How can we help give the displaced Mac students a better intro to downtown?

[emge]

The most discouraging part of the Spec article today:

"If there was a silver lining to the Brandon fire, it was the hope that the influx of hundreds of students would inject some life into Hamilton's struggling downtown.

The city has been trying for years to get a university residence downtown and the Brandon fire has been an opportunity for a trial run.

But so far, the students don't seem to be venturing too far into the downtown core.

Phyllis Stefanik, an employee at Druxy's in Jackson Square, said other than one student who asked if they accepted McMaster meal cards, she hasn't noticed any student traffic. The Honest Lawyer, Cheapies and two businesses around the Crowne Plaza -- Sushi Star and Hasty Mart -- all say they haven't noticed an increase of student business.

The only business to confirm that they've noticed a small spike was the Jackson Square LCBO.

The students say they haven't been venturing out downtown because they're afraid.

"It's creepy," Perlman said of her new downtown neighbourhood. "I'm terrified as soon as it gets dark out."

"It's not like downtown Toronto," Fairclough said. "Most of us are pretty timid. A lot of people are worried about the crime in the area.""

Most of us can agree those fears are largely unfounded, and the article likely exaggerates them, but the culture shock for suburban kids moving downtown is real, as is the opportunity to help introduce them to the postiive aspects of downtown living if some initiative is taken.

What can be done to help these Mac kids transition to the downtown, be more exposed to the good things downtown, even begin to like the downtown more? They know about Hess - how do they get exposed to the rest?

What can the government, individuals, businesses, business associations do? Heck, what could we do?

(I am glad to see that most of them aren't using their ridiculous $200 weekly cab allowance for cabs because they feel THAT unsafe, though.)

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by emge

What can be done to help these Mac kids transition to the downtown, be more exposed to the good things downtown, even begin to like the downtown more? They know about Hess - how do they get exposed to the rest?

That's easy: guided walking tour followed by a pub crawl.

[Millstone]

Most of us can agree those fears are largely unfounded,

bwahaha!

[FairHamilton]

- Intro to the Art Crawl next Friday night
- Tour of the Farmers Market, especially those at Staybridges
- The Mayor's office organizing a reception/information session
- The BIA proactively marketing to the students on behalf of their members

I can't get on thespec.com right now, but if I recall correctly there was about 500 students (can someone confirm) and they are getting $200/week from Mac's insurance. So that's a $100,000/week influx of new money into the core.

Now some are saving it for trips, tuition, etc. But human nature is to spend some of that 'found money', so even it that means 25% that's a good cash influx to the core on a continuing weekly basis.

Hopefully, the mayor's office (city) and the BIA are actively pursuing that spending money windfall.

[oldcoote]

The Mac students have cause to be concerned.

The downtown core, at night especially, is a different animal. Far different from campus, Westdale, and likely, wherever it is they hail from.

In terms of going out, they want to go to bars where other students hang out, likely making the trek to Hess Street.

The Downtown BIA would be smart to organize a walking tour for sure. Show them some of the local flavour. Perhaps the James North Art Crawl should extend a special offer to displaced students for the next art crawl.

[coalminecanary]

i find the druxy's quote to be slightly misleading. the students just moved there. they have barely had time to explore. they may never have the time or inclination to explore. to most this is a temporary situation and "we will get through it". if there were a permanent student residence downtown, the retail position would be completely different because the stores would be going out of their way to cater to the students, seeing as they are a "permanent" placement. offering discounts and accepting meal cards for example. are any downtown businesses targeting students directly? i don't know whether or not they are - but if they are not, they have no one to blame but themselves for not reaping any benefits from the students' presence. if i owned a food establishment downtown i'd be getting my ass into the sil with a coupon every week.

[SteelTown]

McMaster will be asking students about their opinions regarding their stay at downtown. So really this is a test.

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

McMaster will be asking students about their opinions regarding their stay at downtown. So really this is a test.

All the more reason for the city (mayor's office) and BIA to be bending over backwards, providing ambassadors, walking tours, and informational services.

[Jon Dalton]

I just can't believe the same group of people who apparently frequent hess village find downtown scary.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

I just can't believe the same group of people who apparently frequent hess village find downtown scary.

they aren't...see my above post. it's another BS article by the fearmongering Spec.

[raisethehammer]

to start with, let's hook them up with HMag, RTH, Arts Hamilton, Pearl Company etc.... not some writer from the Spec.

Students would love Pepperjacks, London Tap House, Augustra/John area, Hess, Locke South, Staircase Cafe-Theatre (reopening tomorrow as Tapestry Bistro), James North galleries, JS theatres, farmers market, library etc......

Dave Kuruc should take by a ton of copies of HMag and drop them off. The University has always done a crap job at promoting life in the city, so let's do it ourselves.
Heck, if they want to drink, they can step into the Honest Lawyer instead of the hotel lobby. Geez, this article is so bush league. As if they are all huddled in the front lobby peeering through the windows, scared to go out. It's a quote from an individual that the Spec LOVES. What else is new?

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

The University has always done a crap job at promoting life in the city, so let's do it ourselves.

I don't disagree with that statement, but I think they really have no reason to promote life in the city. It provides no little to no value to the university to promote life in the city.

It would be the cities job to promote city life to Mac students, and I'm betting they've historically done a job equal to that of the university......

I think, all students should be getting a weekly newsletter delivered to their doors that promotes theatres, restaurants, stores, activities, discounts, etc. in the core.

[emge]

a newsletter and getting the downtown BIA involved are both great ideas.

