Once, a friend and I got into an argument over whose college was better. He referred to Starkville as “the town that fun forgot.” Never did I want to believe that this was true. However, as the present condition of the city of Starkville continues to remain stagnant, I begin to worry more and more over the fact that change may never visit Starkville. When I was a freshman, I was in a leadership development group here at State. We got the opportunity to meet with President Malcolm Portera. He spoke to us about getting involved, student leadership qualities, etc. After his speech, though, he took the time to ask us questions to see how we felt about certain things. The meeting consisted only of a group of about 20 freshmen and SA officers. Consequently, the tone of the meeting was not really formal but instead laid-back and intimate. When we began discussing the city of Starkville, he went on to say that Starkville’s economy is very good. Yet, he also said that if we wanted Starkville’s economy to change in a way that would make it more college friendly, well, that was up to the students and the university. In more or less words, he said that Starkville was not going to change for us.
I applaud the efforts of the Student Association and those of Student Alderman Lee Beck. I can only hope that future attempts to make a change will be more successful. I don’t think that solely changing bars-I mean restaurants-would necessarily make Starkville a more enjoyable place. People obviously view fun in different ways. However, allowing an outlet for students to socialize for longer periods of time could hurt-it hasn’t appeared to hurt the rest of the SEC towns. I know this issue has been positively beat into the ground, but it is important. It is not about students going out and partying-it is about students being heard and making a difference.
Sometimes, when I think about it really hard, I can imagine the type of town that would allow State to flourish.
It would be a town where people could actually walk places. It would be a place where the only opportunity to see people was not at Super Wal-Mart. The perfect college town would have unique student housing intertwined with shops, restaurants and bars. People would not leave this perfect town every weekend because there would be reasons to stay. I feel like Dan Camp has the right idea of what Starkville should be like. I admire what he has done to the Cotton District. He has portrayed what appears to be, dare I say, an actual concern for Starkville’s future. Not only is the Cotton District attractive, but it is functional. People can live there and walk to go out, to eat or to even just sit on the sidewalk and listen to music. Also, people that do not live there visit the district’s pedestrian friendly streets for the same reasons. This concept is key. I sincerely hope that some changes are made in the near future. With persistence, maybe we can gradually make Starkville a different place. Can you imagine what this town would be like if it was not home to Mississippi State University? It would certainly not have the character it does. There is no denying the fact that we do not just go to school here; we live here as well. It is all we can do to keep Starkville from being “the town that fun forgot.