Friends of Forest Park protest
Sarah Brady
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: News
"Friends of Forest Park do not plan to meet with them until we hear from them that their position on this issue has changed," said Rob Wolff. "We will continue to raise public awareness about issues surrounding affordable family housing and the situation for international and graduate students. We will continue our efforts to shame the administration into action."
Liz Wolff, another advocate for the Forest Park community, said, "They are clearly a marginalized population on campus."
This population, according to Rob Wolff and many others, is "essential to the mission of the university" because of the diversity that resides there and the number of TAs, researchers and graduate students living in Forest Park.
Graduate students provide an enormous amount of support for the university by providing teaching assistance and research, which the university relies upon and benefits from greatly.
Friends of Forest Park claim that they have been lied to by the administration and that promises have been broken.
Sarah Gormady, a resident of Forest Park who is majoring in Russian and has just been accepted into the McNair program, said, "I don't expect the administration to be understanding of the situation in Forest Park because they don't come to Forest Park. They have lived privileged lives and cannot possibly understand."
Gormady said the part most upsetting to her is that the administration continually suggests that receiving a higher education requires sacrifice from students' families.
"What I would like the administration to consider is that most students at UNH are asking their families to tighten their belts and live economically," said Gormady. "What Forest Park residents have been asking of their family members is so much more. We ask them not to get sick, we don't have insurance. We ask them to bathe in dirty brown water and live in horrid apartments, we ask them not to eat because there is no more food. At Forest Park we are asking our families to sacrifice their health for our education; that is disgusting. I have lost 10 pounds. I have lost energy. I have lost almost all hope; I wonder, what has my daughter lost?"
Liz Wolff, another advocate for the Forest Park community, said, "They are clearly a marginalized population on campus."
This population, according to Rob Wolff and many others, is "essential to the mission of the university" because of the diversity that resides there and the number of TAs, researchers and graduate students living in Forest Park.
Graduate students provide an enormous amount of support for the university by providing teaching assistance and research, which the university relies upon and benefits from greatly.
Friends of Forest Park claim that they have been lied to by the administration and that promises have been broken.
Sarah Gormady, a resident of Forest Park who is majoring in Russian and has just been accepted into the McNair program, said, "I don't expect the administration to be understanding of the situation in Forest Park because they don't come to Forest Park. They have lived privileged lives and cannot possibly understand."
Gormady said the part most upsetting to her is that the administration continually suggests that receiving a higher education requires sacrifice from students' families.
"What I would like the administration to consider is that most students at UNH are asking their families to tighten their belts and live economically," said Gormady. "What Forest Park residents have been asking of their family members is so much more. We ask them not to get sick, we don't have insurance. We ask them to bathe in dirty brown water and live in horrid apartments, we ask them not to eat because there is no more food. At Forest Park we are asking our families to sacrifice their health for our education; that is disgusting. I have lost 10 pounds. I have lost energy. I have lost almost all hope; I wonder, what has my daughter lost?"
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Joseph Hight
posted 5/04/07 @ 4:00 PM EST
It is with some sadness that I read the story on the detoriating conditions in "Friends of Forest Park protest," 5/4/07. I graduated UHN in 1965, after serving in the United States Air Force. (Continued…)
Sarah Gormady
posted 5/06/07 @ 9:07 PM EST
Mr Hight,
Thank you so much for your comment and your offer to contribute to Forest Park. "Friends of Forest Park" is not very organized yet, but there is someone to contact about helping Forest Park residents. (Continued…)
supershaojun
Tom
posted 5/08/07 @ 11:40 PM EST
In this college diversity and freedom are just void words. Nobody really cares about international students. Did they know that many families in Forest Park can't keep on surviving? They got nothing to feed their kids after paying the rent. (Continued…)
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