With re-elections approaching, Mayor Thomas Menino recently called upon tax exempt, nonprofit institutions in Boston to donate more money to boost the economy. The initiative could leave Northeastern in a tough position since the university donates a minimal amount of money to the city.
Compared to Boston University’s $4.6 million yearly payment and Harvard’s $1.9 million donation to the city, Northeastern gives $30,600 each year to Boston, according to a recent report, which is a small amount of money in relation to the size of the university.
The university should give more of its monetary resources back to Boston. Nearby universities give substantially more money than Northeastern does, so why do we give such a small amount?
The majority of students see the value in giving back to the community surrounding Northeastern. University officials, on the other hand, should also see the importance of giving its resources back to the community by donating more than $30,600 each year.
Jeff Doggett, Northeastern’s director of Government Relations and Community Affairs, said in a Sept. 28, 2005 Northeastern News article that he had personal hopes for strengthening the university’s relationship with the community.
“I think it’s important for students to understand that the surrounding neighborhoods exist and thrive, and those neighborhoods are places where those students can live and be safe; but also looking for neighbors who can be students and can live in the same neighborhood,” he said at the time.
The university has often stressed the importance of every student being a member of the surrounding community. It seems contradictory that the students are being told to act in certain ways, but university officials are not simultaneously upping their monetary support with the neighboring communities.
In Fall 2007, the Student Government Association (SGA) worked with university officials to make strides toward improving the relationship between students and community members.
“We’re coming a long way, but a big piece is just working on the relationship [with the community] itself,” said then-SGA President Joey Fiore in an Oct. 22, 2007 Northeastern News article.
Northeastern is constantly looking to expand its campus by constructing more buildings. It doesn’t seem fair to the community that the university urges residents to accept the plans when the university gives such a small donation to the city.
Northeastern does donate its resources in non-monetary ways, however. For example, Northeastern participates in a program called Step Up where undergraduates and graduates from Northeastern and other Boston schools work with some Boston elementary schools on initiatives to improve the quality of early education like curriculum development and teacher training. Also, many Northeastern professors have contributed research reports that bring general urban issues to the forefront.
We hope Northeastern continues to contribute its resources in non-monetary ways because the contributions benefit the city as a whole. But officials can’t ignore the need to increase the monetary donation amount given to the city.
Hopefully the mayor’s initiative will awaken university officials and force them to see the importance of giving more money to the city that has given the university so much over the years.
