Should Sinclair Community College support student housing near its downtown campus?

That was the question that the college’s Board of Trustees grappled with during a public discussion about the idea Tuesday.

The issue has been raised during public forums focused on the college’s master plan. Sinclair said community leaders like the idea of Sinclair students living downtown, but developers who have approached the school over the years about it will not move forward without some sort of investment or agreement from Sinclair.

“In recent focus groups that we’ve had, this came up over and over again,” said Sinclair President Steve Johnson. “So many people really think this is a good idea.”

Ohio law prohibits community colleges from owning and/or operating student housing, according to Sinclair. So, Sinclair’s stance has always been not to get involved.

But now, Johnson said: “We’re afraid that if we just simply take that stance that we’ve had, we’re going to be perceived as not friendly, or kind or otherwise progressive to developing downtown.”

There has been no push from Sinclair students for student housing. But the college expects that a few hundred of the about 23,000 students who take classes downtown would be interested in student housing. It could also help Sinclair recruit international students and student athletes, Johnson said.

But, trustees said the responsibility and liability might be too great and Sinclair does not have any expertise in managing student housing. Trustees also said a desire from community members for students to live downtown is not a good enough reason to get involved.

“We need to do what makes sense for the college going forward,” said Trustee Robert Connelly. “I don’t see this being driven by a need from our students.”

No decision was made during the discussion at the board meeting on Tuesday.

Ohio Community College Association spokesman Jeff Ortega said the issue of student housing has not been raised by members of the group.

“From a practical standpoint, the community colleges in Ohio have traditionally been a commuter experience,” he said.