The Survey

A survey is currently underway to help determine how Emporia State students perceive local business options. Conducted by Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods, the survey will be completed in late February and then distributed to local businesses.
“Our businesses have always told us that they want to reach out to ESU students but there’s a communication barrier there,” Woods said. “So we’re trying as a Main Street organization to bridge that gap and take the information from the students to the businesses.”
A similar survey was first taken by Emporia high school students and after the college surveys are complete, an online survey will be available for other community members.

However, Woods said that college students are the main focus.
“Basically what we’re trying to gauge is what students like and what they don’t like about the entertainment, retail, and service options in Emporia and it’s our hope that we can share that information with Emporia Main Street members and other economic development agencies,” Woods said. “So when new businesses are opening up or when existing businesses are looking to expand, they can keep the student population in mind and make adjustments to their inventory, their services or the style of products that they’re carrying so that they are more appealing to the student body.”
Woods hopes to halt the commute of college students to other cities with bigger shopping venues by making retail in Emporia more appealing. While some branch organizations are not an option because of the smaller population of the town, Woods hopes that entrepreneurs will open stores or restaurants that are similar to the mainstream ones in demand.

“We’d like to use some of this information for our entrepreneurs that are looking to start businesses, and at the same time we’ll release that information to our existing business members so they can make changes,” Woods said.
Flint Hills Mall Director Jose Feliciano said that while he is always open for feedback, he thinks the mall already has options to satisfy the needs of college students.
“I personally think the mall has what college students need – Buckle, Maurice’s – we have quite a bit to offer college students as it is,” Feliciano said. “We definitely look at all opportunities for things that the community is lacking. We look at resources for children’s clothing, women’s clothing, more specialized stores. It would be nice to have another bookstore – it’s definitely something I think the college students love to have.”
According to results from surveys that have already been processed, students want to see more concerts, clothing venues and a wider variety of restaurant options, particularly ones that will appeal to more international students. Overall, restaurant variety has been complemented so far on the survey.
“I’m surprised about how the student body has reacted so far in the fact that they really seem to enjoy some of the locally owned options. That’s a bit unusual nationally, but we saw that locally owned restaurants were actually preferred over chains,” Woods said.
Justin Smith, senior political science and sociology major, a member of Project to Improve Emporia, along with Harrison George, senior sociology major, has worked with Woods to help distribute the survey.
“We’re getting pretty good feedback so far,” Smith said. “We’re passing out surveys whenever we can. I’ve been giving them out in classes and to different organizations that I’m in.”
He complements the survey’s specificity, saying that more options in town would enhance the student experience at ESU.
“It’s a good survey because it’s so targeted to our age group and college students specifically,” Smith said. “So many people like this school but they don’t like the town as much. It’s a great way to get feedback.”
Feliciano agrees that college students have a lot of influence in Emporia.
“As a community, I think feedback is good,” Feliciano said. “I think that everybody should give constant feedback and the involvement with ESU and what they foresee as their needs is a good way to try and meet everybody’s needs.
To fill out a survey or for additional information contact the CSI office in the Memorial Union or Casey Woods at his Main Street office. Today and tomorrow a representative from the Main Street office will be in the Union handing out surveys from noon until 3 p.m. In addition, surveys are available online at
www.survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2n8mftsg2nx7y6b/start

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