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THE TARTAN WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011 OUR OPINION | The Tartan

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Our Opinion pieces are written collectively by members of The Tartan Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is comprised of the editing staff, Insights writers and other Radford University students. These undergraduate and graduate students represent multiple class levels and different political, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Members may or may not belong to a variety of student organizations. The Editorial Board is open to all RU students who apply. To join The Tartan Editorial Board, please contact us at tartan@radford.edu or (540) 831-5474 to schedule an interview.

More to Radford than hookah, booze, ink

TARTAN STAFF
Laura Enderson Editor-in-Chief Meghan McNeice Managing Editor Insights Editor Rachael Smith Assistant Insights Editor Rachael Wilkins Head Copy Editor Francis Smith Assistant Copy Editor Christian Stephens Arts Director Brittany LaTempa Assistant Arts Director Courtney Earll Photography Editor AJ Schrantz Assistant Photography Editor Jennifer Werner News Editor Brittany Jeglum Assistant News Editor Calvin James Pynn The Scene Editor Matt Halberg Sports Editor AJ Neuharth-Keusch Assistant Sports Editor

ake a walk downtown, and ask yourself what you see a majority of. As long as most of us have been attending Radford University, it has been apparent that what we have caters to the general population. This is a college town, populated mainly by college students, with the exception of professors, blue collar workers and the occasional retiree. Realistically, we dont necessarily have a shortage of bars, hookah lounges, and tattoo parlors. Is this something to be concerned about? Probably not. Does it say something about Radford? Probably so. Still, the question is: is there more to Radford than the general outlets for leisure and debauchery? Right off the bat, the answer seems obvious. Yes, of course there is more to Radford than the bars and hookah lounges. You dont even have to drive a mile from campus to see it. With Bissett Park, the historic Glencoe museum, St. Albans, and a plentiful amount of restaurants spread throughout Radford, its all but clear that the area has plenty to offer. Realistically, a town is going to have bars Radford always has and always will. Smoking hookah has been growing as a popular activity among college students in general, and its nothing more than simple business ethics to market your product where people will actually consume it. The presence of the tattoo parlors follows the same basic principle, and in that sense, they will always be a part of the ideal off-campus experience.

There are six bars downtown, and each one seems to attract similar, yet in some ways, particularly different crowds. As one can observe the general population goes to Sharkeys and BTs, with Mi Puerto and Bar 24 being more populated with the lesser seen crowd, and Rileys seems to attract those associated with Greek Life, as well as a majority of the Northern Virginia crowd, while Screamers attracts the older crowd. With a variety to cater to different groups of people, the heavy presence of bars downtown makes more sense than anything. Just about anyone can be spotted at Pyramids Hookah or Royal She-Sha, and as far as Radfords tattoo parlors are concerned, they serve their own purpose to a broad range of Radfords population. If the people here want what they have to offer, why not let them exist? For those that have a legitimate concern about the dominant presence of those particular businesses, we still have establishments like BTO Frozen Yogurt, Radford Sushi Village, the Green Heron gallery, the old Radford movie theater, and the River City Grill. Truth be told, there are a lot of great businesses downtown, and if anyone feels that Radford is defined by the drinkers, smokers, and tattoo clad folk, then they should probably look deeper and see what else there is to experience. Rapper Black Cobains new music video for Its My Party, which was filmed on Radfords Light Side during a busy weekend of frat house keggers, could be seen as a confirmation of our

communitys reputation as one of the wildest party towns on the east coast. In some ways, its a faulty, yet understandable claim. Realistically, this is a college town, full of college students who like to booze to the weekends endthe fact is undeniable. Still, at the same time, such a claim bears its inevitable inaccuracies. Just as there are plenty of partiers, there are also plenty of hardworking individuals who put all they have into their futures rather than incoherently enjoying the present. The same principle applies to the comparison of those businesses. The only difference, however, is that the bars, tattoo shops, and hookah lounges may not necessarily mark progression for our community, but still provide a valuable and purposeful service nonetheless. In truth, downtown Radford has an infamously low survival rate for some businesses that attempt to settle there. While there are plenty that have strived and remained successful for years on end, anyone who has lived here long enough can attest to the amount of some businesses that have come and gone over the years. On that note, the bars, hookah lounges and tattoo shops are not only appropriately placed, but welcome in their location, based on the crowd they attract. Still, Radford has plenty more to offer, you just have to look a little further to find it. Incidentally, things could be much worse here, and overall, despite its reputation as a drinking town, Radford has always managed to maintain a general sense of decency.

Midnight classes help those with schedules who might be a little conflicted

While some sleep, some school

MEGHAN MCNEICE
CLASS: Junior MAJOR: Journalism

Word

Although Main Street is just one strip, its a street packed with shops and resturants that keep the town and students happy. What is your favorite shop on Main Street?

on the street

What you are saying...

Whitley Rogers Junior
Mi Puertos because they have good Mexican food. They have awesome prices for food and drinks and they accomidate to your need no matter what. I had my birthday there two years in a row and I plan on keeping the tradition. They are really nice and cool.

Maddy Sprenger Junior

River City Grill because the food is really good, its affordable and you always get amazing service.

ost students when registering, shoot to take classes that keep them on track to graduation while also setting a schedule that best fits their lifestyle. Rarely do people enjoy 8 a.m. classes, but some students prefer to wake up and get things done and enjoy the rest of the day. For other students, waking up early occurs daily, but for other opportunities. They still might not enjoy it but have to for work before even attending classes. Wouldnt it be easier if there were more night classes available to give students like this a break throughout the day? In a USA Today article, colleges all over the U.S. are starting to offer midnight classes. They are being offered to those who may have children, working to make ends meet or simply for people who like to stay up at night and sleep late the next day. Other colleges are offering these classes because their universities are crowded and not enough classes are open during the day. Community colleges are most open to this idea, because they know students are busy working, even the third shift. One teacher shares her experience teaching one of the midnight classes and she has a blast. She says as long as she keeps them engaged and up on their feet with presentations her class is just like any other college class. Her students creatively decided to have pot luck dinners, since they are a once a week class, to feed their minds before class starts to wake them up a bit. If RU were to start midnight classes I think some students would willingly take them. More students would be able to work during the day and some students dont go to bed until 2 a.m. on a daily basis anyway. It could help people graduate on time, help increase the amount of classes offered, and could be more time convient for some professors with younger children.
LAUREN ROWLEY| The Tartan

Email:mmcneice@radford.edu

Sarah Prosser Junior

I like the ower shop because the owner is so friendly. Everytime I go in he is welcoming and does a wonderful job of helping me with any questions I have.

TARTAN WORD SEARCH

Find these: Main St. Shops terms in the puzzle:

SHARKEYS RIVER CITY GRILL SCREAMERS BLACK DIAMOND RADFORD THEATER NAGOYA BTOS LAMOURS MI PUERTOS SUSHI VILLAGE

READERS WRITE OPINION PIECES Please e-mail letters to the editor to tartan@radford.edu. Letters will be edited and used at the discretion of the editorin-chief. Authors individual editorials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tartan staff members or Radford University.