Despite possible desensitization, SU students have connection to city’s homeless

Syracuse University students should be more proactive about helping the homeless.

The Catholic Charities Men’s Shelter, formerly known as the Oxford Street Inn, a homeless shelter in the city of Syracuse, is changing the way it provides rehabilitative services to visitors with drug and alcohol problems. It is now making its resources more readily available. This emphasis on improving the lives of the homeless is commendable.

SU students should follow suit by recognizing the presence and magnitude of homelessness in the community.

Students are familiar with homelessness. These people become familiar faces to students who frequent Marshall Street and the downtown area. While they exist in greater abundance in other neighborhoods in Syracuse, some can even be seen on or around campus.

Because students see the homeless so often, they might become desensitized to the problem. Students must understand that their connection to the homeless is much closer than they think, despite the university’s somewhat separated placement from the rest of the city.

Since the start of Nancy Cantor’s chancellorship in 2004, she has worked to integrate the university with the city of Syracuse. The Connective Corridor and Say Yes to Education programs provide ways to link students with the urban environment in which the homeless reside.

The connection is important and students should appreciate it. Not all universities attempt to build close relationships with their respective towns.
Students should take advantage of these ties to the city. SU students are offered a privileged education while on the Hill, and should work to pay this forward to the homeless.

Students can volunteer with organizations available on the SU campus, such as Habitat for Humanity, which works to build affordable housing for people in need.

The university should also better advertise community service opportunities for students and offer a well-rounded array of options for students to get involved in.

Additionally, professors should integrate information about Syracuse’s homeless population into class curricula. This would make students conscious and knowledgeable of their surroundings. This understanding is crucial for students, as students are just as much part of this community as the homeless are.
After all, students are merely visitors making a four-year appearance in their home.