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The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, Bob Dyer column: Bob Dyer: Recognition not always a big bonus [The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio]
(Akron Beacon Journal (OH) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 8--One of our local universities has soared into the top 15 in a national ranking.
OK, so the University of Akron probably won't be buying Super Bowl ads next year to promote this. But never let it be said that UA always takes a back seat to the nation's most prestigious institutions.
According to Location Inc., a Rhode Island firm that specializes in relocation software, retail site-selection and real-estate investment advising, UA is a rock-solid 11th among America's "Top 15 College Neighborhoods for Property Crime."
Woo-hoo!
The results, announced on the Web sites NeighborhoodScout.com and WalletPop.com, are based on statistical analyses covering rolling three-year periods. UA's crime district boasts 427 property crimes per 1,000 residents
The area in question is bounded by Wheeler Street on the north, East Thornton on the south, Grant Street on the west and Brown Street on the east.
Crime statistics are notoriously shaky. As the company points out, most city crime data are incomplete because crimes are reported by individual law-enforcement agencies -- city, county, university, etc. -- rather than by location. But this firm says it collects data from all 17,000 law-enforcement groups in the country and uses "18 proprietary computer models developed by expert analysts to statistically estimate the number of violent and property crimes for every neighborhood in the U.S."
UA actually is in good company. Several schools on the list have stellar academic reputations and/or are not located in areas widely perceived to be high in crime.
The worst neighborhood, in fact, is adjacent to the University of California at Santa Barbara, which has a staggering 1,019 property crimes per 1,000 residents. UC-Berkeley is fourth.
The only other Ohio school on the list is Ohio State, which claims two of the top six spots. The Summit Street/12th Avenue area ranks fifth, with 498 property crimes, and the Lane Avenue/Neil Avenue neighborhood is sixth, with 490.
Sick joke
Let us now pause for a moment and give thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have have taken extraordinary measures to protect our health.
The Cavs have removed all of the drinking fountains at Quicken Loans Arena to make sure we don't catch swine flu.
Stop laughing! I am not making this up! The team really said that!
An official told the Plain Dealer the move was made on the advice of the NBA and the International Association of Assembly Managers.
Well, not exactly. The PD called both of those groups, and neither had said a word about water fountains. Moreover, a local health official said water fountains are not an issue.
Gosh, do you think the move might have had something to do with a desire to sell more $4 bottles of water?
The Cavs point out you can still get free water, in a little cup, but only if you are willing to stand in line at a concession stand.
I suppose you could also get a drink by sticking your head under a faucet in the restroom.
When this country's insane overemphasis on professional sports finally crashes and burns, thanks to terminal fan resentment, this stunt should wind up among the featured lore.
Funnyman
Prankster Dick Schunk of Tallmadge was playing with words again the other day and came up with this:
"If the University of Akron were to build a perimeter road around InfoCision Stadium, would they call it 'CircumCision Road?' "
Hard spin
Poor Vin Zachariah. The naive gentleman with the MBA from Yale was snookered by a mean newspaper columnist.
At least that's the impression you get from his letter to the editor last week. The new head of Time Warner Cable throughout our region wrote, "You can imagine my shock and surprise" when he read my column about how he planned to fix TWC's dreadful customer service.
Welcome to Spin City.
Zachariah knew exactly what he was getting into. On Jan. 8, I sent him an e-mail that said, "I'd like to sit down with you sometime in the next few weeks to find out how you plan to address the mess you have inherited."
Does that sound like someone planning to write a puff piece about "exciting services coming to our customers"?
What actually happened was this: With a tape recorder rolling on the desk in front of him, Zachariah told the truth about TWC's woeful customer service -- and in so doing created a horrible internal PR problem. The letter was his attempt to tap-dance his way out of it.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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