• the217
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• Editor's Note

I forgot how horrible things get when you cram an extra 40,000 people into this town. The past three months, summer CU dwellers had their chance to stretch their legs a bit. We had the luxury of not waiting in line at campus food establishments, ample parking, and plenty of personal space when shopping at Target. Things got so relaxed, in fact, that the memories of the student invasion faded slowly into the background.

This week, however, I snapped out of my summertime dreamland when the suburban floodgates opened and the students came back in full force. Once again, you must sell your soul for a parking spot and wait in line at the bar for a drink behind a pack of ultra tan, Illini t-shirt wearing Greeks. It now takes three times as long for me to get to work, and the number of expletives I use on the drive over has doubled because the idiot pedestrians are back. I am still scolding myself for blocking out this nine-month reality.

But let’s suppose for a second, that all this “inconvenience” is for a greater good. More people equals more money in town, which means that all the local businesses townies and summer school students enjoy freely in the summer can stay alive. How selfish of us to want all the amenities that can accommodate an additional 40,000 “learners” without the willingness to absorb some of the consequences, like heavier traffic.

So to the students: Welcome Back! We’re glad to have you back as readers. And to all the townies: Get over it. You love this town, students and all, even if you don’t want to admit it.