Interview Exercise

I paired up with Alex for the interview exercise we did in class. I decided not to ask questions related to my topic, because I wasn't really prepared to do so, nor did I think it would relate too much to someone who doesn't attend the church that I'm studying. So I asked a few questions about something we had talked about in my Christian Ethics class - the surrounding areas/neighborhoods around Belmont.

My main question was, "What do you think about Belmont's position/influence in the surrounding communities of Edgehill/Melrose/Hillsboro?" I had a few smaller questions that I prepared beneath that one - some I asked, some I didn't. Those were, "How would you describe the area around Belmont?", "Do you feel safe/enjoy it/know it well?", "Are you aware of the things Belmont is doing in the community?", and "Are you aware of the racial/economic makeup of surrounding communities?"

First off, Alex told me that he doesn't spend a lot of time around Belmont when not on campus for class/soccer (with the exception of the Belmont Blvd area near campus). When I asked him about Edgehill, one of the first things he mentioned was the "blidget" (a crude combination of black and midget), a well-known resident of the area who is commonly seen at the intersection of 12th and Wedgewood. Alex also knew that Edgehill was a "ghetto" area, primarily African-American. When I asked Alex the main question, he said to his knowledge, Belmont is doing good in the area. He did mention that he thought it was wrong forcing local houseowners out of their houses, but he also said it was more acceptable if Belmont compensated for moving costs to the owners. Alex alluded to Belmont as a growing university and said, "We need the property."

It was a good interview - I don't think Belmont has been as accommodating with the surrounding neighborhoods as they've made out to be, or as students understand it to be, but I think it's important that we do know what surrounds us and get to know what that is.