SEMO'S OPENING BRINGS ECONOMIC BOOST

Classes started quietly at Southeast Missouri State University Monday.

There was no big fanfare as the city experienced a population explosion of more than 8,500 students over the past few days. But some of the city's merchants are very much aware that students are back in town.

Pizza sales are skyrocketing, gasoline sales are showing notable increases, and previously vacant apartments are filling up.

"It's been wild here," said a spokesman at Domino's Pizza, a pizza-delivery service with two facilities in Cape Girardeau. "Our night deliveries have increased substantially, and our day business was up considerably Monday."

Spokesmen from Imo's Pizza, Pagliai's Pizza, and Dino's Pizza restaurants, all on Broadway near the university, reported increased crowds.

With more than 5,000 new vehicles (1990-1991 total) in town, service station business is up in many areas, especially at stations near the school.

"Our gasoline business really jumped over the weekend," said a spokesman at Spanky's on North Sprigg near the Show Me Center.

Rhodes 101, which has several stores in the Cape Girardeau area, reported only slight increases during the weekend.

"One of our stations located near the university Pacific and Independence always experiences increases in sales during the school year," said a Rhodes 101 spokesman.

Service stations, food establishments, and apartment owners are usually first to notice a sudden economic impact when the university opens, but during the course of the school year many businesses clothing stores, specialty shops, grocery stores and others feel the positive impact from the university.

"The university impacts the economic wellbeing of the region," said Linda Cochran, economic development director at Southeast Missouri State University. "During the past school year, students alone accounted for more than $170,000 in local sales taxes in Cape County."

An economic impact study conducted in January by the university's Office of Economic Development and Office of Institutional Research and the faculty of the department of economics indicated that the university had a direct economic impact of $48,963,382 in the region, with the lion's share of that impact $43.2 million in Cape Girardeau County.

The survey also reported an indirect economic impact of about $36.7 million in Cape Girardeau and another $7.9 million throughout the area. Estimates are that direct expenditures will lead to (indirect) additional expenditures that are 85 percent of the direct figure.

"These figures are conservative," said Cochran. "We did not include Cape Girardeau students in the survey. We also did not count part-time students in the survey."

University faculty plays an important part in the overall economic picture. The university provides full-time employment to more than 900 people.

The study based spending on goods and services bought by the university from regional vendors and suppliers; earnings spent by university employees; food, clothing and entertainment bought by students; housing for students living off campus; lodgings, meals and purchases by visitors attending university events; and goods and services purchased by ServiceMaster Food Management Services, the university's food contractor.

Local and county governments receive almost $785,000 in real-estate and local sales taxes paid by employees, again with Cape County receiving the lion's share: more than $718,000. The survey also showed that university employees paid more than $400,000 in real-estate taxes and $170,000 in local sales taxes. Students also paid about $170,000 in sales taxes, and the food services paid another $28,000 in sales taxes.

The city recognizes the importance of the university as a factor in the region's growth and development.

"We have a good, positive relationship with the university," said J. Ronald Fischer, Cape Girardeau city manager. "Our feeling is that this is another little community, which moves into our community each year.

"All areas of the city are affected and we look forward to it each year," he said. "We feel that it is a great thing, and over the years a positive relationship has grown between the two communities."