Visited Wesleyan...campus, beautiful...students, awesome...Middletown, an eyesore...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
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<p>I just visited Wesleyan. the campus was great, buildings beautiful, the kids friendly, the teachers very approachable and enthusiastic.</p>

<p>and then there were the surroundings.</p>

<p>right outside the campus, the houses are decrepit. the Main Street in the town, is filled with run down buildings. and souped up cars drive by every so often blasting loud gangsta rap at full volume. </p>

<p>one block away from campus, stands a somewhat run-down multi-family housing complex. </p>

<p>i stayed at the Inn two blocks away, and i must say, the town felt rather ghetto, if not uncomfortably so. </p>

<p>I don't know the whole situation, as i have only been to one side of the town. the other side might be a nice neightbourhood for all i know.</p>

<p>nonetheless, it is unsettling that the town that such an esteemed institution is situated in reminds potentially one of its '08-'09 freshmen of Compton or Watts.</p>

<p>your thoughts?</p>

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<p>Compton and Watts are 80-90% African American. Middletown is 80% white. That being said, the downtown areas of most cities along the Eastern Seaboard have a tendency to be populated predominantly by minorities. Wesleyan, whether it likes it or not, is a small university with a definite downtown component to its campus culture. It's actually a dual culture because just a few blocks in the opposite direction there are open fields, a student-run farm and if you keep hiking, you will eventually hit the Appalachian Trail. </p>

<p>The core problem, IMHO, is that Wesleyan is of a size where it is no longer possible to instantly recognize who is and who isn't a student; so, "townies" are able to linger in places they don't belong. That's a big issue on a liberal campus and goes to the core of Wesleyan's identity as a cosmopolitan community.</p>

<p>So. Is there crime? Yes. It is sporadic. It doesn't deter people from going out. Weekends are pretty raucous. Downtown Middletown is by no means a war zone. Just your average downtown. And, some props should be given to campus security and in turn to MTP (Middletown Police.) They occasionally do capture perps.</p>

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<p>Eh. I think the parts of Middletown near and around Wes (including Main Street) aren't that bad--actually I find them kind of charming (in the spring and fall, esp. it is beautiful to walk into town, with the trees in bloom/fall colors). And, in fact, Wes's slightly/comparatively (to many LACs) urban setting is one of the things I love about it. And Middletown is apparently doing a lot better than it was ten years ago.</p>

<p>But then, I'm from good old B'More Marland, so I might have a skewed perspective of what sketchy means and what a nice environment is. (It also means I don’t really understand what is “unsettling” about Wes being situated where it is…after all, a lot of people find the area around JHU sketchy—though it’s not--, not to mention that the med school, one of the most esteemed in the nation, IS actually in a notoriously terrible area). But, really, walking into Middletown I can almost fool myself into thinking I’m in an actual urban environment, which is wonderful, to me. Sure, it doesn’t have the charm of a lot of LAC towns, but for me, that makes me feel more connected to the real world. And I feel safe enough walking around Wes--just don't go out (esp. beyond campus) alone at night, which is really a good idea anywhere.</p>

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<p>One thing I love about Wesleyan is that students don't like to let themselves be isolated in their little bubble. Middletown has its ups and its downs for student living, but it's a real city with real people, and most Wesleyan students respect that, like I think Weskid was getting at. Students do community service with the greater Middletown community because they care. So I just... I don't know. I've come to kind of love Middletown, and I think a lot of other students have, too, and it's hard to separate that from my love of Wesleyan. They aren't such distinct entities as that.</p>

<p>PS. Which part of Main Street were you walking on? Around Washington Street, there is a significant "shift." Most of the restaurants students go to are closer than Washington Street.</p>

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<p>Look, this is silly. By no stretch of the imagination is Middletown a sketchy place. It's a solidly middle class big town with a great wide Main Street full of ethnic restaurants, a natural foods store, a big toy store, laser tag, the best diner in New England, and more. A great public library. A brand new high school opening this fall. Yeah, there are a couple small neighborhoods where people aren't well-to-do, and there are houses here and there that look dumpy from the outside. If that somehow makes you nervous or uncomfortable, then you'd better stick to a super rich antiseptic suburb or a precious village where everything is oriented to the local college. Then when you get out of college, good luck getting used to the real world.</p>

