[Vision2020] The Wal-Mart Effect on Moscow

[April Fingerlos]

Coming out of lurking...

It's not THE decision by any means, but recent trends in the school selection process are putting the school amenities, both on and off campus, on equal footing to academic opportunities. The number of visitations to schools is increasing at amazing rates. In my office (Admissions at WSU--I work in undergraduate recruitment and have provided recruitment technique consultancy to schools around the nation), we have responded this national trend by displacing a tutoring lab with a high-tech, specialized Welcome Center to further accommodate the increasing size and frequency of requests for tailored campus visits.

We're seeing significant increases in the number of high school sophomores and juniors visiting campus, which may have some influence on the lifestyle quotient. This population isn't as tuned in to their final major selection process (but that is changing--another trend) as their older counterparts, and evaluate the campus on what it would be like to live here. The vast majority of WSU's (and UI's) incoming freshmen class come from the population centers of the state(s), and we are graded, in part, on those equal amenities at a very early stage.

Recently, I was in the new Welcome Center to address an employee's questions on my software, and I patiently waited while that person answered post-tour questions. The first two questions were "Can you give me directions to Home Depot?" and, after hearing there wasn't one on the Palouse, asked "Do you have a Linens N Things or a Bed Bath and Beyond?" No, not Wal-Mart, but the one thing parents and students will bring with them is their comfort level with known companies and brands. Yes, we might have alternate selections, but they aren't always acceptable substitutes.


April

April Fingerlos
Moscow, ID 

>>> <joekc at adelphia.net> 2/12/2006 6:30:15 am >>>
It is just incorrect to think that ANY student makes a decision about where to go to school based on whether or not there is a Super Wal-Mart in the town, as opposed to just a regular, old Wal-Mart.

And if you think that your argument is correct, Donovan, why not work with Bob Stout and other council members to do something about affordable housing in Moscow? That would make a real difference.

--
Joe Campbell