mesa legend

May 3, 2005
IDEAS AND OPINIONS

Spruce up Southern; lure students to MCC

Community colleges serve an important role in the lives of students who are not yet ready to move on to a four-year university.
It could be financial, living situations, or lack of needed credits. Most students come to MCC because it makes sense.
For that reason, we can assume that students do not necessarily want to enroll in this school. Students on this campus come to school, go to class, and then leave again. There is no feeling of “college life.”
Most students on this campus don’t have a burning desire to attend MCC like students wishing to attend ASU, NAU, or U of A have.
Ideally, students want to leave high school with a diploma and go directly to university to experience “college life.” Dorms, parties, school functions, and the community surrounding a university are key factors in the definition of college life.
So if these are the main factors that students take into consideration when deciding on an in-state school, why is MCC playing an active role in allowing a massive population of students to look over our campus because of our surrounding community?
Take a look at Mill Avenue, the hot spot for college students attending ASU.
The venues surrounding ASU for a mile in both directions are full of attractions that appeal to the average college student’s eye.
They lure him or her in between classes, after school, and on the weekends, when it’s time to have fun and put studies aside.
So what does MCC’s surrounding community have to offer? What is so attractive to the average college student’s eye that would want to make them spend a Saturday night on Southern Avenue?
Absolutely nothing.
There is nothing surrounding the school that looks like any form of entertainment.
The exception is one bowling alley and the popular sub-shop Cheba Hut. Instead, there is a dry cleaner across the street from the school.
MCC is missing out on one of the biggest opportunities it has to draw students to enroll. Sure, the population of this school is only expected to grow within the next few years, but most of the students won’t be here because they want to be.
So how can this be fixed?
I think MCC needs to bring a version of Mill Avenue to Southern Avenue. If this can be done, students will want to come to the campus to spend their two years here.
Not only would the students just take classes, they would also enjoy being here. They would get involved, and even have school spirit.
The overall morale of MCC would reach new, never-before-seen heights.
So, the surrounding community desperately needs a facelift in order to keep up with the changing demands of college-age students who need more than a dry cleaner to hold their attention.