurants should also be included in the project, to provide a diversity of options and to allow for longer hours of activity at Gateway. Contenders include a newspaper stand, a small grocery store, clothing, music, bicycle and athletic gear, an all-night diner (this one is a no brainer), a reasonably priced sit-down restaurant and a cafe. If you can name it, it has probably been suggested. Just as with the entertainment component, a proper balance between national and local, the old and the new, should be obtained.Will Gateway change High Street? Of course it will, and I say for the better. It has a tremendous amount of potential, and judging from the responses of students to the developers, will build something that students resonate to and use. It will not be a giant GAP sucking up every ounce of urbanity, nor a clone of Evanston, Cambridge or Ann Arbor. It will be uniquely Ohio State and compliment our values and support our interests.I encourage any students who care about this issue to get involved with the Campus Partners Student Advisory Board, or at least attend the open houses in February when the completed proposals will be displayed. In the meantime, enjoy college and check out High Street. It’s a unique place that’s chock full o’ cool places!
Shane Hankins is a junior history/political science major from Mt. Liberty, Ohio. Despite rumors to the contrary, he is not the High Priest in the Campus Partners Millennium Doomsday Cult.
