Owen Smith, Staff Writer

“Town and Gown” is a phrase used to describe the two groups of a college town, the “town” being the city’s full-time residents and the “gown” being the college students and faculty.  The relationship between the two in the South Bend community was discussed on April 11 in the Hesburgh Library’s Carey Auditorium.

The event, entitled: “Town and Gown: A Conversation with Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Student Body President Alex Coccia,” was put on by Siegfried Hall.  Students and townspeople alike gathered to talk about opportunities for strengthening their relationship and discuss issues regarding Notre Dame and South Bend’s reciprocal influences.

Buttigieg, who has been in office for 15 months, said that we are at an important moment in the city, a “dividing line between past and future.”   He admitted that anytime a city and a school share space, there will be tension, but he also noted that this is an opportunistic time for South Bend’s institutions and economic activities.

South Bend is becoming a technology center, according to the mayor.  He added that the success of the education and healthcare sectors has created a robust economy in the city.  These economic factors are reasons that South Bend is becoming a place that students will want to explore more, work in and possibly stay and live in after graduation.  Buttigieg said that the housing prices are affordable and the job market is good.  From his experience growing up in South Bend, he said that “South Bend makes its marks on people and tugs them back.”  He even suggested that students spend a summer of service in the South Bend community, claiming that the environments here are just as “interesting and challenging” as those that are abroad.

James Brokaw, Knott Hall’s Academic Advisor for next year, is planning on getting an internship in South Bend.  Brokaw said of the event, “It was an affirmation that all I really have to do is get on the bus and find one,” referencing the ease of getting involved locally.

Coccia said that a top priority for him has been to make sure that students feel safe and welcome in their city.  He said that making students aware of the opportunities in the city, like dining and performances, will make them feel comfortable.  He noticed a real desire among students during his presidential campaign to become more involved in the community.

Buttigieg encouraged students to explore South Bend in order to find some great offerings that they may not have known about, such as the Hispanic restaurants that have been popping up on the southwest side of town.  He also suggested places to volunteer, such as the Center for the Homeless, La Casa de Amistad, and Big Brother-Big Sister.  The mayor told students to explore these diverse cultural and service opportunities and to follow their passions.  Coccia echoed this statement, saying that the volunteering experiences that he has done during his time at Notre Dame have instilled in him an appreciastion for the city.

Coccia mentioned that one thing that the university can work on is getting freshman introduced to the city right away.  He said that a bus tour of the city for freshman during their orientation would allow them to see the cultural, service and employment opportunities in the area, and to get involved in South Bend from the start.Buttigieg said that while one of his administrative goals is to make South Bend a real college town, it is currently more like a “town with colleges in it,” meaning that the connection between students and the city still has to be developed.  He said that Eddy Street Commons has been a great example of what a college town can offer in that it is a mixed use, pedestrian-friendly area where students can meet to dine and shop.

Michael Fernandes, Siegfried Hall’s Academic Commissioner, organized the event.  “This is a basic issue that affects everybody,” he said, adding that discussing the state of affairs between South bend and the university is “a conversation that we need to have.”

Coccia shared that his favorite experiences in the South Bend community include volunteering at the Perley Elementary School through the Read to a Child Program.  As a member of the fencing team, he has also been able to participate in the Notre Dame Experience Program, through which athletes volunteer out in the community.  “I know so many athletes have built so many great experiences through that,” he remarked.

Coccia also emphasized an idea that the student government would like to implement.  A “Student Government Night Out” would allow ND students to go to an event in South Bend along with members of the student government.  The students would be able to have meaningful conversations with their government representatives and get to know them while also enjoying a night out in the city.  Coccia said that this will be modeled after the “Mayor’s Night Out” experiences that Buttigieg is using to connect South Bend citizens to his administration and the community.  Coccia suggested that events like South Bend Silver Hawks minor league baseball games would be attractive to students.

Buttigieg was impressed by how interested Notre Dame students have been in the South Bend community.  “It’s really encouraging to me that students care” he said.  He added that the relationship that the university and the city are building would have been “unthinkable” just a couple of decades ago, and that now is the time to continue fostering a strong relationship.

Owen Smith is a freshman entering the College of Arts and Letters who is undecided as far as a major. If you have any suggestions for what he should major in, or if you just want to say hello, contact him at osmith1@nd.edu.