Last Friday night, the Northeastern baseball team took on the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla. There to take in the warm, tropical climate and baseball game were none other than President Richard Freeland and Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier.

President Freeland could be seen with Vice President Klotzbier standing in the background of the New England Sports Network (NESN) broadcast booth Friday night being interviewed by Sox broadcasters Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy.

Since his decision to cancel, or rather, “postpone,” the Springfest concert, Freeland has stated on several occasions that “the world is watching” Northeastern. Two Thursdays ago, on Feb. 26 cameras from all of the major television stations in Boston were present at a community meeting held at Boston Latin High School, where both Freeland and Klotzbier were nowhere to be found.

Now that’s leadership.

At the meeting, which lasted several hours, dozens of community members testified to what City Councilor Michael Ross called “horrific” accounts of residents being harassed by area students. The only members from the Northeastern community that were in attendance at the meeting were the Vice President of Public Affairs Bob Gittens, Associate Director of Community Relations Jeff Doggett and Student Government Association leaders.

In fact, Freeland and Klotzbier have not been present at two of the other community meetings held in Kerr Hall since the incidents of Feb. 1. At the first of those two meetings, television cameras were once again waiting outside the doors of the Hamilton Room. Once again “the world [was] watching” Northeastern, and once again, Freeland and Klotzbier could not be found.

Freeland continually speaks of how hard of a decision it was to “postpone” the Springfest concert. However, his actions to cancel the Springfest concert and escape to Florida don’t really show much concern for the community — NU or otherwise. It is somewhat unclear whether or not Freeland knows how upset the community members surrounding the Northeastern campus really are, or if he knows that City Councilor Ross would like to see an end to off campus housing.

Freeland tells students to reach out to the community — so should he. NU should have been more proactive, instead of solely reactive. What were Doggett and Gittens doing pre-riots? Residents and Ross are saying over and over again that NU isn’t doing anything, that they don’t listen.

There you have it … the NU administration needs to stop talking at students and start talking with students and area residents. Freeland urges students to be “good neighbors.” Well, the university should take a good look at itself and take a piece of its own advice.