Small-town students invade Bloomington

When asking where another student is from there are lots of the common answers of big cities or near a big city. \nBut every now and then, that classic answer turns up -- a town in the middle of nowhere that you've never heard of.\nOften, the biggest difference in transitioning from a small town to Bloomington is the number of possibilities on any given day or weekend.\nIn Bloomington, many students are used to the nightlife. It is part of the college experience. House parties, hanging out at the Bluebird or getting down at Kilroy's are just a few of the activities students do to pass the time on the weekends.\nBut what about nightlife in a small town?\nSenior Jen McDonald, from Knightstown, Ind., graduated from Knightstown High in a class of 74 students. Having spent most of her life in the small town, nearly an hour away from Indianapolis, McDonald has grown accustomed to the bustling city-life Bloomington offers.\n"People comment on how there's nothing to do in Bloomington," she said. "There are many more opportunities here than in Knightstown."\nBut it's a semi-different story for senior Krystal Dunaway. \nDunaway, from Rising Sun, Ind., graduated with a class of 55 people. Her hometown, nestled nearly an hour away from Cincinnati, doesn't provide much to do either.\n"When you're not 21, there's really nothing to do," Dunaway said. "It's mostly parties or hanging out at the local bar. Bloomington is a complete 180 -- here the options are wide-open."\nSenior Kendra Buehner, from Newburgh, Ind., echoes this sentiment. While she grew up near Evansville, she still experienced small-town living. \n"It's nice to live in a small town and live close to a large city," Buehner said.\nWhile some students enjoy a break from small-town life, others have a harder time with the transition.\nSomething that gets overlooked in large, populated areas is the close bond neighbors share - the classic cliché that everybody knows everybody else.\n"In my hometown everyone knows you," McDonald said. "There's a closeness being there. Here, you miss out on that."\nBarry Magee, an assistant director for Diversity Education who works with the community educators in the residence halls, said he feels it's important students from large cities mix with students from small towns.\n"It's important to be willing to listen to the other person," Magee said. "A lot of times, there is a conflict due to a breakdown in communication. There are stereotypes between the two, mainly because people have different experiences."\n-- Contact staff writer Joe Reid at jcreid@indiana.edu.