Click here: Columbia Spectator Online - STAFF EDITORIAL: No Unfair Tactics, Please
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Columbia Spectator Online
Opinion

STAFF EDITORIAL:
No Unfair Tactics, Please
Invoking eminent domain will alienate our neighbors.

September 29, 2004

The air is full of rumors about whether Columbia is asking the city and state governments to help it acquire land for its campus expansion in West Harlem. Concerned businesses are beginning mount a legal defense, and residents are worried about unwelcome intrusions of the 'ivory tower.'
While no one knows just what has happened, one thing remains clear: Columbia must not resort to eminent domain proceedings.

Eminent domain, the power of units of government to seize private property, is meant to be used only for public purposes such as public schools or roads with absolutely no public purpose.

Lamentably, it has come to be employed for many. Private groups routinely seek to have the sledgehammer of eminent domain used to help them acquire property they want to develop.

But there is no reason for Columbia to solicit government assistance for its private campus project, no matter how eager City Hall and Albany may be to provide such assistance. As an educational institution--one that receives millions of dollars in city, state, and federal subsidies--Columbia should uphold the spirit of the Constitution and emphatically reject the use of eminent domain in connection with private projects. It should be held to a higher standard than The New York Times Company, which received property for its new headquarters building through the use of eminent domain.

If Columbia is going to deal honestly with its neighbors, it cannot use its resources to pound them into the ground. The University has a fully staffed Office of Government Affairs, which represents the University"s interests to all levels of government and enjoys access to policymakers. It would be highly unfair for Columbia to use its clout against those who do not have the resources to make their voices heard.

In recent years, Columbia has made several significant compromises with neighborhood residents. It agreed to a huge reduction in the height of Broadway Residence Hall, incorporated a public library into the same building, and moved the site of the School of Social Work"s new building. But the use of eminent domain would be a huge step backwards in Columbia"s efforts to build a reputation as an institution that takes its neighbors seriously. It would show that Columbia is determined to cram a new campus down the throat of West Harlem, come hell or high water.

But contentious relations don"t just hurt private citizens--they hurt the University too. If eminent domain is used for the present construction project, the neighborhood will respond negatively to any future plans Columbia tries to present. Getting the Manhattanville campus will be a Pyrrhic victory if Columbia is effectively prevented from any further expansion projects, no matter how reasonable they may be.