Where do college students go to hang out in a college city?

I made an unfortunate comment in a department meeting a couple weeks ago. To paraphrase, I implied that people would be stupid to come to Greeley for anything other than an education or a job.

I meant to say the university is the best part of Greeley, not that Greeley is the worst part of the university. In hindsight, though, I would stand by both statements. It's not that students don't have plenty of activities to occupy them, or that school isn't enough of a draw to make a town bearable.

The trouble is the students' odd lack of interest in local business. Where are the late night coffeehouses? The hangouts for young folks? Where do non-drinking students go at night?

There are a handful of businesses that cater to UNC students, and do it well. With the newly expanded Bear Bus service, students have quick-and-easy access to the downtown area and a number of bars and clubs.

Bars and clubs sadly don't do much for the under-21 crowd, a sizeable portion of the university population. Frustrated with a lack of nightlife options, underage students will turn to house parties that often leave them in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation. How can Greeley businesses welcome them at night?

Live music, late night food and social events are all draws. Students (most of them) don't run businesses because they have neither the time nor the money. They do support businesses, however. The more student-oriented a business is, the more students will orient themselves in its doors.

Having an enormous concentration of college-aged people in a town should be a boon to business, not a hindrance; yet, dozens of businesses insist on keeping them away at night — because of liquor laws or just poor marketing choices. So where are the businesses that ask for young students? That beg for them?

If you know and love one, let us know what it is and why it's good for students. I promise, I will check it out. And if it turns out I've overlooked the best parts of the town, I will gladly eat my words. And their food, if it's delicious.

— Mark Maxwell is a junior theater arts major and a columnist for The Mirror.