The universities in Kirksville

Tonight, six of us showed up for a candidates’ forum at ATSU. About 20 people turned out for the audience, but it was a good group. Heavy on these students’ minds were the smoking ban and the state of the downtown district.

One thing is for certain: both Truman and ATSU need this town as much as the town needs them. They have historically played a significant role in the development of the entire county and helped put Kirksville on the map. ATSU/KCOM have trained most of our doctors in town.

Strangely though, Kirksville does not cater to the college students like most University towns do. In most others, you’ll find student-geared businesses – restaurants, cafes, shopping – up and down the thoroughfare from the campus to the downtown. And we have TWO Universities! What a tremendous untapped asset.

With the exception of the movie theater and a few restaurants, few businesses downtown cater to the college students. One student tonight said that he and his girlfriend walk the square a lot, but the only place to hang out is the coffee shop. They want more pedestrian- and bike-friendly areas. These students are crying for more activity and development downtown, if we’d only listen to them.

If we, as a community, embraced the students more earnestly, it would give the city a huge economic boost. Because students are heavily subsidized by federal loans, scholarships and their parents, they bring lots of “outside money” with them. When we don’t give them places in town to spend it, they take it to Columbia and Quincy instead – and we all miss out on an important revenue stream that is ours for the taking. More tragically, we also miss out on the benefits we could ALL enjoy from a more vibrant downtown district – jobs, entertainment, and that feeling of pride, history and community.

On the campaign trail, I occasionally hear people talk about “pro-college agendas” or “pro-community agendas”. But that’s a misnomer, because the two are not mutually exclusive. The colleges are an integral, necessary and important part of the community. Both universities need this town just as much as the town needs them. If we pool our resources to work together for a common good, every citizen in this town benefits.

As I’ve stated before, this negative “us vs. them” attitude gets us nowhere. I urge you, whenever you encounter any person who tries to divide your neighbors into factions and opposing groups, please remind them that we are all in the same boat. Everyone has an important role to play in this community, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.