Spring Break
Column: Students should give back to Charleston
Chris Kromphardt / Columnist
Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Opinions
The students of Eastern have long held the power to transform the city of Charleston, and whether for good, ill or otherwise, the presence of students affects those who live, work and raise their families here.
We patronize local businesses, and we bring vibrancy to what would otherwise be a standard rural central Illinois town, but we also do other things college students are known to do.
All those loud, obnoxious parties test the skill of the local police force, not to mention the patience of everyone else.
While some people may argue - given this tendency for nuisance - having a college in Charleston is more trouble than those tax dollars are worth, they're missing what else we're good at.
That same youthful energy, usually seen parading up and down Fourth Street into the early hours, could do some great things.
Unfortunately, most students see Charleston just as a temporary stop on their way through life. Coming from Chicago, Rockford or St. Louis - as many students do - they get to Charleston, see it doesn't have a Portillos or a shopping mall and start counting the days until graduation.
But they're missing what's good about small towns. They don't realize that having fewer people usually means less crime, which is what makes it generally safer to wander around at 3 a.m. All they see is a lot of corn and not a lot of bright lights, when what they should see is an opportunity.
Like I said, Eastern students help define Charleston as a community, but all too often the association is negative. We take much more than we give. If the students were to take a proactive approach to improving town-and-gown relations, there would likely be more of a willingness to give on the side of the town. A little goodwill could make a world of difference.
But I think it needs to start with us. Like it or not, it's easy for us to live up to all those bad stereotypes college students engender, so we need to be the ones to extend the olive branch. We need to prove to the town of Charleston that we care about this community.
The best way to do this is by giving back. Eastern doesn't have a community service requirement, but that doesn't mean students volunteering their time isn't important. Taking the time to help this home away from home is a great way to say thank you, not to mention a fantastic way to get to know Charleston better.
Every year, Panther Service Day is held for all of the reasons I've mentioned above.
Held one Saturday out of the year (this year it's April 25), the idea is to concentrate the collective energies of college students for the force of good.
Whether it's painting houses, spending time with senior citizens and children, or even donating blood, Panther Service Day is the perfect chance to give just a small amount of your time and energy to making this town - our home for nine months out of the year - a better place where we all can live.
Chris Kromphardt is a senior political science major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
We patronize local businesses, and we bring vibrancy to what would otherwise be a standard rural central Illinois town, but we also do other things college students are known to do.
All those loud, obnoxious parties test the skill of the local police force, not to mention the patience of everyone else.
While some people may argue - given this tendency for nuisance - having a college in Charleston is more trouble than those tax dollars are worth, they're missing what else we're good at.
That same youthful energy, usually seen parading up and down Fourth Street into the early hours, could do some great things.
Unfortunately, most students see Charleston just as a temporary stop on their way through life. Coming from Chicago, Rockford or St. Louis - as many students do - they get to Charleston, see it doesn't have a Portillos or a shopping mall and start counting the days until graduation.
But they're missing what's good about small towns. They don't realize that having fewer people usually means less crime, which is what makes it generally safer to wander around at 3 a.m. All they see is a lot of corn and not a lot of bright lights, when what they should see is an opportunity.
Like I said, Eastern students help define Charleston as a community, but all too often the association is negative. We take much more than we give. If the students were to take a proactive approach to improving town-and-gown relations, there would likely be more of a willingness to give on the side of the town. A little goodwill could make a world of difference.
But I think it needs to start with us. Like it or not, it's easy for us to live up to all those bad stereotypes college students engender, so we need to be the ones to extend the olive branch. We need to prove to the town of Charleston that we care about this community.
The best way to do this is by giving back. Eastern doesn't have a community service requirement, but that doesn't mean students volunteering their time isn't important. Taking the time to help this home away from home is a great way to say thank you, not to mention a fantastic way to get to know Charleston better.
Every year, Panther Service Day is held for all of the reasons I've mentioned above.
Held one Saturday out of the year (this year it's April 25), the idea is to concentrate the collective energies of college students for the force of good.
Whether it's painting houses, spending time with senior citizens and children, or even donating blood, Panther Service Day is the perfect chance to give just a small amount of your time and energy to making this town - our home for nine months out of the year - a better place where we all can live.
Chris Kromphardt is a senior political science major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Alison Mormino
posted 4/20/09 @ 3:35 PM CST
Be sure to come out to the 7th Annual Panther Service Day on Saturday, April 25th at 10:30am. Breakfast at Old Main!!!
Local Joe
posted 4/20/09 @ 6:41 PM CST
Chris, thank you for a wonderful column. I just want to let you know that many local Charleston residents DO appreciate the efforts of EIU students and are proud of having EIU in their community. (Continued…)
K.D.
posted 4/21/09 @ 11:17 AM CST
A great column.
Mike Kleen
posted 4/21/09 @ 4:41 PM CST
I agree! I once went out and picked up the trash all over Kiawanis Park. It looked like no one had done that in years, and after that it looked a lot better. (Continued…)
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