Earlier this week, the Evanston Zoning Board of Appeals decided to allow Northwestern’s Great Room to keep operating, ruling against a group of Evanston residents-represented by former First Ward Ald. Art Newman-who claimed the establishment was a change of use from that of the Seabury Theological Seminary and thus a violation of Evanston zoning law.

The Daily commends the ZBA for making what they felt was the correct legal decision. It would have been easy for the committee members to vote against NU-it would be popular and non-controversial to unequivocally support city residents over the NU administration.

The decision, though, is not the most important part of the Great Room saga. The most important part is that both sides learn from the lapses in communication that have plagued the situation from the start and that in the future the city and the University work with each other.

One of the complaints of the First Ward residents was that NU was not entirely forthcoming when it announced this project last summer. This is not acceptable. The Daily does not believe NU purposefully deceived the neighbors or withheld information, but if some feel the communication was not enough, both sides should have worked to make it enough.

On the part of the residents, they filed the paper work and had their plan announced at a City Council meeting rather than trying to work with the university. This seemed like a stunt, a chance to make a splash and garner headlines rather than a real attempt at coming to an equitable resolution.

Communication between town and gown is important at all levels. When students live off campus, they often introduce themselves to their Evanston neighbors so that if they have any complaints-noise, parties etc.-they can talk to each other directly rather than going straight to the police.

This policy of prevention and communication works for students and their neighbors-why can’t it work for the administration and the city?