It’s important to look back at how TU and neighbors have suffered. A different kind of thanks goes to former TU President Robert Caret, now chancellor. Only 5,750 TU students can live on campus and 17,250 students must live off campus. For years Caret overlooked the housing crisis. And the State Board of Regents repeatedly ignored area residents’ requests for increased campus housing. Freshmen were given first choice for campus living and all others had to scramble to get the remaining rooms. As I recall there was a lottery for those rooms.

For 45 years I lived in three different houses in Rodgers Forge. I thought I’d live there the rest of my life. But because of TU’s student crawl (The pun not intended.) I left 10 years ago. Demand for student housing was already so extreme that parents and real estate investors bought up houses in the Forge and other neighborhoods to fill the housing void. In some neighborhoods student rentals depressed housing values. Living next to a student house is not fun. Families with children stay away.

Student ruckus in TU neighborhoods was so bad that TU police often joined County police for join off campus parrols. Frequently, Greater Towson Community Council Delegates (GTCCA) would complain to the Vice President for Student Affairs, Deb Moriarty, about student behavior and destruction. Not effective. I remember once seeing seeing Moriarity at Homecoming. A pickup truck, loaded to the brim with ice and beer, pulled up. The Vice President (Or was she the President of Vice?) ignored the beer truck. She was preoccupied with litter and walked amongst the students with a large bag to collect empty bottle and can deposits, lest young students throw them on the ground. Possibly VP Moriarty’s passive behavior was dictated by then President Caret.

Caret had a plan for underage drinking. Lower the drinking age. Caret joined the Amethyst Initiative and began preaching. He and other college leaders wanted to “consider” lowering the drinking age to 18. That way TU and other colleges wouldn’t need to enforce the age 21 law. Instead, high school leaders would have to deal with 18 year olds and their younger friends. There was an 18 drinking age limit during the Vietnam Conflict until 1984. “If you’re old enough to fight for your country, you’re old enough to drink”. Eighteen year olds regularly supplied their younger friends and under class men with booze. Amethyst should “consider” that human nature has not changed since 1984. We don’t need to reconsider drinking ages.

I analyzed 3 years of TU campus police reports when Caret was president. (They were online.) I discovered that crime had been significantly increasing on campus. And much of it was substance abuse, alcohol violations and thefts. Fortunately, assaults were infrequent. I presented my findings at a TU-community meeting. There was no immediate response. But next year the TU police reported an abrupt decrease in crime. I’ll never know if reporting standards were changed.

The following year I left Rodgers Forge. But 10 years later I’m thrilled with Schatzel. No TU President in memory has made campus housing problems and their historic side effects a priority. Schatzel’s efforts are a great start to her presidency and a great statement about her knowledge and caring. Her improvements will make TU and the greater Towson communities a place we, prospective TU students and prospective neighbors will all want to live. Brava!