By Mary McLean, Staff Writer

Published in print Oct.22, 2014

A year ago today, much of the campus was in uproar. Budget cuts, layoffs and a new recreation center were at the forefront of the minds of students, faculty, and staff. There were debates and arguments and press releases and countless emails from both the administration and oppositional groups. But ultimately, what came out of a lot of talk was very little. The spring semester ended, the student population dispersed, and the University continued on with its original plans.

The foundation for the new rec center has been laid and the skeleton of the building is going up. While we are all still feeling the effects of the budget cuts (having less courses and sections to choose from, larger class sizes, and entire programs gutted), very few people are talking about it anymore.

That is, except for Bulent Bediz.

With tufts of white hair, a Turkish accent, and an Einstein-esque mustache, Bediz seems more like a kindly professor than a hell-raising protestor. But he refuses to believe he cannot be both. A long-time resident of Greensboro and the Glenwood neighborhood, Bediz has been one of the most outspoken critics against the university expansion plan, and he is still reaching out to anyone he can in order to influence the administration and call students to action.

“I went to UNCG in the early seventies for my Masters, and I loved Greensboro when I moved here,” said Bediz. “When I bought my fixer-upper house on Lexington Avenue back in 1976, the Glenwood neighborhood was a relic from the past and much neglected by the city which at that time was still growing out towards the suburbs.”

In response to the falling property values around him, Bediz began buying up properties in the area, renovating the houses on the properties, and renting them out for a profit. This inspired him to think bigger about what Glenwood could be for the people of Greensboro.

“So what started out as a single home renovation project for me grew into a vision for a community for creative individuals,” he said. “A place that would include housing, and businesses, and restaurants, and that would be useful for not just students but other people in the area too. A truly mixed use space.”

Unfortunately for him, Bediz fell onto hard financial times in 2009, declared bankruptcy, lost most of his properties, and with them, his influence and ability to create a mixed use community. Since his financial leverage was gone, he began a long and arduous project to become involved in all available university expansion meetings and forums in order to make his voice heard.

But before the student body of UNCG rushes Lexington Avenue to support Bediz’s cause, one cannot help but notice his own financial stake in fighting the university’s plan.

He still owns many rentable houses in the Glenwood area, and strongly believes that upperclassman should not and will not live in university housing. While many students may agree with his criticism of university priorities, saying that the administration is putting enrollment and monetary gain over providing a quality education, it is nevertheless impossible to ignore that Bediz has a personal and financial stake in the outcome as well.

Regardless of how much support he receives, Bediz’s dream for a mixed use community space might be unattainable and impractical at this point. The space he envisioned for both members of UNCG’s community and the residents of the Glenwood neighborhood is being quickly purchased and cleared out by the university, with little consideration for his ideas or the opinions of anyone else for that matter.

What is best for Bediz might not be best for the student body, but there may be something to learn in regards to why and how he is addressing his problems with the university administration and system. It might come in handy someday soon.