Down with Smallwood

I love Bloomington. It's the only city I know where you can find an elderly man in overalls wearing an NRA cap and a slew of obnoxious East Coast girls in the same restaurant. \nIf you haven't noticed already, Bloomington has changed quite a bit in the last 15 years. We got another movie theater, an Olive Garden, and best of all, a Chipotle. \nWe also have Smallwood.\nThe more recent economic boom in Bloomington has allowed builders to create such luxury-living monstrosities as Pavillion on Seventh Street, Omega on Walnut Street, 10th & College, Kirkwood, the Mercury, and yes, Smallwood. It's a brilliant business plan, but it kind of sucks for the rest of us.\nThese luxury apartments are geared toward out-of-state students who have parents with beaucoup bucks. Like I said, brilliant. But the problem is they are practically the only ones who live in these places, and well-off Bloomingtonians who want a downtown living experience are discouraged from them. Why?\nTake Smallwood, for example. It's basically an off-campus dorm where everyone can drink alcohol and smoke weed without getting caught. (Ironically, it sits across from the Justice Building.) It's loud. It's the East Coast fraternity. A mini Long Island. Do you think affluent Midwesterners want to be around that?\nIn no way am I anti-development. I want to see Bloomington grow and flourish. What I don't understand is why these people choose to attend school in Indiana, yet live as if they're still at home. My problem with these people is they don't understand Midwest culture because they don't try to. And believe me, it's baffling to most of us who are from here. Before the Smallwood boom, these people settled for North Jordan Avenue or the nicest houses they could find. At least they mingled with, gasp, Hoosiers. \nDo you want to know what else sucks about those places (besides mostly everything)? It creates an IU version of the Haves and Have Nots. You know, the students who work hard for scholarships, good grades and who have part-time jobs versus those who are just at college for four years to screw around and get stoned. I earned my degree to get a real-life job, not one that my daddy picked out for me. \nRegardless of what you are thinking right now, I am not a hater. I have some great friends from Long Island and New Jersey who live in these monstrosities, but I know what they do with their free time: not much of anything. There are so many needy people in Bloomington who could use your services. If you are not going to get a part-time job or fully concentrate on your studies, at least volunteer. Possible options: Middle Way House, the Monroe County Public Library, or the Community Kitchen. They would be more than happy to use you.\nNot everyone on the Haves side is selfish. Not everyone from the East Coast is rich. And of course, some of these people actually care about school. But I've lived in Bloomington nearly all my life, and I cannot stand by and watch snobby, rich, temporary residents take over our beloved, Midwestern-esque downtown.