A panel held by Alpha Delta Phi titled “Wash U vs. St. Louis?” on Thursday March 24, presented a discussion centering around the gentrification of St. Louis and Washington University’s impact on local issues.

Panelists included Bobbie Sykes, chair of Voices of Women St. Louis, a local organization with the purpose of uniting and empowering women; Professor Molly Metzger from the Brown School of Social Work; Vice Chancellor of the Brown School; Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration Hank Webber; and Chris Krehmeyer, CEO of Beyond Housing, a local organization that provides services to low income families to help them meet their long-term goals.

Cate Jiang | Student Life

Alpha Delta Phi hosts their spring panel, “Wash U vs St. Louis,” on Thursday evening. The panelists discussed gentrification in the context of the University and the St. Louis community.

The one hour discussion began with the panelists sharing their experiences in social work and the related fields, their interpretation of gentrification and understandings of the current St. Louis communities and Washington University’s impact.

The panelists all touched on the definition and identification of gentrification. Early on, Krehmeyer explained the concept to the audience.

“Traditionally people think of gentrification as high-income people moving into a neighborhood and causing at least some people to leave,” Krehmeyer said.

According to the panelists, while the phenomenon of gentrification in St. Louis is not as dominant as in larger cities like Los Angeles and New York, it does exist and is dynamically interacting with the surroundings, including Washington University.

According to Alpha Delt’s research, Washington University’s presence plays a significant role in its surrounding neighborhood. They presented Forest Park Southeast as an example, as the University owns 85 properties in Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. Between 2000 and 2010, 30 percent of the African-American populations that had lived in that area left, with rent increasing by 55 percent. On the other hand, poverty in neighborhood decreased by 13 percent, and overall crime fell by 55 percent.

All of the panelists agreed that development comes with consequences. They noted that helping the neighborhood has always been complicated and difficult, and although negative side effects are sure to exist, the University is trying to do its best to benefit the local communities.

Webber talked about the efforts made by Washington University to improve neighborhoods.

“We built a grocery store because this community didn’t have a grocery store since the 1960s … And folks deserve and need the place to buy coffee and food. We brought a bank to the community because folks need a legitimate place to help them with their financial needs,” he said. “When we think of this idea of gentrification, we’re trying to make the community better, and if other people want to come move here, the hope is that they’re not going to displace and force other people to leave.”

After hearing the panel, junior Jack Goodman, a member of Alpha Delt, was surprised by the extent that Washington University interacts with the rest of the city.

“I was surprised to hear a lot of the ways in which Wash. U. was already located to support people living in St. Louis, and the communities affected by Wash. U.’s presence. And it was good to see the extent to which senior administrators of Wash. U. are trying to raise that level of involvement,” Goodman said.

Junior and Alpha Delt member Will Krueger noted the complexity of the phenomenon and reflected on Wash. U.’s further involvements within the local society.

“I am interested in how our expansion is affecting people who are outside Wash. U. This is a lot more complicated than what I thought it was … Developments can’t be separated from consequences. According to what the professors said, organizations would have to make developments sustainable and positive to people who live there,” Krueger said.