Old friends disappearing
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 09:14 a.m., May 17, 2008
Updated 09:14 a.m., May 17, 2008
Emporia State University did half its magic act today. This morning, the members of the Senior Class were draped in black robes and marched across a stage. Later, the robes were whipped away with a flourish and — Voila! — the students disappeared.
Oh, some of the seniors will hang around to go to graduate school or to work, but most of them are gone. Among that group were faces Emporia had grown fond of — friends, co-workers, volunteers, church members — students who used their years at ESU to make themselves at home in the community.
Letting these young people go is never easy and — although we wish only good things for them — part of us hopes that it is not too easy for them to leave. After all, ESU was their college and Emporia was their college town. If the students are not leaving with enough education and good memories to help sustain them in their first years in the real world, then we have not done our job.
For the next few weeks, the campus at the north end of Commercial Street will look a bit like Hamelin must have looked after the pied piper lured its children away.
The summer session will bring some students to town — enough to erase images of echoing hallways and tumbleweeds blowing across empty lawns — but it will not be the same.
The community will not be set right again until August brings the second half of the annual collegiate magic act. One day, the registrar will wave a wand and — Presto! — students will spring up like green shoots of grain.
Be sure to welcome them. We’ll miss them when they leave.
USNretired (anonymous) says...
I wish there was a way for more programs to be offered here, both under and post graduate. I would love to study here for a PhD, but Library Science is not my field.
May 19, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )