The Story So Far

A street view of downtown Sandusky Street as seen from the JAYwalk.

A recent Transcript survey found the student body puts roughly $842,400 annually into the downtown Delaware economy. (Complete survey results on opposite page.)

The survey, randomly distributed to 273 students between Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, was conducted by journalism students to determine the personal and economic relationship between students and downtown Delaware.

The survey was given to 76 freshman, 68 sophomores, 70 juniors and 59 seniors. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

"When you asked how much Wesleyan students spent downtown, I really didn't have any idea," said Gus Comstock, economic development coordinator for the City of Delaware. "I might have said three or four hundred thousand with a rough guess. Eight hundred thousand is an eyebrow raiser. Let's make it a million."

The survey shows that the average student spends $13.50 per week in downtown. The amount of money spent downtown also increases with class rank. Freshmen are the lowest, averaging $8.09 per week, while seniors are the highest, averaging $20.33 per week. Sophomores and juniors average $12.79 and $14.40 respectively.

"That's a lot of coffees," said April Nelson, member of Main Street Delaware Inc. "You go out and order a pizza, there's $12. If you go to The Strand and get a coffee afterwards, there's $8. I can see how that would add up fairly quickly. Thirteen and a half bucks a week isn't much for anybody to spend when you think about it."

The survey shows that 10 percent of the participants never visit downtown Delaware while 26 percent visit three or more times per week. Of that 26 percent, 71 percent are juniors and seniors.

Freshman Jesika Keener said she visits downtown once a week. "The town is right there and you don't have to have a car," Keener said. "Downtown doesn't seem shady. When I visited Wittenberg, Springfield was the creepiest place I'd ever been."

Good food, cold beer

Downtown Delaware, for the means of the survey, is defined as the area on both sides of Sandusky Street between London Road (near Walgreen's and Vaquero's) and Central Avenue (Courthouse, Bag of Nails).

Junior Callie Seltzer said she visits downtown three or more times per week and thinks students take advantage of downtown for limited reasons.

"When I think of downtown Delaware, I think of restaurants, and that's about it," Seltzer said. "Sure there are many knick-knack stores, but when you boil it down, after class, the only thing most students care about are eating and drinking."

"Sure there are many knick-knack stores, but when you boil it down, after class, the only thing most students care about is eating and drinking" -junior Callie Seltzer

The survey results correspond with that thought. When asked to name three places they visited most often, 33 percent of the participants listed Avesta Eclectic Cuisine. Clancy's Pub came in second with 30 percent, followed by the Mean Bean (27 percent), Subway (20 percent), the bank (all banks included together-18 percent), Hot Potato (13 percent), the Backstretch Bar (11 percent) and Old Bag of Nails Pub (10 percent).

"I do find more of a reason to go down there now though than I did two years ago because they offer us more now," Seltzer said. "Several restaurants have opened up since I was a freshman and many of the buildings that were empty have been renovated."

Among juniors and seniors, 70 percent of each class listed that Delaware had changed for the better in their time here.

Nelson said downtown business has made a resurgence in the last five years. She said there was a 20 to 25 percent vacancy rate in downtown storefronts in 2001. "Downtown was dying," she said. "Now, it's not even an issue because there's a zero percent vacancy rate downtown. As the vacancy rate dropped and it became"

(from opposite page)

a tighter market to get a business in, landlords had more selectivity."

Where's the club life?

A graphic summary of the Downtown Survey Results concerning student perceptions of Delaware.

With newer downtown businesses (Avesta's, Old Bag of Nails Pub, Hot Potato, Rudy Z's) bringing more evening-oriented destinations to Delaware, what is the next step in business selection for downtown Delaware landlords? If they read the survey, when the business space opens, they will invest in a night club.

Although Delaware is home to Club Impact, 22 percent of the participants listed "night club" as the one business they would like to see in downtown Delaware. T The next highest business was a Chipotle with 9 percent.

Junior Julie Evans, who has w worked at Avesta's since her freshman year, said more businesses focused towards nightlife could only help the economy.

