After one week of classes, students have begun to settle in and adjust to campus life. One of the best parts about Marshall’s campus is how easy it is to navigate. A big school feel with a compact campus, but campus isn’t where all your time needs to be spent.

Huntington is a city with a lot of character, an amazing arts scene, and great local food. Normally, you would have to find these attractions, but this week marks the 8th annual Huntington Music and Arts Festival, a week that displays Huntington’s local food, art and music.

If arts aren’t your thing, you should look forward to a Marshall game day. The campus and city come to life more than most larger campuses do for a football game. Go out and tailgate, grab some friends and fill the Joan to show pride in this school and community.

Too often people and students downplay Huntington by telling incoming students to stay on campus and that Huntington is a dangerous place. That is far from the truth; Huntington is a city that continues to persevere and is always trying to show people what it can truly offer.

It is no secret that Huntington has been hit by the sad reality of America’s opiate crisis. But that crisis has spread to the entire country and is not just something that we deal with here. And if you stop to look, Huntington and Marshall University have been working together to try and combat that problem.

Neither Huntington nor Marshall would be the same without each other. When you wake up this Saturday for this season’s first football game or if you head to Ritter Park for HMAF, you will see that the city of Huntington and Marshall come together. The people of Huntington are so proud of their city and their school, and when you experience these events, you will feel the same.

It would be difficult to find any corner of the city without a Marshall flag flying, a sign in the front yard or some other representation of the university. Even if they have not attended this school, the members of the Huntington community are proud to be a part of the Marshall community.

The recent solar eclipse is an excellent example of the community coming together with the university. The campus was filled with individuals who, for at least a moment, didn’t argue about differences and weren’t frightened by the opiate epidemic. They just came together and represented the university and the community of Huntington together.

But something to think about when you’re bored this week, is to try and head out to some of these events for HMAF, or make your way down to Pullman with some friends. When you’re there, try and get to know the people of Huntington. There are so many interesting people from here who love to hear from students.

So don’t be afraid to venture out into Huntington. This is your home for the next four years. Your experience here is what you make it. Huntington can be a scary unknown place, or it can become one of the most fond memories of your college experience.