The recent report released by the riot task force has landlords asking: “Why them?”
When the recommendations of the riot task force came out April 9, some of the them included changes landlords might have to face. The report focused on the formation of a partnership between members of the community in the university district, the use of security cameras and the demolition of second-story party decks.
Wayne Garland, president of Buckeye Real Estate and a member of the task force, said he is concerned about whether the partnership with the Ohio State administration has unilateral support.
“My only thing with the administration is that I want everybody over there to be on the same page,” Garland said.
In particular, Garland said the student legal clinic is one possible obstacle. He said his company is generally on good terms with the clinic, but if the university asks them to put items on the lease which violate tenants’ rights, then he expects the clinic to start fighting these provisions.
Pat Steane of the Kohl, Royer, Griffith company, said property owners are also limited by Ohio tenant-landlord code.
George Contakis, office manager for the Pella company, said he thinks there won’t be friction between the university and landlords.
“They want what we want – a safe environment for students,” Contakis said.
A few university offices already exist for communication between landlords and the OSU administration – Off-Campus Student Services and Undergraduate Student Government’s Community Ambassadors Program.
As for party decks, opinion appears to be wavering.
“Are party decks the cause of the problem? Who knows,” Steane said. “Could they be a problem? Sure they could. If I had any, for me it would be a liability issue.”
Garland said his company had gone through architectural review on the properties with party decks, and it was determined tearing them down would pose problems.
“You don’t want it to look like a blighted neighborhood. If we go tearing down porches and party decks, it will look like a blighted neighborhood,” Garland said.
Garland was also against the use of video cameras in the off-campus area and “other Big Brother stuff.”
“There needs to be swift and strict enforcement of existing laws. The other thing is a long-term effort to change the culture or the perception that this type of activity is acceptable,” Garland said.
Long-term does not mean two or three years in Steane’s mind.
“I’m talking long-term like 20 years or 30 years,” Steane said.
Another part included the task force’s recommendations to teach the campus community about unity and a sense of pride.
“The real purpose behind the riot task force report was to try and instill some sense of community in the university district,” Garland said. “Unfortunately, the media focused on some of the smaller issues, such as the party decks.”
Garland said local media has made it seem like landlords should bear the responsibility for preventing future riots in the off-campus area around OSU. However, the landlords disagree.
“The students should be the first that should be involved. We should be at the bottom of the pile,” Steane said. “We’re the outside skin of the onion, and the students are really the core of the situation.”
Steane said she knows apathy can surface when students join a major university like OSU, but it is really up to them to change the behavior of their peers.
“Every society has its period when people just become so detached from each other, and I think we’ve hit that here,” Steane said. “If you work at it, it changes.”
