Letter to the Editor | The value of Poughkeepsie

During my time here, and even before ever setting foot on this campus, I have only heard students speak of Poughkeepsie as a detriment to their Vassar experience. For those who only see Poughkeepsie on their way to the mall or the train station, it is easy to understand this point of view, and it makes sense that the average affluent Vassar student would be averted to a city in which, according to the 2000 census, nearly one quarter of the population is living below the poverty line, or why a predominately white student body feels distant from a town where only half the residents share its skin color.

But how has everyone overlooked the best parts of Poughkeepsie? As someone who has ridden my bike around Poughkeepsie and the surrounding area nearly every day, I can personally say that this city has a lot to offer. So if you have never been to the waterfront, downtown, seen the different neighborhoods, interacted with Poughkeepsie’s residents, nor experienced the beautiful country and quaint towns that make up Dutchess County, then you don’t really know Poughkeepsie or how its people live.

Vassar and its students could have a much closer relationship with the city. But the lack of such a relationship, and the lack of a true college town feel, is much more the fault of Vassar than the city itself. First, we are literally gated off from the rest of the community. Second, most students find anything they ever need either on campus or within a block away, and they have no desire to venture any further away from their domain. Along with the naturally small student body (relative to other colleges), and the very small number of students who live off campus, this insularity results in scarce interaction between students and the residents of Poughkeepsie. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly for the development of the local scene, hardly any money is spent in or given back to the community or its businesses.

Poughkeepsie is not and cannot be just a disappointing setting for students’ ideal college, and it is much more than a town we have to pass through on our way to somewhere else; we are a part of Poughkeepsie. It is our responsibility to be familiar with the city, and if Poughkeepsie or our relationship with it is not everything we would like it to be, then it is up to us to initiate change.

—Peter Horn ’06