...Things about Living in Luther Family Housing

I really enjoy living in Burntvedt Court, one of three on-campus housing options for families of various configurations. The rent is competitive, the staff have always been quite quick in responding to various maintenance needs, from the mundane (kitchen sink plug) to the pertinent (non-functioning furnace) and doing so in a courteous, professional manner. My family enjoys having other families around with which to share meals, share babysitting, and provide a massive duty-free video exchange club. The commute is impossible to beat (to campus in 3 minutes by bike, 6 by foot, 7 by scooter, 12 by crab-walk) and who could complain (for those who have kids) about having a massive yard and giant play structure within feet of your door?

However, one thing related to living on campus has become a regular point of discussion lately among those who live here, security. Just this past week I’ve had two separate conversations with my co-tenants in which they expressed feelings of anger, resentment, and frustration about the experience of our campus being a regular target of theft and vandalism. The parking lot is poorly lit, the campus is quite near to one of the nation’s largest thoroughfares (I-35), and the nighttime security staff is non-professional. These and other factors may contribute to the fact that this semester there have been several cases of auto theft, vandalism, and even two incidents of stolen catalytic converters (apparently the scrapping of metals is increasingly lucrative). Muggings occur infrequently, if you consider a couple times a year infrequent (which I do). The student council has issued a statement about its plans to work toward improving this on behalf of students and it is reasonable to assume that the administration, to some degree, is concerned as well.

There is no other place I’d rather be than Luther Seminary. I’ve lived in a half dozen places, and in terms of security some were better (Iowa suburban youth where the worst crime was smashed pumpkins on November 1^st) and some were far worse (Liverpool neighborhood where every third house was boarded up and the ashes of burned, stolen cars used for joy rides were an every day reality). I’m well aware no place is “secure,” nor do I demand that the responsibility for it is any others than mine (and ours) and therefore I will continue living in and enjoying Burntvedt Court. But it is something one can consider when discerning both a choice of seminary and living arrangement. If you come for a visit, I’m confident staff and students would welcome a conversation about their experience, surely covering a wide range of perspectives.