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<p>Have you ever been to Compton or Watts? Have you ever met anybody that lives in that "somewhat run-down multi-family housing complex"? What are you basing this comparison off of? I don't know where you have been living, but Middletown is pretty much just another ordinary, middle-class, blue collar town in the United States. You think about it from the perspective of many residents, and it's Wesleyan that is the eyesore, that is in its own little bubble. If you don't like it, then don't go into the "ghetto" that is Middletown. Or just don't come here.</p>

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<p>Wow! I'm amazed at the hostility I'm hearing from a couple of you in response to the original poster's (I think) frank question about Middletown. I've been there twice now and I can understand how the poster might have some legitimate questions about the true nature of the city that is literally right next to the Wesleyan campus. Not only that, crime statistics being bandied about on the Wesleyan-hosted parents' discussion forum don't exactly provide warm fuzzies to those of us considering the school. I'm trying to keep an open mind but all information is relevant to me right now; both good and bad.</p>

<p>If you are a current Wesleyan student, one would imagine that you visit these boards to be helpful to kids (and their parents) trying to wade through the tide of information and impressions regarding schools. Why not dial down the resentment a little bit or, alternatively, if your love of Wesleyan won't allow you to be objective, just don't engage in the discussions that seem to cast aspersions on the school or surrounding areas.</p>

<p>We're all here trying to figure out the best thing to do in order to make a very critical and important decision. Thanks for your input and remember that we're not there and we're not in your shoes.</p>

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<p>You reap what you sow.</p>

<p>Johnwesley, Weskid, Madjoy, and Prefrosh all gave admirably evenhanded, restrained and, I think, accurate answers to the OP. </p>

<p>The next two response do have more of an edge. </p>

<p>Perhaps its just me, but when you say things like:</p>

<p>"souped up cars drive by every so often blasting loud gangsta rap at full volume" ; "the town felt rather ghetto, if not uncomfortably so"; "it is unsettling that the town that such an esteemed institution is situated in reminds potentially one of its '08-'09 freshmen of Compton or Watts,"</p>

<p>you probably should be prepared to duck.</p>

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<p>Lest my prior post be misundersood. I have no quarrel with Yineyes, who raises legitimate concerns about Middeletown which, as I have said, the first four responders fairly address. My point was that it is really not surprising for a post that use inflammatory language to generate some heated responses.</p>

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<p>Visited Wes and had breakfast at O'Rourke's in Middletown- amaaazing diner. Had a thai dinner at one of the restaurnats right off campus on Main Street- really cool place. Able to pick up a few things at the CVS, got some ice cream at the ice cream parlor. There's a movie theatre. I like that I can walk to restaurants sit in a cafe (the whole street is wireless so I sat had coffee and answered email). Places like Vassar you can't even walk into town.</p>

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<p>WesDad - you're right. OP - you got what was coming to you.</p>

<p>Don't phrase your (legitimate) question in such a condescending tone, and you won't get acerbic answers back. As it is you were lucky to have 4 people respond to you evenhandedly. </p>

<p>Middletown is what it is. It's not Brunswick, ME (Bowdoin's idyllic little chalet); it's peopled by real people, as opposed to being a carefully-planned and sanitized miniature Aspen or Jackson Hole. It's not Greenwich Village either. There's not a terribly large amount to do in Middletown, but there is enough for what you need. I'm from Washington DC, which has one of the country's most diverse selection of ethnic food purveyors, and I can tell you I don't find Middletown boring in that respect. There's at least 2 Indian restaurants, 2 Thai places, a Japanese place, O'Rourke's (which I don't find very exciting, incidentally), and multiple Italian places. Additionally there are 2 more Indian restaurants within a 5-10 minute drive, Havelli's and Udupi Bavan, which is vegetarian. And to cap it off there's a bunch of Chinese restaurants. You can't go wrong gastronomically here.</p>

