Charles Gray | Limiting the debate

Last semester, Philadelphia city officials set off debate when they proposed moving an already-contentious casino plan from the Waterfront area to downtown Chinatown. This news even made it across the Schuykill to Penn, where student groups decided to raise the issue.

But the debate reached new levels when the Undergraduate Assembly considered a proposal that pushed for studies about the effects of the casino. The proposal included biased language against the placement of the casino.

While the casino issue is incredibly important to the future of Philadelphia, the larger issue is when and how Penn students can involve themselves in the affairs of the city.

During three hours of discussion, a number of UA members then proposed and passed amendments that removed the biased language and turned it into a bill mostly encouraging dialogue.

The proposal "asked the school to spend money on a study when all of this is happening and democracy is working; it's just not working in the way the supporters were wanting it to," said College junior Zac Byer, the UA's vice chairman for external affairs.

While the UA should have not touched this issue as it is outside of the committee's jurisdiction, the final version of the proposal does correctly express what Penn students should be doing in this situation.

It is important for us to realize that our expertise in this area is limited. Most of us have lived in this city for brief periods and spend a majority of our time in a small area of West Philadelphia. That limited experience means that this issue can be an opportunity for us to learn more about Philadelphia and its needs.

As students at a wealthy private school, it is difficult for us to fully understand the scope and effectiveness of current government programs within the city. We are able to benefit from the University's well-funded and isolated initiatives, while others rely more on public funds.

For that reason, it is easy for us to criticize the City's closing of 11 libraries earlier in the fall semester and then to condemn attempts to raise tax money by allowing private individuals to build casinos. But the second program is an unfortunate solution to the problems that forced the City to come to the first decision.

Moreover, we could make the assumption that casinos will automatically result in crime without looking to actual examples of the positive effects of gambling. In other cities and states, casinos have become an important source of tax revenue and retail income for economically distressed areas without a significant rise in crime rates.

In a perfect world, the City would likely not be for building casinos. But times are desperate and this option appears to be a tool to raise funds in a city with financing troubles. We must respect that decision when the mayor is continuing to push for ways to stop library closures. Casinos represent ways to raise funds so the mayor does not have to resort to unappealing budget cuts.

The UA's passage of a bill - no matter its final form - represents what is wrong with our student government. The UA is supposed to represent the students in providing services within the University's self-sustaining community. The assembly neither has the power to make a difference on this issue nor was formed to ever have this power.

"There are better ways to have spent our time, and if you look at what was postponed in the agenda that night, an issue like dining policy was not talked about," Byer said. "They had been working on this for the whole semester. It raises questions about tangible projects the UA can address."

Instead of relying on some UA proposal, students should individually seek out answers. They can establish constructive dialogues with local leaders that are not tinged by biases.

"Finding a way for students to learn is one thing, but to take a stance and start harassing city council officials who are trying to do their job as students of a school where we are going to be for four years I think is inappropriate," Byer said.

This is an opportunity for us to learn, grow and ultimately come to our own opinions about the casino plan. But we should not argue among ourselves about whether or not Penn students need to make a unified response to an understandable, though undesirable, decision by the City. After all, we are guests in this great city.

Charles Gray is a Wharton freshman from La Crescenta, Calif. The Gray Area appears on alternating Tuesdays. His email address is gray@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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