Mayor Harry Rediger recently released a letter welcoming Southeast Missouri State University students back from their summer breaks. Some changes occurred in parking ordinances while the students were away that affect them directly. On the streets of Park, Normal and Highland Avenue, no one will be able to park between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. On West End Boulevard no one will be able to park between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Not coincidentally, these hours collide with the times that most students will be in their classes on campus.

It's no secret that many students on campus as well as commuters have dodged registering to park on campus in part due to money, convenience or congestion on the already crowded campus. To ease the issues with parking directly on campus, many students would park on the aforementioned streets. However, a resolution was passed on Aug. 1 and amended on Aug. 16, when students were not even present to voice their discontent, was passed.

Ongoing construction on Academic Hall and other areas throughout campus will close off still more parking spaces available to students and faculty, increasing the pressure on students to find places to park with area streets no longer accessible either. Many students will have to park further away from campus, carpool with friends or seek other means to get to their classes on time.

Taking issue with the fact that residents understandably want to keep their roadways clear from masses of college students is pointless. The problem that truly needs to be addressed is how the city of Cape Girardeau has chosen to preempt any discussion with Southeast students about this issue in a fashion that broadcasts the contempt that area residents hold with students of the school. The city benefits greatly financially from our being here and the prospects of the casino currently in development would be bleak without the number of customers the university will likely provide. Only desiring the benefits of students' economic presence without wanting us to be seen or heard makes us little better than indentured servants or economic prostitutes for the city of Cape Girardeau.

Mayor Rediger claims that the city appreciates the presence of the student population because it brings an estimate $1 million to the city for every 100 students, which is $106.65 million to the city. In the same breath, he encourages students to excel in their studies in the hopes that many will choose Cape Girardeau as their places of permanent residency, knowing that a population of collegially-educated citizens will generate significant revenue for the area. The best way to incentivize students to settle here may not be to treat them as troublesome outsiders while assuring them that they're appreciated for the dollar value they bring to the city.