Studentification: Recent Episodes
Austin J. Ferguson
Welcome to Studentification, the podcast dedicated to exploring the relationship between colleges and the communities they’re part of. This podcast was produced by seven graduate students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, or Cal Poly, a large public university on California’s Central Coast.We started this project with some central questions: First, do colleges contribute to gentrification in their surrounding communities? And if the answer is yes, what might that look like in our own backyard of San Luis Obispo, or as some people like to call it, SLO? Using SLO as a case study, we interviewed six local experts about how they perceive our university’s role in the community.We soon realized the answers to our initial questions are a lot more nuanced than we ever anticipated. And that when over 20,000 students build a temporary home in a town centered around a university, some pretty unique phenomena are bound to happen—and inevitably alter the fabric of a community.
In this episode, we chated with Hemalata Dandekar, a tenured City and Regional Planning professor at Cal Poly and former head/current member of the City and Regional Planning Commission for the City of San Luis Obispo. She explores the overlap between her positions on campus and in the city; discusses the benefits and drawbacks of campus centric cities; implores us to take a look at the impact of retirees settling down in San Luis Obispo; and educates us on her view of what really contributes to gentrification in this area.
Hosted by Emily Dandekar, edited by Austin Joseph Ferguson
In this episode, we are joined by Mayor Erica A. Stewart, San Luis Obispo’s recently appointed mayor who has years of experience as a community member and leader. Erica shares with us the complexity of city governance, and the perspective that her role has given her on the impacts of gentrification of San Luis Obispo. The city community being a mix of semi-permanent members and longtime locals creates interesting city priorities and needs. Erica provides insight on how the city addresses these concerns, and guidance on how to turn passion for the community into meaningful activism and advocacy.
Hosted by Conner O'Neil, edited by Sydney McCollum
Our guest Ray works for a local homeless shelter as a community outreach coordinator. In this episode, we discussed houselessness in SLO county and the displacement of locals due to the ever-increasing housing market, which is a trickledown effect from large corporations and institutions like Cal Poly.
Hosted by Emma Haley, edited by Austin Joseph Ferguson
Studentification is a podcast dedicated to exploring the relationship between colleges and the communities they’re part of while exploring gentrification, or as we like to call it, "studentification."
Trailer edited by Austin Joseph Ferguson
We chatted with Thomas Kessler, executive director of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, and Dr. Leola Dublin Macmillan, director of resource development and equity initiatives at United Way of San Luis Obispo County. They educate us on San Luis Obispo's history; weigh the differences between colonialism, gentrification, and community revitalization; introduce us to the concept of town-and-gown relations; and share what universities (and students) can do to build better relationships with their surrounding communities.
Episode hosted by Tess Eyrich, and edited by Kieran Deal
In this episode, we chatted with the neighborhood outreach coordinator for the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) and long-term SLO resident Christine Wallace. Christine works closely as a liaison between SLOPD and Cal Poly and runs programs that aim to establish good neighbor relationships with Cal Poly and the larger community of SLO. Join us as we chat about town-gown relationships and the efforts SLOPD is taking to create harmonious relationships through different neighborhood outreach programs.
Hosted by Emma Haley, edited by Sydney McCollum