Getting answers can be rewarding

Enterprise-Record 4/11/07

There's no better way to learn in school than hands-on experience.

Six students in an American government class at Chico State University are learning just that. Their assignment was to get involved in government affairs and learn how the process works. They chose to pursue something that carried a personal interest -- the condition of a shoddy, neglected street in a neighborhood near campus.

North Cedar Street is a short, four-block road near the railroad tracks that connects West Sacramento Avenue with student apartments in the avenues. The pothole-ridden road is a hazard to car tires and bicycles. The lack of sidewalks makes it a hazard for pedestrians. The lack of adequate street lighting makes many students uncomfortable when walking at night.

The six students started their "public awareness" campaign by writing a letter to the Enterprise-Record, the quickest way to inform tens of thousands of people about a problem.

They started canvassing the neighborhood, asking residents to sign a petition that asks the city to repave the road and add gutters, sidewalks and lighting. The students plan to present the signatures to the Chico City Council.

Now they'll learn how government works. Or doesn't work.

In a story in Monday's Enterprise-Record talking about the class project, students learned that North Cedar was already on the city's radar. It's part of a larger plan, started nearly a year ago, to make improvements to neighborhoods in the avenues.

The students' petitions might help. There's not enough money to go around, and the City Council must make a final decision. Those who are organized and complain loudest often get results, which is one reason the avenues neighborhood is already on the list.

The students will find that some of their suspicions are unwarranted. Some students in the group seemed convinced that North Cedar was neglected because it was a student neighborhood or "poor area" of town. The truth is, most of the substandard areas in the city are former county pockets that were annexed into the city limits. They were designed with little regard to lighting, drainage and sewage. As the city continues to annex these county islands, it costs quite a bit of money to bring the infrastructure up to city standards. The city can't afford to do it all immediately, so there are pockets all over town that need to be modernized.

It's not a matter of neglecting the poor or voiceless. It's a matter of too much to do, and not enough money to go around.

All residents can learn something from the students' project. Most important, get involved. People control the government, not the other way around. Do research and find answers. If you don't like the answers, ask for change. If you don't like the leaders' priorities, vote for new leaders.

In a time when more young people seem to feel helpless and ambivalent about the government, it's important for them to see that the answers are readily available, and advocacy can produce positive results.