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commentary by Jeremy BrownThe house at 0570 SW Palatine Hill Road and another one nearby have been lonely places for the past few months. They sit empty, devoid of human life. Does this matter? It does when the houses are owned by Lewis & Clark College.
In an effort to improve the spirit of community at LC, the College purchased the two sizable homes on Palatine Hill Road directly across from Griswold Stadium this summer. The College undoubtedly shelled out a large pile of money, at least a half million dollars, for the two homes, given the high-class neighborhood and Portland's astronomical real estate prices.
The houses have been uninhabited all semester long. And although LC still intends to sell the homes to faculty members, there appears to be no end in sight to the dearth of buyers.
Wayne Pederson, Treasurer of the College and Vice-President of Business and Finance, said he doesn't think the lack of buyers is problematic. He refused to comment on the record about the homes, simply saying, "It's not an issue."
Wrong, Wayne. It is an issue. What the College perhaps didn't take into account is that the senior faculty who can afford to buy the expensive houses are already well-established in the Portland area, and have connections they don't want to move away from, even for the sake of improving faculty-student ties at LC. The younger faculty who are in the market for a home cannot yet afford to buy the lavish dwellings.
It's not just sad that the houses are empty, it's bad business. While we're waiting for young faculty to get old and rich or to win the lottery, the houses should utilize their full earning power. There are several options the College should consider:
• Rent the homes to LC upperclassmen for the same price they'd pay to live on-campus. Not only would this bring in at least some money and use spare space, it would bring Pioneers young and old closer together. A lottery system would determine the residents.
• Establish theme houses. Many colleges and universities have lodgings for ethnic groups. The LC Latino Student Union has expressed interest in having its own house, and other groups or themes could use the houses on an annual rotating basis.
• Open a pub, disco, or cafˇ. Entertainment within walking distance is severely limited. Offering off-campus alcohol, dance, music and food close to campus would prevent drinking and driving and promote student-faculty interaction outside of the classroom. Granted, the neighbors might not support this proposal but if rules were set and enforced perhaps they could be placated.
• Bulldoze and pave. Solve the parking problem. This solution wouldn't allow faculty to move in at all, of course, but the land is there and the College owns it. A tract that could shelter ten people at most could hold countless cars.
Instead of sitting on its hands and letting the College's property go to waste for an undetermined length of time, the administration must do what is in the best interests of the entire LC community: put the houses across the street to good use.
