Published on 3/26/2001

To the Editor of The Day:
There has been a small, but vocal minority that has been advocating moving Three Rivers Community College to downtown Norwich. We, at Adventures in Lifelong Learning, disagree with this concept. this vocal minority has inundated the newspapers and the airwaves I what appears to be an orchestrated campaign to convince the public that it is in the best interest of the town, ignoring the interests of the college and the students. The campaigners talk about the benefits to the town, never about the benefits to the students. They seem to forget that this is not a Norwich school, but a state school for all of New London County and the surrounding communities.

In April 1999, a student survey reported only 4 percent out of 1,159 students favored a downtown campus. Of this number, 439 were Norwich residents. The majority of the students favored the Norwich Hospital site with the Mohegan campus as a second choice.

From the limited information that has been in the newspaper, the plan calls for establishing several locations around the downtown area. This concept fails to address the original reason for relocating, which is to consolidate the two present campuses, nor does it consider the needs of the handicapped students.

Traffic. The downtown area is located several miles from the major highways surrounding the city. How are 3,000 students going to maneuver in and out of town at all hours of the day and early evening on narrow one-way streets? And where will they park their cars when there is insufficient parking now?

The advocates of the downtown location are willing to sacrifice the school and students for Pilot money. They will take taxable land off the grand list and sell it to the state to build the college. Who will this profit, other than the property owners and the developers? If the city fathers are so intent on saving the Pilot money, they should concentrate on consolidating the college at either campus.

The argument that a downtown campus will revitalize the city is flawed. This is a commuter college with students just beginning their higher education. They are not the affluent shoppers the city hopes for. It is important to always question who is telling you what and why. 

Bett Schissler
Ledyard

The writer is president of Adventures in Lifelong Learning, an affiliate of the Elderhostel Institute, at Three Rivers Community College, Division of Continuing Education.