Students of Atlantic City Raising Voice against Carl Icahn

Students of Stockton and union members gathered on Thursday to protest over Trump’s Entertainment’s efforts to prevent the former Showboat, its next door neighbor, from being turned into an Island Campus for Stockton University. It seems that Carl Icahn has made an impressive number of enemies in Atlantic City as even Mayor Don Guardian marched with students and gave his support.

Trump Entertainment doesn't agree with the idea of college campus being next door to the Taj Mahal casino. They are concerned about students who are under the age of 21 that can easily sneak into the casino to drink and gamble, exposing casino to potential fines. However, students are very angry, claiming that the casino can easily control that problem. They are fighting for their own education but also for educational and employment opportunities in Atlantic City.

Stockton University has planned to convert former Showboat into campus with dorm space, classrooms and privately run hotel. Students are dreaming of education that college campus would offer but Stockton officials are faced with the issues that they couldn't foresee when purchasing the property. Stockton University has already bought the building but a legal covenant from 1988 between the Taj Mahal, Showboat and Resorts casino stipulates that the Showboat can only ever be “a first class casino resort.”

They knew about the agreement but thought that problem had been resolved between Trump and Caesars. Due to the legal covenant, Carl Icahn has legal grounds to block the plans that would turn a former casino into a campus. Students have decided to voice their opinion and fight back. If the problem doesn't get resolved soon, university officials say that they will probably sell the Showboat because keeping an empty building isn't affordable.

Students that were marching on the Atlantic City Boardwalk on Thursday expressed their disappointment. They feel that Icahn is taking away their chance for better education so they have mobilized “Save our Stoboat” campaign. Since then, students have been meeting with the leaders of UNITE-here Local 54, which represents Taj Mahal employees, in order to fight for the campus and against Carl.

Icahn has been fighting with Local 54 due to the employees' health insurance problem, the issue in which Icahn believes that the union is only trying to squeeze extra money from the company. Union had numerous public protests against benefits cuts in front of Taj Mahal but Ichan believes that the Taj can’t afford to pay what they are demanding.

Atlantic City Major, Don Guardian, has marched with the students and Local 54 members on Thursday. In his opinion, there is nothing more important than bringing Island Campus to the Showboat because it is good for the Atlantic City and its future.

It was mentioned that Straub is interested in former Showboat but maybe it's too early to talk about purchasing the property due to the current situation between Icahn and Stockton University.

Photo: pressofatlanticcity.com