Is Carbondale a college town? One would think so, given the large footprint of SIUC in the community but you do not see much of a signin the city that th eUniveristy is here. there is the Welcome to Carbondale sign mentioning SIUC on the east side as you drive in on Westbound 13 but nothing at the other three entrances.
There are the small green directional signs but one would think a large sign pointing in the direction of the Univeristy would be in place. The city has flag holders on light fixtures to hand banners promoting Halloween, Lights Fantastic and Black History Month but no generic SIUC flags that should be up at other times of the year.
the mural at the intersection of 51 and Mill is primarily due to work by the Chamber of Commerce and the university. The proposed murals in collaboration with Arstpace 301 focus more on community history with little reference to SIUC. It just seems more acknowledgement of the importance of SIUC to the community should be mande.
Maybe the decades long resentment of the community to being now almost economically dependent on SIUC may be the reason? With declining enrollment and the Chancellor's new focus on retaining students who do not get the required GPA to continue may be relevant reasons. SIUC's days are numbered in terms of growth and the community may be better advised to focus attention elsewhere.
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