"If you compare it to something like Worthington, which still has its historical sense and small town charm, people go there with specific places in mind," Evans said. "I think it would be great if Delaware had that same reputation."

Lost business

An Economic Development Plan from 2004 for the city states, "among existing downtown Delaware consumers, almost 90 percent do most of their shopping at Polaris or other competitive locations."

Nelson said Delaware wasn't the only city that dealt with losing money to suburbs.

"You're never going to have a downtown like you did 50 years ago, where there's a grocery store and a clothing store, etc.," she A said. "That doesn't exist anywhere anymore, maybe in Montana or Wyoming, I don't know. You have to make your downtown a place that somebody wants to go to."

According to the survey, downtown businesses and students have a pleasant symbiosis.

Although 87 percent of the participants said downtown Delaware didn't play a part in their decision to come to OWU, nearly the same percentage (86 percent) found the city's business owners "welcoming."

In rating their overall experience downtown (with "1" being "bad" and "5" being "great") 46 percent rated their experience a "3", while 31 percent gave it a "4." Only 2 percent gave it a "1" while 5 percent gave it a "5."

Off-campus food points

The survey results come at a time when more students should be making their way downtown due to the off-campus food point system, installed at the beginning of the Fall 2005 semester.

However, according to the survey, only 27 percent of the participants use all of their off-campus food points per semester. Twenty-three percent said they use none of their off-campus food points. Fifty-five percent use half or less.

Even so, Evans said off-campus food points are a crucial part of Avesta's business.

More than money

Nelson said she thought many Delaware residents would be surprised at the $842,400 amount that the survey projects.

"It's a good thing to remind people that they [students] plug back into this community in a lot of ways that we don't appreciate and recognize," Nelson said. "There are a lot of Wesleyan students involved in community service sorts of things and they don't get a lot of recognition for that. Being able to tell them, 'Hey, we do make an impact on the economy. We spend this much in your community every year.' That's a nice thing to know."

A Delaware Economic Development Plan from 2004 lists OWU as the city's fifth major employer with about 500 employees. Ahead of Wesleyan were Grady Hospital (650 employees), the Kroger Great Lakes Regional Distribution Center (625 employees), PPG Industries (623 employees) and Delaware County (524 employees).

The exterior of the Old Bag of Nails restaurant on Sandusky Street.

Whether it's a discount on a cup of coffee or dollar shots after 10 p.m., more businesses are targeting students and taking advantage of the business they bring.

Downtown Delaware has become a destination spot for new businesses in the last year, and many owners said the town's appeal has a lot to do with OWU.

The New Guys: Rudy Z's Vitality is exactly what Rudy Z's owner Jason Moore said helped him decide to open his restaurant on Sandusky Street.

"The town itself is on the verge of being more of a destination to people in surrounding areas," he said. "OWU really gives Delaware intellectual flavor."

Moore said his business, which opened in December, has already established a great reputation and customer-base.

"The business has played out exactly how I wanted it to," he said. "I didn't want it to be a college bar like Clancey's, but I also didn't want to exclude students from coming in and enjoying themselves. We've achieved a really good balance, though." Moore said he predicts downtown Delaware will become "hipper" in the next few years.

"I think it's become obvious Delaware and its residents are ready to expand downtown and take advantage of its potential," he said. "I really think the town has taken notice to the positive effects the new businesses are having and wants to see more of it."

Old Bag of Nails Pub Another restaurant that has become quite popular among students is Old Bag of Nails. Manager Mark Wead said Delaware's small-town atmosphere along with the location of OWU helped with his decision to open in June.

"Our company likes to target small town markets," he said. "We like to be a destination people will go to and with Delaware's popularity on the rise, it was a fit.

"Recently, students have been coming in and renting out the bar for events or parties," he said. "We took notice to that and started offering discounts on drinks at the bar after 10 p.m. in an effort to draw the student crowd in a little later at night."

Wead said when it comes to opening up a business in Delaware, there is no denying the student population at OWU benefits business owners.

"There is an obvious decline in sales when you guys are home during the summer months or over Christmas break," he said. "The bottom line is the town is busier when you guys are here and, therefore, everybody in town with a business is benefiting from it."

