Hopkins has long had an issue with student life. Some on forums like Reddit have said, “Why does it feel like everyone hates it here at Hopkins?” while others have noticed the complain culture present at the school. Hopkins is one of the most academically prestigious schools in the country, but it often lags behind its peers in student life.The party scene is usually rated subpar, and parts of Baltimore built for young adults, like Federal Hill and Fell’s Point, are farther away from campus and harder to get to.
A myriad of other factors contribute to poor student life, such as Division III athletics and poor campus food, but, more than anything, Charles Village and St. Paul Street specifically have not been designed in a way to accommodate a vibrant campus atmosphere. Given that the University has played a major role in the development of the majority of retail space and buildings on St. Paul Street, I believe the administration should take it upon themselves to ask students what vendors they would like along the street and implement the desired changes.
Accessibility to good food and interesting shops can be an important part of student life. While The Rotunda and Hampden are around the University and have many unique vendors and cuisines, they are simply not as accessible as St. Paul Street. Right when you walk out of class, if you want food, your options are limited to six different restaurants serving noodles, Chipotle, Potbelly, &pizza and Indian food. I don’t see many people frequenting many of the establishments on campus, such as the new Lao Sze Chuan. While I’m sure the food is good, the cuisine is just too similar to many other restaurants along St. Paul Street.
Princeton University’s analogous street is Palmer Square. It features vendors from luxury boutiques such as Hermes to toy stores and bakeries. You can find Mediterranean cuisine, Chinese food, charcuterie boards and more. While Hopkins should not find a way to get a Hermes along St. Paul Street, Hopkins should learn from Palmer Square and try to incorporate a more diverse palette of vendors to improve student life.
Sometimes, dining hall food gets old or, sometimes, you just want to go look around a store selling clothes or trinkets. At Hopkins, the food on St. Paul Street gets old and tired quickly into your freshman year, and getting anywhere beyond St. Paul Street requires much more than a quick walk. The existence of a Chase Bank or bike vendor for a relatively small campus is clearly not a proactive way to improve student life. Given the proximity to the University and the sheer number of students living in Charles Village, I believe that St. Paul Street is a student's street and its opportunity should reflect that.
$250 million was well spent to construct a new student center, but student life concerns go beyond that. Eventually, the student center, with three new dining options and a few recreational rooms, will get old, and students will look to places on St. Paul Street once again for recreation. There’s only one bar, Charles Village Pub and very limited offered cuisines.
From talking to other students and friends, the only vendors on St. Paul Street that most of the student body seems to like are University Market and Deli, Chipotle, Kajiken, THB Bagelry and Deli, CVS Pharmacy and Charles Village Pub. Even the grocery store, Streets Market, is simply too expensive for students to do their weekly grocery shopping, and CVS, despite being primarily a pharmacy, often supplements many of those needs.
Although I believe St. Paul Street needs a makeover, I don’t believe in kicking out established small businesses like Lao Sze Chuan or Orient Express. However, there are some spaces on St. Paul Street that are unoccupied — the worst possibility for student life improvements.
I believe establishments like Trader Joe’s, Taco Bell or even thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange would be well received by the student body. The University should take a poll from students before they rent these spaces to vendors. Additionally, Hopkins should look at how they can expand access to small business, grocery stores and other daily life vendors near N. Charles Street. While this won’t fix the problem of student life, it will make University life for young adults more enjoyable.
Neil Mahto is a sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M. He is the Opinions Editor of The News-Letter.