<p>As for safety? It's not Baltimore, DC, NYC, Watts/Compton (gimme a break). Yes, there is crime. No, crime is not pervasive, nor does it deter students from doing anything. Lo Rise (student housing) is next door to your "projects", and I had no problem killing a handle of Dubra vodka there last night with a bunch of friends, and then walking to Late Night and back. Granted, there are a few muggings now and then. It would be a bad idea to go walking up and down Main Street by yourself at 11:30 PM. Yes, indeed there are sketchy people in Middletown, and yes they do drive through campus now and again, but no, like I said, it doesn't make the campus feel under siege or anything. P Safe is everywhere, as are other students, and you're probably OK anywhere on the main campus at 3AM by yourself. If you live on Wash, take the Ride back; it goes until 4AM. That's about it. </p>

<p>Middletown is emphatically not "scary". It actually has a lot of character. I grew up in DC, and I hated the homogeneity of the suburbs. When I got here I thought the town was a nothing kind of place, coming as I did from a big city, but it's really grown on me, as you can probably tell. I go in to town maybe once a week, usually to eat with friends or take care of various self-maintenance tasks (haircut, mailing stuff). On weekends I don't have any reason to go, other than to buy alcohol, and so I stay on campus. </p>

<p>"nonetheless, it is unsettling that the town that such an esteemed institution is situated in reminds potentially one of its '08-'09 freshmen of Compton or Watts."</p>

<p>it really isn't like that, sorry you got that impression, if you actually live here for a while it will definitely not bother you that much.</p>

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<p>Point taken, yineyes. I don't want to be defensive, I want to be helpful. I probably overreact when people misread Middletown. To me, as a freshman, it's so obviously pleasant, unassuming, mainstream. I think some kids must be measuring it against a Hollywood idea of a college town or against the fancy suburb where they grew up (the kind of fancy suburb where I grew up, too.) My theory is that as a college student it's important to encounter people who aren't exactly like you -- in the town as well as the classroom. People who honestly don't think that way probably should think twice about Wes. Hope that helps.</p>

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<p>I do apologise if I gave off an exaggerated impression of fear. I was using Compton/Watts as symbolic alusions; in fact, I have never been to either neighbourhood. </p>

<p>I should have phrased my descriptions with bit more objectivity and balance, no question about that, given this is the Wesleyan board. But nonetheless, the multi-family housing development is there; I saw the residents there too, as kids and their moms were hanging out on the front lawn and the playground, me being Canadian the mono-racial aspect of the residents sort of jumped out at me. (they were exclusively Afro-American)</p>

<p>I stayed at the Inn at Middletown, and wandered mostly around that section, in case anyone wanted to know. I briefly passed through some other sections in the cab from Hartford-Bradley when the driver messed up the directions for a bit.</p>

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<p>It's really not bad. What I found/find interesting about the town's population is that it's very European in an Old New York (present New York? don't live there so wouldn't know) kind of way, or at least my conception of what Old New York looked like based mostly on The Godfather Part 2. What's conspicuous is the amount of families of obvious Italian and Polish extraction. There's a store selling Polish-language videos in town; many residents have Italian-sounding names and one of the barbers at the barbershop was actually from Italy. The people I knew in Washington DC were predominantly generically "white" (far removed from their ethnic/cultural roots), and I find Middletown's heavier ethnic 'presence' (dunno the right word) highly endearing. It confers a lot of character on the town. Maybe many towns in New England are like that, I don't know.</p>

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<p>In my previous post, I don't know if I was as forceful with my point as I would have liked. sf606508, be prepared to meet a lot of angry people if you say things like that here. I'm not saying you shouldn't come to Wesleyan (I think the experience would be really interesting and educational, no matter what one's political/social background), but you should be a little bit wary.</p>

<p>There's a lot of awareness on campus about issues of class, race, ethnic, religious, gender, etc. inequality. A lot of students don't know much about these issues when they get here, but as long as you're open to new ideas and genuinely care about other people, students become educated very quickly, because most people do want to be good people.</p>

