Here’s the opening snippet to an article/editorial our managing editor Trevor Kupfer is finishing up for next week’s issue. We thought you might like to chime in …

• Volume One recently published a special section on Rental Living, which broke down many of the Chippewa Valley’s most popular rental neighborhoods, from what kinds of units commonly found there to the nearby amenities. With every area, we also included its nickname, or how it’s referred to in everyday conversation (e.g. Out by the Mall, Behind Shopko, The Planets, etc.). When we got to Randall Park, we put down “Student Ghetto,” fully expecting to hear from members of the neighborhood. And sure enough, we did.
• The e-mails, physical letters, and phone calls that followed allowed us to reflect on how this nickname began, and became a part of the local lexicon – and of even more interest, what it means.
• Is it an offensive label for the Historic Randall Park, one of Eau Claire’s most prized neighborhoods? Is it a term of endearment? Or is it a case of people calling it like they see it?

So what do you think? Is the term “student ghetto” offensive, endearing, or both?