http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=21106

But this nursing home business is shameful, no matter how you slice it. SU has a moral responsibility to these patients. They know their student admissions patterns. They should have stopped accepting residents years ago, and let the facility wind down through death and attrition.

Right, I'm sure the nursing home residents would love living in a virtually empty facility. Nice and lonely.

According to the PI article, the university is helping the residents find new housing. Just because the families of the residents are whining doesn't mean that the university is tossing the elderly residents onto the street.

Charles is right; the University does need resident and office space for CURRENT students, faculty, and staff. It does not, however, "need to grow."

Admission numbers have been rocketing (as has tuition, of course) and SU can't keep up. The school is brimming with the STATED hope to become "the premier private university in the NW." SU is ok, but it isn't exactly UPS. let alone about to be Swarthmore of the pacific.

So now the school is moving away from social-justice in the backyard (Bessie Burton) while it continues to pump funds into programs in which students get to become global cultural tourists, I mean.. help create communities of social justice in the developing world.

wf is right; notice must demanded for these projects. 5 years may be asking too much, but 2 months is ridiculous. the fact is, the school does own other property and has other options for space. Bessie Burton just happens to be in the way, on the back doorstep of Campion Hall.

But do you know what's worse than all of this? the new Chihuly in the Pigott building. That is some ugly, ugly art.

My grandmother was not fortunate enough to die of a heart attack or car accident. Hers was a long, drawn out, multi-year ordeal which took her from an old lady to essentially a vegetable. During the last 5+ years I never visited, but my father went every week. When I saw her in her last days I couldn’t imagine what he went through during the last months and years when she was just lying there unable to respond; his was the only familiar voice she heard, and he kept going to her with that until the very end.

Through it all the people at Bessie Burton became somewhat of an extended family to him - he’s gregarious by nature, but if you’re there every week people remember you – and when the end came they were crying right there next to us.

It doesn’t appear that many of the commenters have had to deal with end-of-life care, because if they had they wouldn’t be so cold. Believe me everyone, it well and truly sucks. The number of shitty “care givers” out there is so high that the ones that do a decent job can charge so much that they drain any life savings the person might have had.

It’s rare to have a place like Bessie Burton, and it’s a shame that they’re getting rid of it. To me, it would make the most sense to not take in any more people and ride it out with the ones that are there until the last one dies. Sure it would be expensive, but since when is cost the overriding Christian value? The Jesus guy everyone talks about – you think he’d be up for this? Me neither.

Also, regarding the “protests”. While I appreciate that they’re trying something that clearly has no hope in hell of succeeding, it seems to me that a better way to go about it would be to contact the families of the people who have already died there and have them take part as well. Not only would they have a more powerful message, they likely have more sway in other areas like funding, pr, etc.

I’ll close with a couple of comments to your commeters.

candyqueen, what fucking difference does it make that you’re a Jew; would the facilities suck any less if you were wicken? If it sucks that much fucking leave.

And finally, to keshmeshi, who called the families of the residents whiners: go fuck yourself. You have clearly either never lost someone close to you or you’re so self-centered it had no effect. I hope your loved ones die as gracefully as possible so you don’t have to go through what these people go through. Everyone deserves that, even people who act like you.

And, wait a minute, you didn't visit your grandmother during the last five years of her life? And you're calling me callous?

That's not what happened to Meskel, and it's not what's being offered the seniors who are tenants in SU's nursing home either.

I can guarantee you first-hand that they are most certainly not doing that whatsoever. The same usual staff who discharge patients when they are well or ready to leave the facility are now the same staff responsible for discharging all 139 patients. There are 3 full-time social workers, who were used to discharging about 5 patients each week. The workload has increased a thousand-fold, yet the University has not provided any more employees to assist the social workers in the discharges.

I can guarantee you first-hand that they are most certainly not doing that whatsoever. The same usual staff who discharge patients when they are well or ready to leave the facility are now the same staff responsible for discharging all 139 patients. There are 3 full-time social workers, who were used to discharging about 5 patients each week. The workload has increased a thousand-fold, yet the University has not provided any more employees to assist the social workers in the discharges.

I can guarantee you first-hand that they are most certainly not doing that whatsoever. The same usual staff who discharge patients when they are well or ready to leave the facility are now the same staff responsible for discharging all 139 patients. There are 3 full-time social workers, who were used to discharging about 5 patients each week. The workload has increased a thousand-fold, yet the University has not provided any more employees to assist the social workers in the discharges.