Sometimes I feel like the kid in the movie "Bubble Boy." | Not in that I don't have an immune system -- I do, and generally it works pretty well -- but in that, when I'm at school in Chapel Hill, I often feel I'm living inside a very large, campus-shaped bubble.

One of the wonderful things about college is that there are so many things to do: a capella performances, improv comedy, big-name speakers, 600 some student organizations.

There's the joy that is Carolina athletics (some of us are still celebrating a basketball championship). And then there are those things called classes.

We would be wasting our short time in college if we didn't take advantage of all those things. But nothing comes for free in life, and all those activities (and distractions) can insulate us from the world that exists outside campus, even what's right across the street. UNC students live, as it were, in a bubble.

Some events, like a presidential election, transcend the bubble and come to completely dominate campus life for a few weeks. ("No, I'm not registered to vote. Let's see ... Excuse No. 34: I'm an anarchist.") There are times that bubble is violently shattered and we're faced with the reality of the real world.

But, always, eventually, the bubble seals back up and campus life continues as it always has, an idyllic haven where our biggest worry is how we're going to write 10 pages before 11 a.m. tomorrow. (Answer: caffeine.)

I'm not going to lie; I like that bubble sometimes. But it's unnatural, and that's why Student Government is going to do its best to pop it this year.

We need to know that there's another world that exists out there -- one that some of us (myself included) will be entering soon enough. I can think of no better introduction than what's already right before us.

UNC students and town residents have much to offer and learn from each other. There are times our interests collide -- we need to make sure Franklin Street doesn't burn during celebrations, for example. And we're working on that. But we also want to create opportunities for positive engagement outside the bare necessities.

Case in point: Student Government recently worked with the Downtown Partnership to add two student seats to the Partnership's board of directors. The prosperity of downtown Chapel Hill is something students and residents alike care about, and we're excited to be able to provide a student perspective on some of the issues facing downtown.

We're continuing the Good Neighbor Initiative this fall, where we work with town officials to integrate students living off-campus into town communities. We hope that through events like the neighborhood clean-up and block party in September we can bring students and residents together to forge meaningful and productive relationships.

We're also working jointly on a safe celebration policy, because we don't think it's necessary to terrorize Franklin Street and make the town pay to clean it up just because we win something. (We know we win a lot, and it must get expensive.)

We've got a few other ideas in the works that we'll tell you about as they come to fruition. But we'd love to hear from you, too. This isn't a contest or a rivalry. It's a partnership.

So tell us what you think. Help us pop this bubble.

IF YOU GO

UNC Student Body President Jasmin Jones will speak to the Friends of Downtown at 10 a.m. Thursday on the second floor of the Franklin Hotel, 311 W. Franklin St. Meetings of the Friends of the Downtown are free and open to the public. Refreshments are served at 9:30.