In response to students from MU’s chapter of Grass Roots Organizing collecting 1,146 signatures against the rezoning of Regency mobile home park, Aspen Heights, the company that will buy the park if it is rezoned, responded with a petition of their own.
The petition was linked to a Facebook page called “Aspen Heights Columbia.” The page had received 589 likes by 4:07 p.m. Friday. More than 500 were from Greek Life students participating in a contest to win $500. The sorority or fraternity with the most likes received the $500 for philanthropic or social use, according to the “Aspen Heights Columbia” Facebook page.
To have their votes count in the contest, students had to like the Aspen Heights Facebook page, like the status about the fraternity or sorority of which they are members and sign the online petition that says, “Aspen Heights would be a great addition for University of Missouri students,” the Facebook page stated.
The petition reassured students they were not agreeing to live at Aspen Heights by signing, only saying they would like to see Aspen Heights come to Columbia.
The Aspen Heights contest ended at 10 a.m. Thursday and Delta Delta Delta sorority won with 186 likes. Sigma Chi fraternity came in second place with 63 likes and Alpha Delta Phi sorority finished in third with 55 likes, according to the Facebook page.
On Thursday afternoon, GRO created a Facebook page titled, “Aspen Heights is not good for Columbia” and had 21 likes by 4:07 p.m. The page has a link to the same petition members of MU’s chapter of GRO had been collecting signatures for during the past week.
In response to the Aspen Heights Greek Life contest, the GRO page stated, “They’re misusing the voices of students in Greek Life with an incentive to fund the winning Greek organization’s charity, without informing students of the actual story.”
Aspen Heights posted on Facebook late Thursday evening with their reasoning for holding the Greek Life competition.
“Aspen Heights is committed to supporting and gathering support from student organizations at all campuses we provide housing to,” the post read. “We facilitate these types of unique marketing efforts to get students excited about our commitment to invest in a campus culture.”
MU graduate student Kara McGhee, who has been collecting signatures for GRO, said she was puzzled as to why Aspen Heights thought they had an ally in the Greek system. She said Greek Life members often have to pay high dues and many don’t have the resources for luxury student housing.
“I think their efforts aren’t working and students are seeing right through them,” McGhee said.
McGhee and others are still collecting petitions against the rezoning and had 1,146 signatures by the end of the day Thursday, GRO member Andrew Bisto said. McGhee said they plan to meet in Speaker’s Circle at 10:45 a.m. Friday and march to MU Chancellor Brady Deaton’s office to present him with the signatures.
“Our main concern is with students having affordable housing that isn’t at odds with the community,” McGhee said.
McGhee said she wants the citizens and elected representatives to run the town rather than out of state developers and also states that the current stipends Aspen Heights is offering Regency residents is not enough to cover the costs of moving.
Aspen Heights posted on its Facebook page Thursday evening, stating that MU students and Columbia residents have been misinformed about the issue.
“If the city council does not vote in favor of Aspen Heights Inc. on Monday, November 21st the trailer park will still close late February and everyone associated with the community will be forced to relocate with no compensation,” the Facebook post stated.
The rezoning will be voted on by the City Council at their Nov. 21 meeting.