The arrival of several new businesses has caused some of downtown's older establishments to strengthen their relationship with the OWU community in order to sustain the new competition.

Unlike some of downtown's newer businesses, these older establishments rely on the business students bring and, in order to maintain that relationship, they are willing to go the extra mile.

Avesta's Going that extra mile is exactly what Avesta Saaty, owner of Avesta's, said she did when she gave the food point system a try when other businesses were hesitant.

"Partnering with the University's card system was an obvious choice for me," she said. "It wasn't easy at first. In fact, we were swamped by students who would come in 10 to 20 at a time. However, we've smoothed out the sys-"

tem and in the end, the benefits outweighed the problems.

Saaty said when she decided to open a restaurant in Delaware three years ago, the number one attraction was the University.

"I wanted to create a new, hip place that would appeal to students and faculty," she said. "We rely heavily on the students. They're some of our biggest supporters, and without them I would probably be out of business."

The Backstretch

A favorite hangout for students and locals alike is the Backstretch. The bar was established in 1946 but wasn't dubbed its infamous name "The Stretch" until its current owners purchased it in 1983.

Assistant manager Heather Prindle said The Stretch has a perfect blend of students and locals.

"It's a 50/50 relationship," she said. "During the school year we get a good amount of students at night and on weekends. During the summer months it can get a little quiet without you, but that's where that balance comes in.

"The students bring such a diverse mix of people to Delaware," she said. "Without the campus, I don't know what it would be like."

Mean Bean

A modern photo of the intersection at Sandusky and William Streets.

Max Donohew, manager of Mean Bean Caffeine Lounge, began his business five years ago, and it has become a popular stop for coffee lovers at OWU.

"I love the amount of student business the Mean Bean receives on a daily basis," he said. "Students really contribute a lot to the atmosphere of downtown. They make it more relaxed and more metropolitan because there's such a great mix of people."

Donohew said students make up around 30 percent of his business, but that number is increasing now that he has joined the University's food point system.

The Brown Jug

The Brown Jug has been operating downtown for over 60 years and is considered a landmark.

"We certainly get a lot of OWU business, particularly after athletic events and around graduation," said Ed Wolf, manager of the Jug.

Wolf said OWU students make up about 10 percent of the Jug's business but that number was a lot higher years ago.

"Now, students are far more mobile than they used to be," he said. "They can get in their cars and drive to businesses in and around downtown easier than they could 15 years ago."

When it comes to competition between newer business and the Jug, Wolf said he doesn't feel it.

"To be honest with you, the largest competition we face as a restaurant is with the University and students' food points," he said. "The University captures the student dollar and therefore students are less likely to spend their own money."

Main Street Members

No group understands the benefits of downtown business better than Main Street Delaware Inc. Main Street is an organization of members from the Delaware community who work together with private businesses and local government to improve and promote historic downtown Delaware.

Executive Coordinator Rhea Don Smith said she moved to Delaware 22 years ago because of Ohio Wesleyan.

"I decided to live in Delaware because of Ohio Wesleyan's campus," she said. "I loved how it gave the town a sense of community and I think that effect has only gotten better over the years."

Smith said downtown Delaware is going in the right direction.

"Merchants know how to cater to individual taste in Delaware," she said. "It's because of this people see Delaware as an entertainment factor when they shop here."

Smith said the newer businesses downtown definitely cater to student taste.

"Obviously some of the older businesses don't give student patronage a whole lot of thought because they don't have a lot of student customers," she said. "However, the newer businesses are targeted right to you."

However, Director of Events Jesse Carter said Delaware is growing rapidly and, because of that, students are not as vital to businesses as they used to be. "We have not seen significant renovation work and the major influx of new businesses solely because of OWU," he said. "But OWU is a significant factor. There are some businesses who still cater and rely heavily upon students and probably always will."

In August 2004, the city initiated a survey of downtown properties to capture current business growth and residential unit increase. The project summary commenced in January 2005. The survey results stated downtown Delaware has been undergoing a slow but consistent revitalization over the past 10 years.