So who's best to get some of these things going? Who naturally would be able to make that contact with the businesses and the students, or extend it from another publication?

i'm asking most of these question because I think the need to make that connection is big, but I don't have an extra 40 hours in my week or the know-how to do it, and I'm honestly not too familiar with a lot of the Hamilton publications.

It seems a lot can be done (and as has been pointed out, there is a significant amount of money kicking around with these kids) so where to start?

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

to start with, let's hook them up with HMag, RTH, Arts Hamilton, Pearl Company etc.... not some writer from the Spec... Geez, this article is so bush league. As if they are all huddled in the front lobby peering through the windows, scared to go out. It's a quote from an individual that the Spec LOVES. What else is new?

Guess they used up all of their rah-rah on last week's Celebrate Hamilton supplements. Hopefully the students didn't catch wind of those.

[geoff's two cents]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Students would love Pepperjacks, London Tap House, Augustra/John area, Hess, Locke South, Staircase Cafe-Theatre (reopening tomorrow as Tapestry Bistro), James North galleries, JS theatres, farmers market, library etc......

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Heck, if they want to drink, they can step into the Honest Lawyer instead of the hotel lobby. Geez, this article is so bush league. As if they are all huddled in the front lobby peeering through the windows, scared to go out. It's a quote from an individual that the Spec LOVES. What else is new?

Thankfully, during my time in the city I wasn't the only student out there enjoying what the city had to offer. In particular, there seemed to be a number of students out and about in the Augusta/Corktown neighborhood, which was nice to see.

Of course, there isn't nearly enough student activity downtown, which is a tad surprising given the variety of cultural and culinary amenities on offer, and the relative lack thereof on the other side of the freeway.

During my stay in Hamilton, I did my best to propagandize on behalf of my favorite things about downtown, and formed with some other post-grads quite a committed cadre of city centre enthusiasts. Yet, the feeling that downtown is scary, dirty, etc. has proven incredibly persistent. While there are certainly differences between Toronto and Hamilton, I've found the greater part of this fear mongering to be based predominantly (though not exclusively) in myth and misinformation. It's a shame to see the city's newspaper playing a role in this.

If I were still a Hamiltonian though, I would be thrilled to be part of any organization promoting the downtown to Mac students. Sure, there's the art crawl - I wonder what else we could come up with?

[sofasurfer]

I went to uni in Manchester, England and lived in the heart of Salford (right next to Mcr but an even rougher city), had no problems personally but really didn't act like an archetypal student (but that's another story).

But aren't (most of?) these kids first year students? Regardless of which country we're talking about, we're talking kids here. First time away from home and able to drink legally... without wanting to over-generalize, it's not too unrealistic to say many are pretty immature and lack life experience. So it's not hard to see why they might not venture out much of their comfort zone (not saying it's 'right' - merely saying it's not surprising).

Geoff - sounds like you were a postgrad? In my experience (admittedly UK/Europe), PGs tend to just get out and get on with life a lot more in the community they're in.

Regardless, I completely agree that the BIA and local eateries are missing a golden opportunity. They may not have had much time to act, but surely doing the math re. the allowances the uni's giving these kids can show there's a significant potential immediate return to be had, let alone long-term gains by nurturing the student market (and potentially increasing student $$)

Opening up the pre-pay meal card thing can only be a good idea. Encourages students to spend more but carry less cash. Not sure what the business model is with the card readers, though? Or who runs it? That might be a barrier.

I have no idea what happens in Canada re. student unions, gig/club promoters, etc. but if I was still involved with putting on club nights I'd be viewing this as a golden opportunity. I suspect things are different here, though...

[adam]

Its true. I know that there are a lot of students living in the Durand neighbourhood - close to downtown but not gritty at all - in apartments and basements but they are mostly upper year or grad students.

[emge]

I was talking with one student on the bus today who lives east of downtown and has commuted through it since the beginning of the semester.

She related stories of driving around with her family for half an hour downtown, not knowing where a good place to eat would be, not knowing where to start.

What struck me was her desire to know the downtown, wanting to find great places and having an open mind, but not knowing where to begin at all. We both agreed there were a lot of great places in Hamilton, but they were hidden, and hard to find off the bat. That's what has to change.

She had never been to Locke Street (didn't know about it at all!) or Hess Village (had gone by, never had the time to visit. We talked about a few cafes, restaurants, and more, giving some possibilities.

She had even walked around downtown many times and felt intimidated because it was so different than her hometown (which I had been in several times, and personally I feel less safe in!) We talked about some of the statistics for both cities, and all the cities I'd lived in... and she was surprised to hear a lot of the numbers.

It just reinforces for me that usually people just need is an introduction - a pointer in the right direction. Recognizable chains may not be the most exciting thing nor give true character to a downtown, but the aspect of familiarity can prove helpful. If things aren't made easy, very few will have the time or knowhow to figure it out for themselves, but if there's a push given and information made available, it's a lot easier for people to start somewhere.

[matt602]

I'm personally of the opinion that the majority of these students couldn't care about anything aside from the LCBO in JS and the dingy night clubs/bars along Hess. That's why I think none of them have bothered to find anything else. I have no faith that any more than 10% of them care to be find out the downtown culture. The other 90% are happy getting plastered and running up and down the halls of the hotel in bed sheets, screaming their heads off like 15 year old's, because they need to "calm down from the stress of studying". Apparently that was their usual routine at Brandon.

[SteelTown]

Bars, clubs, and pubs, Corktown included should have pub nights to attract students. Accepting meal cards would be nice.

Jackson Square cafeteria accepting meal cards would be great as well.