That how college staffers and students Tuesday characterized the City Council's opposition to expanding Three Rivers Community College on Mahan Drive.

"This has been a political football game for 10 years, and now we're going to have to look for another site and wait some more," Marie Peloquin, 67, coordinator of tutoring, said while sitting at a table in the Three Rivers lunchroom.

"In the meantime, there are a lot of people who should be here who aren't here. They're going to other schools or they're missing out because the programs they need aren't here," she added.

Monday, aldermen passed a resolution opposing the Mahan Drive consolidation and asking Gov. John G. Rowland to collaborate on building consensus at another Norwich site.

Tuesday, Three Rivers President Grace S. Jones said she will continue to work on the Mahan site but, if that fails, wants to move the college out of the city.

"I think it's a shame for Norwich. To lose a college, even a community college, doesn't say much for a town," Pat Swim, 49, a student who commutes from Groton, said over a tuna salad.

Classmate Michele Bergin, 42, of Quaker Hill, agreed.

"Education is always a benefit to any community, especially a city like Norwich," she said. "A great percentage of the students here are on financial aid. Affording transportation when the college is put somewhere else is going to be a real problem for many of them."

Bill Price, 57, a student from Mystic, is speculating about another site for his school.

"If I had my druthers, I'd move the college south," he said. "For me, it's a 40-mile drive round trip, and I think there are more students coming from the New London and Groton area.

"I would look into the property that used to be the state hospital," he said, referring to the Norwich Hospital property that straddles the Norwich-Preston line.

Sainteanne Stlot of Taftville, interviewed outside Norwichtown Mall, a Three Rivers student, said the Mahan Drive location is convenient.

"(Moving) is not good at all for us," said Stlot, whose sister will also attend Three Rivers in the fall. "It's not right at all."

Steve Zagurski, another Three Rivers student, said he couldn't argue with the convenience factor: "It's like five minutes down the road from where I live."

But his friend Nick Espinosa, also a student, said as long as the commute isn't to bad, he isn't concerned.

"It won't be that bad, depending on how far away it is," he said.

"The students are missing out. Everybody's missing out, the longer this project is delayed," said Janice DeWolf, 60, of Norwich. She is the school's librarian in charge of circulation. "We're here to educate people. They want to learn, we know they want to learn, but we need to have enough space for them."