Gentrification — what is it about this word that makes us cringe? Perhaps it is due to the increased use of it in recent years. Perhaps it is the way it has been casually thrown around in conversations about the neighborhoods that college students often find themselves in, namely the university area, the Marigny and Bywater.

But maybe the reason that this word makes college students feel uncomfortable is because we are the group directly responsible for its existence.

If colleges are historically seen as the root cause of the gentrification of surrounding neighborhoods, then college students are the gentrifiers directly responsible for pushing previous residents out of their homes.

The only reason Central City stops at Napoleon Street is because Loyola and Tulane students claimed property from this street onwards. Coupled with the gentrification of both Freret Street and Oak Street and both of their surrounding neighborhoods, college students are actively pushing previous residents out of their communities because of an inability to adapt to the resulting increases in property prices and amped up costs of living.

Gentrification is bad. It forces people to abandon their homes, their neighborhoods, their communities, their traditions and their respective ways of life. These reasons, among others, are why many Bywater and Marigny residents oppose the proposed expansion of the streetcar line into their neighborhoods, for fear that its expansion will further contribute to the increased gentrification these neighborhoods have seen in recent years.

However, college students are not the only groups responsible for the gentrification of urban areas. The booming film industry in New Orleans has not helped prevent the gentrification of the many so-called “bohemian” neighborhoods that the city boasts. This, coupled with new, out-of-state residents honing in on these increasingly popular neighborhoods, leaves many communities completely deconstructed and irrevocably devastated.

The worst example of which is likely the “benevolent enablers” who turn these neighborhoods into their own colonial project. They refuse to recognize that these communities do not need a savior.

This leaves the question of how to rectify this problem. This editorial board does not claim to know the answer to this question. This is our unfortunate, unethical reality.

It would be easy to say “move out” to the students and external citizens infringing on established neighborhoods, but this ignores the fact that these neighborhoods have already been effectively gentrified and leaves a question of where these gentrifiers are supposed to go. It is unrealistic to assume that most students could instead live in an on-campus residence hall for all four years. It is optimistic to believe that others could afford to live elsewhere and commute.

The truth is that gentrifiers benefit from the gentrification of these communities. It is difficult to take a step back and recognize your role in actively eradicating the cultures whose communities you are infringing upon.

Instead of alienating established residents, make an active effort to engage with them and build a sense of community. Involve earlier residents in the process of planning the renovation and revitalization of these neighborhoods. Allow them to help you facilitate a transition into the already established way of life in these communities, instead of imposing your own upon them.

Recognize that you are infringing on historical communities and make an active effort to contribute to the conservation and preservation of their culture. Above all else, Loyola emphasizes that we are an institution with and for others, emphasis here being on the “with.”

You are fortunate enough to live in a city that prides itself on its willingness to embrace its rich cultural heritage. Do native New Orleanians all a favor, and do the same.