January 2013
The OSCR staff warmly welcomes you back to campus and wishes you a creative, fun, and inspiring 2013!
Greetings
from Gail:
Geostories Project Launched - Get Involved!
In my UVM days as an off-campus student, I often wondered who lived in all the houses I passed by on my walk up the hill to classes. I had met some neighbors, but mostly I spent time with my friends from campus or work. The personality of the houses – their gardens, color schemes, architecture - also got my attention. I guessed at their ages and thought about the life that had moved through them as the city changed from a water-based trading economy to the creative economy of today. If you share the same curiosity for people and places, you may have an opportunity now to get an inside look. Our office has launched a GeoStories Project with students in the Strategic Writing for Public Communication Class (CDAE 120). The goal is to create a living map that has clicks where you can call up a story in words or pictures about an area of the city. For their service-learning projects, the students are interviewing residents and writing and filming stories. One of which is at the end of this newsletter. If you are interested in participating – telling, writing, or filming your city story, let me know (gail. shampnois@um.edu) and you too can be part of the GeoStories adventure!
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Off-Campus Living Workshops
Thanks to everyone who
attended our off-campus
living workshops last
semester! Please take a
minute to fill out the
evaluation survey that has
already been sent to you
via email - it helps us to
keep improving these
workshops. You should receive an email reminder this week but if you don't let us know at oscr@uvm.edu.
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Community Forum
on Neighborhood Watch
Location: Burlington Police Department, 1 North Avenue, in the Community Room (please use the Admin Entrance by Battery Park).
On Wednesday January 16,
2013 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Burlington Police will
hold an informational
session to solicit ideas
and suggestions on
establishing a 21st
Century version of
Neighborhood watch for
citizens, businesses, and
neighborhoods in the City.
As neighbors and
businesses seek ways to
remain engaged in
community safety and
health, one topic that is
often discussed is the
idea of re-invigorating a
Neighborhood Watch
Program. Participants of
the forum will discuss
ideas and options (using
large and small group
formats) and develop
concepts for how a new
version of Neighborhood
Watch could work in
Burlington. Focusing on
developing a support
system to make sure that
Watches would be
sustainable.
Children are welcome!
Greta Dumas –
Executive Assistant,
Burlington Police Dept.,
Burlington
Contact:
Michael Schirling, Chief
of Police
802-540-2107
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Winter Safety
Tips
BARRY
SIMAYS – ASSISTANT
FIRE MARSHAL, BURLINGTON
As we experience winter storm weather, the Burlington Fire Department would like to remind the public of key life safety messages related to winter safety::
MAKE SURE
CARBON MONOXIDE AND
SMOKE DETECTORS ARE
INSTALLED IN YOUR
HOME
SHOVEL OUT
FIRE HYDRANTS AND
BUILDING EXITS
Make sure fire
hydrants are clear of
snow, at least three
feet in all directions
with a two foot path
leading to the
hydrant, so the fire
department can readily
find and access them
during an emergency.
Fire escapes, back
doors and other exits
should also be kept
clear of snow and ice.
CONTACT
YOUR GAS COMPANY IF
YOU SMELL A GAS ODOR
Anyone who smells a
gas odor should leave
the area, call 911 and
immediately contact
their fuel supplier.
ADDITIONAL WINTER
WEATHER SAFETY TIPS
CAN BE FOUND ON:
The Vermont Gas
website at http://www.vermontgas.com/winter/index.html
The Vermont Division
of Fire Safety website
at http://www.vtfiresafety.org
The Burlington Fire
Department website at http://www.fire.ci.burlington.vt.us
Download
a pdf of this
article.
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Winter Blues?
Sodexo to the rescue!
Are you singing I’ve got
the off-campus cooking and
cleaning blues? We
understand cleaning is a
hassle and preparing
well-balanced meals takes
times. We can’t help you
cleaning your apartment
nor do your laundry but we
can certainly help with
your next meal. With 15
dining locations and daily
specials all over campus,
finding a meal won’t be a
problem. Take one home
today or better yet, stay
and dine with us, we’ll
even do the dishes, wait
maybe we can help with
your cleaning!
Did you know we
restructured our
off-campus meal plans?
You can now bundle
together retail points
and meal points. That’s
right; you can customize
your own meal plan.
