Forum Editorial: No more empty nest

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As classes begin at Northwest Missouri State University this week, our community feels whole again with the buzz of students back in Maryville.

We welcome new and returning students alike back to their home away from home.

Probably much like their parents feel during the school year, the start of summer offers some relief and perks when many students retreat back to their hometowns someplace else — the lines are a little shorter, the crosswalks a little emptier and everything’s just a little bit more relaxed around town.

But by the end, those minor conveniences always pale in comparison to the vibrancy that college students imbue into the fabric of our community.

As they begin another academic year at Northwest, we encourage those of us who live here year-round to go the extra mile whenever we can to help university students feel like the members of our community that they are for the time they’re here.

They are not just an eager workforce and an influx of customers for businesses in need of employees and patrons alike, but are ambitious, forward-thinking, socially responsible citizens who help to shape our own outlooks in ways that would probably only become evident in their absence.

Welcome back to Maryville, Bearcats.

Make yourself at home.