Sandusky Street

In the past seven years about 46 buildings have undergone rehabilitation, said Christine Palmer, housing and neighborhood planner, and both public and private sectors have made significant investments.

Community Affairs Coordinator Lee Yoakum said downtown Delaware and OWU are more inter-related than people think.

"Without OWU, the city of Delaware would be without important educational, cultural, social and athletic outlets," he said. "Without the city of Delaware, OWU would lack the solid midwestern character that has been at its heart for more than 160 years."

A simple illustration of a person walking away while carrying a computer monitor, captioned 'Welch Computer Lab.'

Dear Editor,

I have already written on this topic before, so I will try to be brief. (If Jerome yawns again, I apologize. I have not yet plumbed the depths of life's trivialities to a point where I could write a weekly column about them. I have much to learn in the art of unsolicited scribbling, and my name does not rhyme with "home" like his. Some guys have all the luck!)

The cover of last week's Transcript detailed the theft of two computers from Welch's computer lab, which occurred at some point over Spring break. While this is doubtless regrettable, it is important that we not draw the wrong conclusions from it.

In the past year, we have seen the closing of the 24-hour computer labs in Smith and Stuyvesant, the addition of the 24-hour lab in the library for fall semester and then the closing of this same lab for the present semester. That makes three 24-hour labs we have lost in the past year alone. Computers and computer labs are disappearing from OWU at a frightening pace. Clearly, the theft of two computers over Spring break is not an isolated incident.

I would like to formally ask Jason Ramsey, chair of WCSA's Technology Committee, and Tom Green, associate director of libraries, where are all of our computer labs (specifically 24-hour labs) going, what exactly do you do with all the computers from the labs you close, and what do you plan to do with the computers that are left to us now?

In the article published April 13, I read: "With the stolen computers, maintenance and security issues and Beeghly Library's computer facilities expansion, LIS (Libraries and Information Systems) may consider closing down more computer labs on the residential side of campus." This is followed by: "Before the burglary, Welch was going to be the only lab left open, but now that may be in jeopardy, Ramsey said."

Forgive me, but I'm confused. If Welch was to be the only lab left open, then no one was "considering" closing down more computer labs; rather, it had already been decided that more computer labs would be closed. So which one is it? Are you considering closing more labs, or have you already decided? OWU students have a right to know.

The arguments one hears in favor of closing our computer labs boggle the mind. Tom Green says, "The closing of more residential hall computer labs (in Stuy and Smith) was part of the negotiations with WCSA that led to the 24-hour library space." This is quite the deal that WCSA made with LIS, then, considering that the 24-hour library space is no more. Can you imagine the negotiations?- "We'll give you two computer labs, but only if you promise to take one more at the end of next semester."

And chew on this: "Green said LIS decided to close the labs because of maintenance issues and they had received numerous complaints over the last few years about computers not working properly." So there are complaints about computers not working properly. Alright, what should we do about it? Clearly, we have no choice but to get rid of the computers.

But this one takes the cake: "Green also said Ohio Wesleyan is an exception when it comes to offering computer labs in dorms, since most universities don't offer any."

I am blushing with shame as I write. The barbarism of it is unspeakable.

All that said, if any other computers turn up missing in the future, we'll at least know there is a chance they'll be put to good use, so long as WCSA or LIS don't get their hands on them. (As consolation, you'll always have Jerome in your home. He's safe. Every university has one of these.)

Sincerely,

Lars Sorenson '06

A four-panel comic strip titled "Malfunction Junction" by Matt Milby featuring a woman and mechanical horse rides.

Matt Milby, above, and Natalie Dee, left, are both Columbus based webcomic artists. Check them out, their respective URLs are www.malfunctionjunction.net and www.nataliedee.com. (FYI: most content is more risqué)

If you like what you see, you can check out Natalie Dee Friday April 28 in Corns 312 as a part of Amnesty International's Activism weekend. The event is co-sponsored by the Media Club.

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A comic illustration by Natalie Dee with text about adult acne.

EASYwow! adult ache instead of regular acne! i'm finally a woman!!

www.nataliedee.com

MATT MILBY COPYRIGHT 2006