Students Get Acquainted With Community Services

Vicki Jones of Bank Iowa was one of several area business people on hand Tuesday to greet Penn students back to Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – William Penn students have returned to Oskaloosa for the year. Another group have arrived for the first time, and are unfamiliar with the many services available to them while here.

During Tuesday morning, William Penn held a vendor fair in the PAC to help students and members of the community get better acquainted with one another.

Churches, non-profits and businesses set up tables to greet and inform the students about the community.

Justine Munger of In Vivo Studios was one of those local business owners who set up on Tuesday. This was her third year at the fair. Munger said she enjoys getting to know the students that attend William Penn, and finds that the fair is a good way of building those relationships.

Students and vendors then enjoyed a meal served by Sodexo before the students headed back for afternoon classes and the vendors packed up til next year.

The economic impact the William Penn students have on Oskaloosa is substantial. In the last survey done in 2014, when enrollment was just over 900 students, was estimated to be 1.7 million dollars.

Overall, nearly 49 million is spent in Oskaloosa because of William Penn University.