Freshmen are being stepped on. First, their right to choose what and where they eat is being yanked away from them, and now their right to choose where to live is also being questioned.
Members of the Tempe City Council said they thought all ASU freshmen should be required to live on campus, according to Friday's State Press.
Councilwoman Barbara Carter said that in an environment of 52,000 students, freshmen could be very disoriented and feel like they are not connected with the campus community.
"It's like an aphrodisiac, a drug. They get overwhelmed by the freedom," Carter said.
Did someone say freedom? Maybe if we take all freshmen students' freedom away they will not feel overwhelmed by it. What a great idea!
Whether or not a person wants to live on campus is a personal choice, and taking away a freshman's ability to make basic life decisions is not acceptable.
Tahsin Alagoz, a freshman pre-business major who lives in the Adelphi Commons, said he does not think freshmen should be required to live on campus.
"Since it's such a large university, they shouldn't control where such a large population lives," Alagoz said.
When asked about freshmen's ability to "connect" with the university, Alagoz said, "I think it is all up to the individual. They can be a part of ASU if they want to be."
Why does the Tempe City Council care about ASU freshmen living on campus anyway? It seems peculiar that they held such a concern about the issue.
But it all makes sense.
Let's rewind to January of this year, when Councilwoman Barbara Carter said that the Council does not want students living in single-family homes in Tempe neighborhoods.
Carter said, "I know it's the position of this Council to get students out of our neighborhoods. We want to get students out of single-family homes and into apartments."
She discussed the issue of student renters and the loud party ordinance. "People who own homes are in for the long haul, whereas students are more temporary. We can't have these students come in and cause all sorts of problems," Carter said.
Slowly, but surely, the Tempe City Council's true motives reveal themselves.
Whether or not ASU freshmen connect with the campus community does not seem to be the real concern here, although it is a good scapegoat.
The Tempe City Council is biting the hand that feeds them.
The ASU student body consists of 52,000 people. Tempe thrives on the ASU community for business and community attraction. Without ASU students there would be no Sun Devil football games or a bustling Mill Avenue. Business would suffer dramatically without student consumers.
Even if they can't actually make freshmen live on campus, it is truly irresponsible for the Council to even suggest it. The Council should realize that freshmen are part of the Tempe community and deserve to be treated like any other neighbor.
Sara Sturges is a journalism senior who dislikes bullies. Reach her at email .
