Personal Column

HPU's Shift From University To Resort

By: Lauren Rollins

    During my lengthy college search, I wanted to find a campus that felt like a home away from home. Ultimately, I chose High Point University because of its proximity to my family and how they seemed to care for students here. But, beneath the surface of its luxurious amenities, there is a mounting concern — is HPU functioning more as s resort? or a community-centered university?

    In places like my hometown of Chapel, Hill NC businesses make most of their money during the school year, when students come to the UNC campus and venture out into town for shopping, activities, and good food. It creates a relationship between community businesses and the university, This is exactly what High Point University lacks. 

    Here at HPU, students are provided with almost every amenity they could want or need, heavily discouraging them from going out into the city of High Point to explore and support local businesses. The university’s partnerships with businesses, such as Wingstop and Freddys, where students can use their passport cards, may benefit these establishments however, there is still a lack of interaction between students and small local businesses, this weakens the relationship between the university and the city, this sentiment is expressed by any high point residents.

    A High Point local, who preferred to remain anonymous writes “HPU is impactful in our community, but it's really just a bad neighbor. It closes its doors to the community, wants to borrow or talk the city’s resources, but doesn’t give back to the same extent”

    Despite its claims of having a positive impact, HPU’s rapid expansion with additions like a hibachi restaurant, parking garage, care, barbershop, and nail salon between 2023 and 2024, may be widening the divide between the university and the local community. The closure of Montlieu Ave also shows a trend where decisions affecting the local community are made without genuine input.

    A 2012 HPU graduate, Drew, says: "HPU has done a lot of good for the city and those who are affluent. However, it’s displaced many within the local community (buying houses, raising property tax, etc) and continues to prioritize temporary students, as a resort would, with little to keep their economics within HP after graduation.”

    The closure of Montlieu Ave also shows a trend where decisions affecting the local community are made without genuine care for resident input. HPU’s failure to include itself and its students in the culture and community of High Point is a large issue, which was revealed by an educator’s own experience while attending a campus tour with her students. The University has a marketing slogan of “Our city. Our university”. This slogan rings hollow when the city and its residents' inclusion is overlooked.

    Don't get me wrong, the university does hold regular events for the local children and holds Christmas drives annually however, this is simply another example of the university inviting people in rather than pushing its students and community leaders to go out into the community which is what will not only strengthen many skills needed to continue our careers once we leave HPU but will also bridge the gap that's both seen and felt between the university community and the city of high point. 

    The university’s isolated approach is highlighted once again by a resident who went on a college tour and was allegedly told by a religious leader at HPU, "The students here don’t relate to poverty so they wouldn’t do something like that.” when asking about students engaging with the High Point community and its impoverished areas.

    High Point University’s path to becoming a resort rather than the community-centric university it claims to be, poses many challenges. Balancing the economic growth that comes with community engagement, creating a sense of real-world empathy, and addressing the concerns raised by locals are important steps. HPU should reconsider its approach to expansion and instead do the work necessary to bridge the gap between campus life and the city whose name the university bears. 

    In other words, High Point University needs to slow down, listen, and engage. This is what will ensure the long-term success of the university and its unity with the High Point community.