Bags of trash and a stack of old tires sat in a pile, after the Hillsdale College’s Conservation Club took to the Baw Beese Trail to remove debris and trash recently. But it is acts such as this that often go unnoticed and unmentioned, though they highlight the relationship between the City of Hillsdale and its college, City Manager David Mackie said.
“It is something most people don’t see,” he said. “The college and the students, they don’t and we don’t really promote that they are so connected and committed to the community.”
That is something Mayor Scott Sessions and Councilman Adam Stockford ’15 each said they hope to address if elected mayor. Although Mackie said the relationship between the city and Hillsdale has strengthened in recent years, many of the people in the community do not hear about work that goes into that partnership.
Although there is a link to Hillsdale.edu on the city’s redesigned website, Sessions said he would like to see events at the college posted to it. He also suggested including spotlights on the college’s outreach programs in a new quarterly newsletter the city will mail with residents’ Board of Public Utilities bills. The first newsletter will be sent in November, according to Mackie.
“I think the college and the city are great for each other,” Sessions said. “The relationship has gotten better, and it’s about bringing more information to the town.”
He mentioned clubs, sports teams, sororities, and fraternities that frequently do community service in local schools and parks and for city residents. Work like that represents the largest part of the community and college’s relationship, he said.
Stockford said he believes he can be a good conduit between the city and college, since he grew up in Hillsdale and graduated from the college in 2015 as at the age of 35 with a politics and government degree. As a student, he said he participated in volunteer programs and saw the community that grew from those experiences.
“Most of the time when people have the chance to interact with the college students, it’s almost always positive,” Stockford said.
He said he would like to see a greater public relations effort in promoting the work Hillsdale is doing in the community, including having announcements about events in The Hillsdale Daily News or on the WCSR radio station.
Stockford said as a councilmember, he brought forward a proposal to hang signs in the downtown that welcomed students, parents, and alumni into the city. Knowing the city was tight on money, he approached Hillsdale College Chief Administrative Office Rich Péwé about the college purchasing the signs, and it did.
“In other college towns, during Homecoming weekend, there are banners everywhere,” Stockford said. “I drive into town, and I’m proud of that sign. It’s a matter of reaching out. It’s a small gesture of good faith, and a small example of things we can build off.”
Additionally, the candidates mentioned the investment Hillsdale has made in the community. Sessions noted that the college has paid for road and sidewalk construction near campus, lessening those costs for the city. Stockford said the investments in construction of housing and townhouses help to beautify the community, but since they are owned privately, the city still earns tax money from the properties.
As a nonprofit college, Hillsdale does not pay property taxes, a point of criticism among some members of the community. Some public universities and colleges voluntarily donate funds to the cities in which they reside as a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT.
Hillsdale College, which receives no government money, does not have a PILOT program like that.
Both Sessions and Stockford said they would be open to discussing such a program with the college but emphasized the college has no duty to do so.
“If the college is willing to give a payment in lieu of taxes, and I think some day it might, it has to be because they think it is a good investment,” Stockford said. “They don’t take government money, so they don’t have that obligation.”
Sessions said the college’s existence is an asset that benefits the city itself.
“I want to acknowledge that the college does a lot for the city,” he said. “The college brings real economic development and economic growth to the city with all the new buildings and new building renovations that it does.”
Sessions also emphasized the importance of economic development, especially in the downtown area, to provide opportunities for students to enjoy the city and meet local residents. He noted the opening of Rough Draft and Handmade as examples of those efforts.
“The concentration we’ve had on revitalizing our downtown is a step in the right direction,” Sessions said. “Having cool things to do in a downtown and a place for small businesses is important for our community but also to Hillsdale College. Having a walkable downtown is very important as it helps to improve our quality of life, and it brings the students here to be a part of Hillsdale.”
Mackie said he hopes further communication with the college will continue to create a stronger working relationship.
“We look for ways to continue to improve that relationship and make it better,” Mackie said.