I miss Nashville. I miss waking up at 6:30 a.m. to beat the Sunday morning crowd at Sun and Fork, my favorite brunch spot. I miss greeting the sunrise as I jog through Belmont University, soaking in the spray of the majestic marble fountain. I miss wandering through Centennial Park and serendipitously stumbling across food trucks, craft fairs, and international festivals. Over the course of my three years at Vanderbilt University, I have carved out a web of well-worn pathways, forming my own map of Nashville memories.
College towns miss their students, too. The coronavirus pandemic has sent thousands of students packing home, stripping college towns of a valuable, if not essential, source of economic activity. In some college towns, like Blacksburg, Virginia, universities are responsible for over half of the city’s economy. Amherst, Massachusetts, home to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and several other colleges, suffered a $3 million revenue loss due to cancelled commencement ceremonies. Shuttered campuses hold devastating consequences not only for the small businesses that are a staple of college life, but also for city budgets, tax revenues, and community services that rely on income from student spending.
While smaller cities with economies that are heavily reliant on higher education are hit especially hard by the loss of their students, all college towns, from New York City to Emory, Virginia, are inevitably feeling the strain of the global economic downturn. Whether you have long laid away your cap and gown or have yet to earn your diploma, here are some ways you can pitch in to help out your college town:
1. Shop local
While you may not be able to hop over to your favorite restaurant for a celebratory post-finals dinner, you can pay it forward by purchasing an e-gift card from your favorite local establishments. Even better, send one to a college friend as a promise of good times to come once you’re both back on campus. Not only will this give you something to look forward to when colleges reopen, but it will also provide businesses with an extra boost of cash at a time when every penny counts.
2. Connect with local charities
I am blown away by how the Vanderbilt community has rallied around Nashville with a host of innovative initiatives to support frontline workers. For example, the Vanderbilt Athletics department is hosting a virtual Feed Our Heroes 5K June 5-8, with proceeds going towards feeding frontline workers. Additionally, Feed the Front Line, which was co-founded by a Vanderbilt alum (anchor down!), recently hosted a virtual benefit festival in collaboration with Country Music Television to empower struggling restaurants to provide food to frontline workers and vulnerable communities.
Do some research on what local organizations, from food banks to community centers, are doing to help your college town, and join the action, whether through an online donation or by launching a fundraising challenge with your friends.
3. Plug into student organizations
A few weeks ago, my Instagram feed was blown up with sorority pictures, thanks to the Vanderbilt Panhellenic Council’s social media fundraising challenge on behalf of Fuel Our Heroes Nashville, a charity founded by Vanderbilt students to raise money for local frontline healthcare workers. Additionally, as part of the SEC Gratitude Challenge, Vanderbilt Student Government is spearheading the effort to create as many thank-you videos for healthcare workers as possible. Stay plugged into your student organizations by creating and getting involved in initiatives that empower your college town.
How has Covid-19 affected your college town? What is your school doing to pitch in and help the community? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!
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