<p>Things like suggesting that you are uncomfortable with the community because "me being Canadian the mono-racial aspect of the residents sort of jumped out at me. (they were exclusively Afro-American)" jumps out at me as an example of internalized racism. I'm not saying you're a bad person, or that "omg you're a racist!" but that these kind of comments suggest you believe because there are a lot of black people around, the area around the campus can't be safe - and I think you should re-examine that chain of thought.</p>

<p>I also came from a town that wasn't very diverse; it was mostly white, especially Jewish, and Chinese and Indian. But I've personally benefitted immensely from being in a more diverse environment, both at Wesleyan itself and from the greater Middletown community, and I think most Wes students feel the same way.</p>

<p>In addition, the class thing - you suggested that "the town felt rather ghetto, if not uncomfortably so." Just because not everyone is rich / upper middle class doesn't make it a bad town. Just because it's not the same culture you grew up in doesn't make it inferior. If you say things like this at Wesleyan, I do warn you, people will get angry - though they're probably always up for a discussion to explain why they're offended by what you said.</p>

<p>As for crime - I wouldn't trust the parent's listserv entirely. Parents are very panicky, especially when they hear about isolated incidents and aren't here to see the vast majority of safeness. I've only had one friend deal with an issue of crime (an IPod got stolen at a big party where the host didn't know everyone and someone was easily able to just walk right in) since I've been here, and I'm a junior. There are incidents, but I almost always feel safe and have never felt personally threatened. And late at night, you can always call the RIDE and they will pick you up anywhere on campus if you don't feel safe.</p>

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<p>
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me being Canadian the mono-racial aspect of the residents sort of jumped out at me. (they were exclusively Afro-American)

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well, yes, that's true. And it's is extremely disturbing, IMO--not because it's scary, but because why should poor population = black population? But, well...welcome to much of urban America. It's not just Middletown, it's a lot of places (of course, there are also poor white people in America--a lot of them, including in Middletown--but in urban areas the poor do tend to be minorities and there tends to be segragation by race in neighboorhoods and such, at least in the northeast). For the most part, unless you go to school somewhere where minorities just aren’t really there, or in a town that is uniformly prosperous, you are likely to run into racially marked enclaves of poverty. It sucks, and it is a messed up thing about America. If this kind of issue bothers you (as in, you’d like to see it changed, not as in, you don't want to live somewhere with such issues), Wes is actually probably a good place to consider, because there are a LOT of students who are very aware of their privileges and concerned with how to change the problematic social structures that lead to economic segregation in this country.</p>

<p>Also, what Mad said.</p>

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<p>After visiting many colleges and their adjacent towns, you will begin to rank Middletown much higher. Although we weren't wowed with it on our initial visit(D's sophomore year on a trip back from Boston), we subsequently realized how there was little wrong with it and the fact that you could walk to a town with as many amenities as Middletown offered was a definite plus. For means of comparison, check out Vassar, Yale, Syracuse, Muhlenberg, Lehigh, Lafayette and Union College, for a start. Middletown was very much on the level of Waltham (Brandeis), but closer to Wesleyan's campus than the town of Waltham is to Brandeis. As you travel around to many eastern campuses, you get to see first hand the true devastation/ or stagnation of some of America's once thriving small towns and cities.</p>

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<p>What madjoy and weskid said. </p>

<p>Since the presence of black people seems to make you suggest that Middletown is "ghetto", you should check your own racism out a little bit before you think about coming here.</p>

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<p>Note to the OP: Before you come away from this thread feeling completely chastened and chastised, you may wish to consider how many Wesleyan first-years arrive on campus knowing anything at all about race and class and "the social structures that lead to economic segregation in this country". Not everyone, I assure you. Wesleyan belongs to that select class of colleges where people still emerge four years later as people who are different from when they entered. They're not here waiting to get "credentials". They're getting educations.</p>

<p>Just my .02 :)</p>

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<p>Well,my son wasn't accepted but I thought Middletown seemed just fine. I'm a New Englander so I know how the small cities are....(Middletown, Manchester, Concord NH, Brattleboro,Rochester,Lebanon et al. Middletown has nothing to be ashamed of.......if someone finds it weird......welcome to New England</p>