Now that I've lived in a college town for 16+ years ...

Now that I've lived in a college town for 16+ years ...
by CJC (2019-08-28 12:21:09)

In reply to: Austin & Madison. posted by hibernianangst

I'll add to your other valid points the notion that Notre Dame does not enjoy the near-universal support of South Bend citizenry in ways that I've witnessed with respect to Mizzou here in Columbia.

And that makes perfect sense.

While many South Bend-area residents are ardent supporters of Notre Dame (including but not limited to its athletic programs), many are not.

Here, almost everybody views Mizzou as their school. Many are alumni, or parents of students or alumni. Even for those who aren't, Mizzou is "the" state school.

I've only been to Durham once, so I don't have much basis upon which to opine, but I wouldn't be surprised if the "town-gown" relationship there more closely resembles South Bend than, for instance, Columbia, due to Duke being a private institution.

But Notre Dame's relationship with the community is further exacerbated by its religious foundations, unlike present-day Duke.

I wouldn't put this at the top of the list of factors which might make a college student less enamored of South Bend than, say, Austin or Madison. For most young people, it would take a while to figure out the dynamics.

But I do think it's in the mix somewhere. I think it's objectively true that South Bend isn't as "welcoming" to students as lots of other places -- and I offer that not as a criticism, but simply as a natural consequence of the factors I cite.