Brace yourself, readers: this column is going to have an almost serious tone. It's probably my sleep deprivation, or maybe I haven't had enough water – but I actually want my point to come across.
I'm sure that other columnists have written about our town-gown relations in the past. In fact, it's probable that someone did last week. Let's be honest though, I only read the paper when I'm in it so I wouldn't know. (Just kidding)(…sort of.)
My heart is going soft for our fellow Greencastle residents. Upon arriving on campus my heart was about a third the size of the normal heart. Yet somehow, my Grinchy feeling towards the locale and its locals dissolved, and my Greencastle heart grew three times in size.
At first, numerous interactions with the many Who's of Who-ville, I mean, with the people of Greencastle left me with mixed feelings. The punky sk8tr boi's (they still spell it like that, right? I'm not old!) that often roll through campus just to show off their newest rebellious T-shirt sometimes annoyed me. Then there are the locals at Wal-Mart who all seem to know each other, but will never know us. It's like a giant birthday party is constantly being thrown at Wal-Mart, but DePauw is never invited. This frustrates me.
I understand that our university gives a lot to the town, maybe more than they know. I also understand that some students have never said or done anything wrong to any resident of the city. But it only takes one person to alter a local Greencastlian's opinion of our school. It is my hopes that by next year, DePauw will be invited to that Wal-Mart birthday party.
After participating in volunteer events throughout Greencastle (seriously, someone should give me a trophy. A medal at the very least), I have discovered just how willing to open up to us the local Greencastle-ites are if we give them a chance. In one ironic instance, a woman of Greencaste offered an entire birthday cake to my group as we walked back from working on their neighbor's house. It was like being invited to Wal-mart's best friend's birthday party.
The truth is that Greencastletons do appreciate our presence amongst their community. Ginsie Scott Bingham, '56, spoke recently at DePauw about her time in Greencastle. I went because there was free Subway, I earned a credit for Media Fellows and because her name is "Ginsie." But I walked away with much more than a satisfied stomach and the pleasure of hearing the name "Ginsie" out loud.
I learned that when Ginsie set up her own radio station in Greencastle the local professors all lived in Greencastle. They worked together with the community and helped to establish some strong ties. Now that our professors mostly live out of town, the special bond has basically dissolved. This factor in addition to a complete unwillingness from most students to improve our relations has put us as No. 8 in the Princeton Review for the worst town-gown relations in the U.S.
This editorial hasn't been written to complain about our current situation. Instead, I'd like to simply stress how significant a single positive interaction with a Greencastle citizen can help improve our community.
The most important step we all must take right now if off of our high horses. Maybe it's time we recognize how fortunate we are, and give back to the community that allows us to learn, frolic and be merry every day of the week.
We live here, and we should make the best of it. So let's all plan for a big party at Walmart next year where you might actually know the Greencastle-ite next to you also buying really cheap beer.
— Jorgenson is a sophomore media fellow from Shawnee, Kan., majoring in film studies and English writing.
opinion@thedepauw.com
