100 signatures reached
To: Duke University President Vincent Price
Stop Duke from Displacing Working Families in Durham
Who Should be Signing This Petition?
Everyone who cares about:
• Equity.
• Neighborhood quality of life.
• Smart use of police resources.
• Affordable housing.
The Problem:
1) Many working families in Durham, NC (median family income $60,000) can't find affordable housing.
2) About 1500 privileged Duke seniors (median family income $186,000, from NY Times) contribute to that scarcity by occupying hundreds of affordable houses and apartments (number of seniors off-campus provided by Duke staff).
3) Some of these senior students are bad neighbors who harm the quality of life of their working neighbors by waking families, trashing yards, urinating in gardens, blocking driveways and engaging in underage drinking, creating conditions for sexual assault.
4) These uncivil students also tie up overworked police officers.
The Solution:
Duke must build dorms on the almost empty Central Campus by early 2025. The present master plan has no goal for that campus. When these senior dorms open, Duke will then require all future undergrads to live on campus. Presently, freshman, sophomores and juniors already live on campus. Half of the top-ten universities that Duke competes with have almost all their undergrads on campus.
Results:
1) Several hundred rentals and fixer-uppers become available for Durham’s working families.
2) The quality of life for all near-Duke neighborhoods improves.
3) The police can focus on solving crimes rather than baby-sitting uncivil students.
Costs:
The same funds and family money that covers the rent these seniors pay for off-campus housing would cover Duke's construction costs.
Local government would bear no cost, yet hundreds of affordable housing units would become available (which is a good thing, as Duke University pays no taxes to Durham, even on their hotel and golf course).
Why is this important?
How Winnable is This Campaign:
Can Duke really say--with a straight face--there’s some benefit when their privileged students displace Durham’s working families? Opponents of this proposal don't have a leg to stand on.
And citizens of Durham have a great track record of winning on issues of equity and affordable housing.
Best Time to Start This Campaign:
Right now.
How Soon Could This Campaign be Successful?
There's no reason Duke couldn't commit to Durham in 2023 to start ASAP in matching their peer universities by keeping all undergrads on campus. New student dorms could be available by spring of 2025. Duke already owns cleared land, could self-finance and could certainly build dorms just as quickly as developers build apartments downtown: about 18 months.
Who Supports this Campaign?
1) Durham People's Alliance Housing Action Team.
2) Reinvestment Partners & their housing expert Peter Skillern.
3) Durham Neighborhoods United (DNU sponsors this campaign and petition).
4) DNU will be approaching other groups, and their decisions will be influenced by your signature on this petition.
Please help grow this campaign if you agree with Peter Skillern, executive director of Reinvestment Partners, who says, “Construction of additional student housing will be Duke University’s best and most impactful contribution to affordable housing in Durham.”
Who Should be Signing This Petition?
Everyone who cares about:
• Equity.
• Smart use of police resources.
• Neighborhood quality of life.
• Affordable housing.
Questions?
Contact DNU member and former Durham City Councilmember Frank Hyman at [email protected].