University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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tarty Maloney A Helping Hand That Hurt While many students eagerly awaited 'he opening of the World’s Fair, many Fort Sanders residents looked at it with resent- ment and helplessness. Beginning in January, several homeowners who leased to students evicted them so that they could make reparations and im- provements for World’s Fair visitors. Nine homeowners were stricken from the University Off-Campus Housing Department list in February because they evicted students and planned to raise rents substantially during the Fair. The Chamber of Commerce of Knox- ville also refused to include the homeowners in their list of available housing for Fair visitors. Foreseeing this problem, the Student Government Association formed the Fort Sanders Tenants’ Association (FOSTA) during fall quarter. Gary Harmon. SGA vice- president, chaired the committee which was composed of Fort Sanders residents who were concerned with the affects of the Fair on the area. FOSTA conducted a telephone survey of landlord’s in the Fort Sanders area asking questions about the leases and plans for the Fair. Many said they would not evict students nor would they raise the rent. The most popular leasing contract used by landlords who wanted to rent to Fair visitors was a month-by-month lease. Several gave students the options of a nine month or a mon- thly lease. SGA members who conducted the survey l.cfl: Thiv older house on Clinch Avenue need' some repair', but is in good condition compared 10 many of the home' in (he Fort Sander' area. The derailed archileciure i something noi seen very often on modern houses. did not divulge the names of the homeowners questioned. Only the results were published. When asked about the price for his apart- ments, one homeowner reportedly said, “I’m gonna run it up for the bucks.” The condition of many homes was under close scrutiny this year after several homes caught on fire and one caused the death of a freshman. Forty homes were condemned this year by the city’s code enforcement officers. The Fort Sanders area was listed on the Na- tional Register of Historic Places last June. Listings made in the Register were used for protection of historic sites. It also helped homeowners receive federal money to improve and restore many of the old homes. The Fort Sanders area has a fong history. It was named after Union General William P. Sanders who was shot in a battle during the War Between the States. The battle assured Union domination in East Tennessee. Students began living in the area during the ’50s and ’60s as the need for more student housing arose. Thus, the number of renters in- creased and owner-occupancy declined. This decline eventually led to neglect of the homes and poorer conditions. Many improvements were made on the homes in preparation for the World’s Fair. Some student residents were not affected by evictions or rent raising. However, many students were left with outrageously priced rents, unstable leases and in many cases — no home at all. Above: Taking it easy after morning daw, desuge DeForest a junior in journalism, watches a soap opera ansi rclesc' in hiv l ort Sanders apartment. Deforest was lucky not to receive any reprucus- vionv from the World » Fair. Below: Making an apartment co y and homelike was not always easy on a student' budget, but Julie Henry, a junior in journalism, and her cat. Jar , found ways to cut corners and decorate her home. eft: Many home' in live Fort Sander' area gained much needed mt- rovemente and renovation' due to evtra revenue brought by the Fair nd were leaved to visitors during the siv.month period. Opening 1 .'try Maloney tarry Maloney

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Houses closer io the World's Pair »ttc condition than those closer to cant pm forced to hse in these houses token i indo» s and a nindo n appearance arc-typical«»« inati d fd»' sandewarea that me retired to uudenis, Sfvtfamonuw IU dltpru i ‘I-.- I .1 i I', hopes mmr Hiv mono lot ll e

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Fair-ly Difficult Parking 8 Uclow I hi» p.tilauy loi on Ncvlaml Avenue w.i Ucmolivtuxl and Kunder onMfue«ionasihcFunlaml Antuvemem Park lot che Vorl»r I air, C'oinmuierN U 'i K W vpaecv to park due io the lea'in ol cheloi and mav never jcci die area haek Invert: The lo: aeu Ironi Sc viand Stadium wav packed each weekday with xudents and staff member', And on iootball weekend' wilh loyal Ians. Mudeni' will have lo fifhi harder tor a place next tall av iIk lo'i over 'XK place' io park due lo the I air. • A sigh escaped from the student as he rounded the corner of ihe parking lot for the fifth time. He felt like a hunter stalking his prey as he waited for a car to leave the lot and a vacant space. The student was one of many who went through the ritual of circling parking lots daily in hopes of finding a space within reasonable walking distance of his classes. Some were suc- cessful if they had early morning classes, but for those who had the luxury of sleeping in un- til afternoon classes, the parking situation was often bleak. Just when students thought things could not get worse — they did. The World’s Fair came to Knoxville and commuters lost over 350 parking places behind Neyland Stadium to the Fair’s Funland Amusement Park. Then the University rented the parking lot on Neyland Drive behind Andy Holt Towers to the Fair during the summer and during the fall on weekdays after 3 p.m. and on weekends. Overall, commuters had a net loss of 960 park- ing places to the World’s Fair. Originally, the area behind the Stadium, where the Funland was. would be returned to a parking area. However, the much needed and controversial sports arena was suggested for the area. Even if the area was returned to a parking lot. it would not be available for stu- dent parking until the winter quarter of 1983. Commuters only had approximately 2200 parking places on the campus to begin with and the largest lot was the one being rented on Neyland Drive”, Lake Loudon Boulevard and Stadium Drive. Students also worried about the impact of a football weekend in the fall along with the Fair and the reduced parking places. The Student Government Association con- ducted a study on the commuter parking pro- blem during fall quarter. Commuter senators were especially concerned with the problem. One concern that surfaced from the study was that Fair visitors would take over lots other than those rented specifically to the l air. The administration took action and decided to hire extra security people to guard the other parking lots on campus from unauthorized vehicles. The administration said they did not think that the rental of the lot behind Andy Holt Towers would be a big problem as it was for only two months in the fall quarter. They planned to take money from the rented lots and distribute it to the various colleges on campus to be used as scholarship funds. These actions helped insure the remaining parking places for students, but the problem of overcrowded lots was not solved. For most students, it was aggravating to get to the cam- pus 30 minutes before their class began only to be 30 minutes late because they could not find a place to park their car.