Learn more at
uds.uvm.edu/offcampus,
need more information?
Contact our Meal Plan
Office at 802.656.2945
today.
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Applications
Now Available For
Summer Enrichment
Scholars Program
Peer Advisor,
Co-Coordinator &
other part time
opportunities
Apply now for the
opportunity to spend
July making a lasting
difference in the
lives of 14 young
college freshman
through the ALANA
Student Center (ASC)
high school-to-college
summer bridge program!
** Applications can be
downloaded through the
ASC website at
http://www.uvm.edu/~asc
**
ADDITIONAL POSITIONS
AVAILABLE
If you are planning on
spending the summer in
Burlington in July and
would like to pick up
a little bit of extra
cash, we are also
seeking Writing tutor
and Math tutors (2-5
hours a week).
For more
information,
contact Khristian
Kemp-DeLisser,
656-1250, fax at
656-8511 or
kkempdel@uvm.edu
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Babysitter
Mingler
Twice a year OSCR hosts a Babysitter Mingler. This Spring it will be held on Saturday, January 26 on the 4th Floor of the Davis Center.
Student arrive at 10AM.
Families arrive at 10:30AM.
Register at our website.
It is an opportunity for families looking for reliable childcare to meet with UVM students who are interested in babysitting. And for those UVM students to earn extra cash from a job with very flexible hours.
Past participants have reported developing multiyear babysitting relationships, finding the flexibility they need, and some developed lifelong friendships that lasted long past graduation.Twice a year OSCR hosts a
Babysitter Mingler.
For more information email
us at oscr@uvm.edu
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Burlington
Local Strives for
Coexistence on North
Union Street
By Caroline Couch
& John Moses
Many
students might picture
the curmudgeonly elderly
neighbor stereotype when
asked about non-student
Burlington Residents;
the “Mr. Wilson” type
that yells at kids to
get off the lawn. Fred
Stetson does not fit
this cliché. A
Burlington resident
since 1987 and a Vermont
resident since 1968,
Stetson has found a way
to peacefully coexist
with students and other
residents on his street.
The former Burlington
Free Press journalist
has a living situation
unlike ordinary Queen
City residents. Fred
Stetson and his wife
Kate stayin their North
Union Avenue home during
the winter months and
venture to a family
cottage outside of
Burlington in the warmer
and louder months of the
year.
Their system of avoiding
the loud partying of
incoming university
students has been
effective; however, one
must question: should
escape be the only way for
Burlington residents to
cope with rambunctious
weekend activities?
“The students are not a
problem for us,” said
Stetson when asked about
the behaviors on his
street. “I do think it’s
an ongoing concern though.
During spring and summer
nights there are bands of
students roving the
street. It’s hard to
quantify.”
While the Stetsons claim
that the noise is not a
serious problem, they have
taken substantial measures
in order to adapt to their
environment. After a
series of parties next
door continually kept him
and his wife awake at
night, Stetson attempted
to reason with his young
neighbors.
“It got to the point where
I thought we should have a
meeting but that never
happened. I wouldn’t say
they [the young neighbors]
were completely
disrespectful; but they
were not very supportive
[of our concerns] either,”
Stetson said. “We had to
call the police last fall.
We eventually installed an
air conditioner in order
to stay cool and drown
sound with our windows
closed. This is a
generalization, but I
think some students forget
how easy it is for sound
to carry.”
In addition to
noise issues, the Stetsons
have experienced property
damage and littering from
students cutting through
their lawn. However,
despite the quality of
life issues generated by
spirited nocturnal
students, Fred Stetson
maintains a levelheaded
attitude.
“It’s really just about
respecting the
neighborhood,” exclaimed
Stetson. “One thing
students can do is walk
over to their neighbors’
home and say ‘hi, we’re so
and so. If we are having a
loud party, here is a
number you can call and we
will try to quiet down.’”
Fred Stetson
is not the grumpy,
unreasonable next-door
neighbor stereotype; He is
a Burlington resident who
is optimistic about what a
communicative relationship
between students and
non-student residents can
do for his city.
“I would encourage that
students be active and
communicate if they are
looking to improve their
relationship with the
immediate neighborhood.
Try to connect with your
neighbors. If it comes
from the student side, it
is really nice and it
helps.”
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