As a parent of an out of state student at Ferris I think the article was right on the mark about students leaving campus on weekends, but I also want to acknowledge the efforts Ferris is making in regards to making a name for its self outside the state. FSU is on the radar of students from Illinois,Wisconsin,Indiana and other Great Lakes states due its scholorship opportunities and affordability. This fall Ferris advertised with a attractive billboard on a major Chicagoland tollway. Believe me it got my attention as well as others who knew my son attended Ferris. It definitely peaked the interest in Big Rapids and FSU. Perhaps the Big Rapids community should jump on this opportunity and promote itself as a college town with benefits. Benefits like living in and around state forests,bike trails, snowmobile trails, the Muskegeon River etc.
I know it takes time for attitudes to change and with stiff competition from Grand Rapids,MSU and University of Michigan; Ferris and Big Rapids have to be creative. But with my son staying on campus most weekends, and more out of state families looking at FSU it may not be hard to convince them that Big Rapids and Ferris has much to offer.
Mary Hart