City
needs to offer more to college students
By
Beacon Staff
Published
10/05/2009
What
is a big help to the city of Booneville?
With an enrollment
of 4,000 students, Northeast Mississippi Community College brings
money into Booneville community while the school year is in session.
However, Booneville does not reciprocate the favor by offering more
to Northeast students and this tends to sway college students toward
other towns that have better restaurants, entertainment and places
to hang out and shop.
Booneville
does have many positive things to offer college students.
Mississippi’s ‘City of Hospitality’ has some of
the lowest gas prices in the surrounding area – registering
$2.22 per gallon earlier in the week while a drive 20 minutes saw
gas prices jump by a dime or more.
Dodge’s Chicken Store is open 24 hours and gives away coupons
to students at the beginning of the school year.
Keith Vaughn, of KV Management which operates Pizza Inn, Subway
and Coco’s Coffee Shoppe, has the perfect location right the
street from campus with two restaurants and a coffee shop that caters
to Northeast students.
In Vaughn’s facilty, visitor’s are welcomed with two
large television screens, a large party room, and a patio.
Even Booneville Middle School has something to offer Northeast students
– the observatory at BMS has one of the most powerful telescopes
in the state of Mississippi and is open the first and third Thursdays
of each month to the public.
While many
Booneville businesses do offer discounts for Northeast students,
they could do more to appease the student population at Northeast.
Additional
restaurants in the area would be a nice addition for college students.
Currently Booneville has nearly 20 fast food and sit-down restaurants
combined but even that variety gets old after a time. By bringing
back restaurants such as Taco Bell, Burger King, and Popeye’s,
all of which have been here before, Booneville could better accommodate
students.
Booneville
could offer a different variety of restaurants such as coffee shops,
donut shops, ice cream shops (Baskin Robbins has called Booneville
home before but left for greener pastures), and another Chinese
restaurant.
Restaurants
with a later closing time would also accommodate college students
because said students’ sleeping habits are different from
that of an average person. Many students are up at 11 p.m. or midnight
after cramming for an exam and are looking for a bite to eat at
that time but alas, there are very few restaurants that are open
at that time.
Entertainment
is a big deal for college students and Booneville, just like many
other college towns, should offer different items to do like bowling,
movies, karaoke bar, a non-alcoholic nightclub – since Prentiss
County is a dry county and the majority of NE students are under
the legal drinking age -- where students can let loose, dance and
forget about the stresses of college for a few hours.
More wireless Internet hot spots would not be a bad thing as well.
Some places that already offer WiFi in other cities are Huddle House
and McDonalds. Booneville does have access for WiFi at Subway/Pizza
Inn/Coco’s Coffee Shoppe, Wendy’s and Hardees.
Adding a bookstore or music store would also be a nice place for
students to spend time. One of the cultural hangouts for the late
teen/early 20s scene closed over the summer in Corinth – Top
Shelf Records – and a store like that could be a boost to
the Booneville economy. A bookstore or coffee shop could host open-mic
nights for poetry readings or other versions of entertainment. Currently,
the cultural hangouts in Booneville are Dodge’s and Wal-mart
– which even though it is a Supercenter -- closes at midnight.
Many college
students enjoy shopping, especially women. Booneville just does
not offer many places to shop – if you are a male or female.
The only major retailer in Booneville is Wal-Mart. Factory Connection
and Cato is available for women but there are not any clothing stores
available to men.
Northeast’s
Student Government Association (SGA) is doing its part to accommodate
students.
This year, the SGA has offered more events at the Gaye Roden Carr
Aquatic Center (the pool) and more open dorms. SGA also has intramurals
and movie nights available for students. Northeast’s student
activities have a full calendar of events planned in October such
as Spirit Week during Homecoming, bingo, a Halloween costume party
and dance along with a pumpkin carving contest.
According to
the latest Annual Report, Northeast is approximately 80-percent
commuter and 20-percent on-campus residents, however, many students
rent houses or apartments in Booneville while in school.
Offering more restaurants, entertainment and retail outlets would
be a great way for Booneville to accommodate its college student
population and boost the city’s coffers in this time of economic
need.
(The Beacon’s editorial board is made up of student writers
Emily Kelly, Amanda Walker, Audrey Roberson along with Northeast
staff member Michael H. Miller and College Publications advisor
Tony Finch.)
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