This year, Park University will celebrate its 140th Anniversary. For more than a century, we have coexisted with the city of Parkville and the greater community. Both the University and city were founded by one man – George S. Park.

I don’t know how the landscape of Parkville would look like without MacKay Hall towering over it. On Missouri Highway 9, there is a sign that proudly proclaims “Welcome to Parkville: Home of Park University.” So no one would doubt that the city and the university are entwined in a symbiotic relationship. They have a mutual bond based on respect and common interests. Nonetheless, sometimes I think the Parkville is very different from Park University.

For starters, let’s look at demographics. Park is very diverse. Look around, and you will see a multicolored array of people. 103 countries are represented on Parkville campus. There is a United Nations on campus.

In contrast, Parkville is almost a monochrome. The U.S. Census website says 89.5 percent of residents were whites in 2010.

Naturally, much of Parkville’s population is older than the students.

The Parkville campus is home to millennials. It is true that the Park caters to an array of non-traditional students. But I think at the Parkville campus, millenials rule the roost.

There is also a huge disparity in income level. The median household income in Parkville is $107,917. That is quite high. Did you know that the median income for the state of Missouri is $47,380?

Parkville is really a suburb for middle class and upper middle class folks.

I don’t think I have to remind you there are rows and rows of McMansions up the road. The people at Riss Lake have a private lake and we don’t even have a swimming pool.

An informal survey conducted mostly on weekend nights with classmates paints a different situation for the students. Over drinks, I have gathered that like me, most students are broke. For most though, the only consolation is that it is currently tax season and a refund might be soon headed their way.

It is not all doom. There are several points of interaction that Park and Parkville perform well at. For example, currently there is one faculty member on the Board of Alderman. And just recently, the women’s volleyball team was recognized by the city. And, hardly a week passes by without seeing the Parkville police. I had like to think they are on campus to show their visibility and hence make everyone feel safe.

So at a macro scale, I think the Park and Parkville do well. There is a symbiotic relationship. It is at the micro scale, that there is a dismal performance. And I will speak more about the interaction of student and citizen. I don’t know much about faculty and staff. I know they are some that have a foot in both worlds. It is the students and citizens that I don’t think have any more than superficial contact.

Perhaps the generational gap and the income disparity explain the divide.

I think it is up to the students to take the initiative. I am not just talking about the international students. I am involved with an organization called International Student Fellowship. Part of the reason the organization exists is to get international students to get into American homes. Sadly, many international students will go back to their countries without having ever stepped in an American home. Off-campus international students are even more isolated.

There is a group of apartment blocks that I like to call “Little West Africa” just because of the sheer number of West African students who reside there. Just because they are in America and live on campus or room with other international students, they might think they have the full American experience. I think this is a part where the community has failed. Back at home, I think we have an attitude that you have not really become someone’s friend until you have visited their home.

My observation has been that since Parkville is more a residential area, many students are disappointed by the lack recreational opportunities. It is kind of true in that the recreational facilities in Parkville are more geared towards family activities. This might explain why, apart from the YMCA, no one really hangs out in Parkville.

Kansas City is where all the action is. Thus you will find a lot of students in Westport or the Country Club Plaza. Because of this I think the student and the citizen know even less about each other.
If the bond between town and gown is to be strengthened both the University and the greater Parkville community need to provide more rich interactional experiences at the individual level.  I think that both sides could benefit from the interaction and there should be a genuine commitment to do this because both the student and citizen can learn from each other.