At the Torch we always value the input of our readers. So when we received a number of Letters to the Editor last week, we were excited that there was so much feedback.
Obviously one of the more hot-button issues has been the role that Ferris students and the city of Big Rapids play within one another’s existence. To me, this seems like a type of “chicken or the egg” situation.
A week ago we started a Torch poll on our Web site. “How would you rate the relationship between the Ferris students and the Big Rapids community?” Of the responses, 90 percent said that the relationship was “fair, poor or bad.” Only nine percent would describe the relationship as “good.”
Obviously, this should be a concern.
This may just be an issue of Public Relations. Right or wrong, padlocking a student’s apartment doesn’t send a positive welcome message to other students. Neither does that student shooting fireworks from his apartment in the middle of the night.
There could be a desire to not conform to the “college town” stereotype and parents may not be interested in a school with a reputation as a good place to party, but there has to be a middle ground.
So I have some questions, feel free to answer them on the Torch Web site, fsutorch.com as a comment to this story.
What do you like about Big Rapids?
What don’t you like about Big Rapids?
What have you always wanted to do here, but haven’t?
When you leave Big Rapids for the weekend, where do you go?
What could you do, personally, to enjoy your time here more and what could others do? n