VCU, Fan District Association seek closer ties

Sam Isaacs
Staff Writer

Students live by the thousands in the neighborhoods surrounding VCU’s Monroe Park campus. According to VCU’s Off-campus Student Services website, the Fan is the most popular neighborhood for off-campus students.

Sometimes the interests of students and the long-term residents of a neighborhood don’t align. The community is faced with the challenge of students and residents coexisting, a challenge that the City Council, VCU faculty and student body agree needs to be better communicated.

According to the Fan District Association’s webpage, the FDA exists to “Promote the welfare of the historic Fan District or Richmond, Virginia and its residents.” The group is open to owners and renters living in the Fan. Despite the high concentration of students living in the neighborhood, there are no current students members.

The FDA meets monthly to discuss and make decisions on issues in the Fan like parking and noise ordinances — including the recent decision to change the parking times on West Avenue to one hour from 7 a.m. to midnight every day of the week.

Tricia Mehle graduated from VCU with a marketing degree last May. She’s lived in the Fan as a student and a professional with a full-time job.

“I’m really close to my neighbors now, my next door neighbor is actually my primary-care doctor. I think younger students don’t take pride in where they live as much,” she said. “After graduating, I’ve turned into the cranky neighbor who complains about noise.”

She also said that as a student, she was not as informed about the FDA and what it’s doing.

Connor Dietz, a business major, has worked with the community, but had no knowledge of neighborhood associations.

“A class I’m in has been working with Weatherize RVA and Paint the Town Green. I’ve gotten involved there, but I’ve never heard of the Fan District Association and I haven’t gotten involved anywhere independently,” he said.

Charles Samuels, president of the Richmond City Council, said that life in college may limit students from getting involved with the FDA.

“College is hard and there are a lot of extracurricular activities students are involved in,” said Samuels, who also added that he thought that the strongest VCU-neighborhood connection was with the Carver district.

Samuels has visited the SGA several times as a member of City Council. He said that although VCU does a good job getting involved with street and alley clean-ups, he’d like to see more students engaged with the community.

“It is important that students are aware of their neighborhoods. In addition to the main neighborhood groups, there are more fine-tuned organizations based off residency like the Monument Avenue Preservation Society and The West Avenue Neighborhood Association,” he said.

Others agree that their needs to be more student involvement. Charlie Diradour, a FDA member, said the groups needs to do a better job getting information to the students.

“(Student non-participation) may came from an overall lack of knowledge. We are there at orientation talking to students, but there is not enough information on local issues and happenings,” Diradour said. “If a VCU student wanted get involved, it is their right if they are on a lease.”

Diradour also said that a membership commitment is not an overwhelming step to take.

“A few hours a week and a meeting once a month is not asking too much,” he said.

Although students may not be actively involved, VCU does have a voice in the neighboring communities: Catherine Howard, vice provost of the Division of Community Engagement. Part of her connection to the surrounding areas is a neighborhood team to work on student, resident relations. The team includes the VCU police chief, representatives from Student Affairs, SGA and the Interfraternity Council.

Howard says there used to be a neighborhood outreach coordinator who began working with the Carver neighborhood, and eventually expanded to include all of the surrounding neighborhoods, but the position is currently vacant.

Howard said she thinks the students’ inexperience with living on their own in a neighborhood can be problematic.

“People feel like they can do whatever they want, they aren’t used to independently being a part of a larger community. They aren’t aware that they need to act with civility. You can’t have a party house with a family with kids next door,” she said.

According to FDA President Roger Whitfield, FDA members have been tossing around an idea about a permanent VCU board member position that would to create a bridge between VCU and the neighborhoods. Howard said she heard the idea mentioned, but is not sure the school could dedicate the necessary resources.

“My concern is VCU has to be equal with all the neighborhoods, so we would need a board member on every organization, which we aren’t capable of doing. An affiliate role might be a better idea,” Howard said.

Student and and resident interaction will exist as long as VCU exists in Richmond, presenting the challenge of student-family cooperation. Diradour, who grew up in Richmond and graduated from VCU, recalled a quote from his father about the importance of VCU to the surrounding areas:

“The Fan district would not be the Fan district if it was not for VCU.”