DOWAGIAC — Southwestern Michigan College students can now look for small stickers in the windows of local businesses in order to score a good deal.

SMC has partnered with the Greater Dowagiac Area Chamber of Commerce to provide students with discounts at downtown businesses. Participating businesses include: Round Oak Revisited, Vincent J. Jewelers, Deck the Halls, Olympia Books, Mudlucious, Underwoods, Aaron’s, Sears, Wright Farms Market, Rosy Tomorrows, Yarn on the Front, Front Street Salon, Hairitage, Booth’s Country Florist, Dowagiac Canoe Rental, IT3 Computer Repair, Saylor’s Pizzeria, China Garden, Caruso’s Candy Kitchen, Baker’s Rhapsody, Beeson Street Bar and Grill, Woodfire Trattoria and Wounded Minnow Saloon.

Most participating businesses, which will be marked with a window sticker, are offering a 10 percent discount to SMC students with a current college ID.

“This is an approach we worked with the chamber of commerce on to try to connect students to downtown,” said Joseph Odenwald, vice president of student services at SMC. “This is kind of the basis for that. … There are a couple benefits to this. One is that we want students to go beyond our campus and not just spend money, but also have an appreciation for community. This won’t just support our businesses that way, but maybe students could fill positions that are open downtown as well. I think it is a win-win.”

Odenwald worked with Kim MacGregor, president of the Greater Dowagiac Area Chamber of Commerce, to bring the partnership about. MacGregor individually went to each business participating to ask them to be a part of the project.

“I think it is a great thing, and Joe has done a great job with this,” MacGregor said. “Many businesses were on board and loved the idea.”

The discounts are part of a larger push by both SMC and the chamber to get students and younger people more involved in downtown life. Other initiatives include a shuttle bus once a week to take students downtown, a Downtown at Dusk event on Aug. 30 for students to introduce them to the downtown, and a community service day downtown on Aug. 31 for students.

“I think citizenship is really important and I think this is one way for students to have a better sense of where they live, whether they are a permanent resident of Cass County or whether they have come to us out of state or even if they are an international student,” Odenwald said.

MacGregor said she and the rest of the chamber were on board with the push to integrate SMC students more in the downtown area.

“By introducing students to the city, they may stay. You never know,” she said. “When you can integrate younger people into the community in any capacity — whether it is shopping, living working — it’s a continuation of growth.”

Both Odenwald and MacGregor said they hope to work together again to facilitate more collaboration between SMC and the chamber of commerce.

“We want to continue to build this connection,” Odenwald said. “Right now, we have 15, 20 businesses participating [in the discounts]. We would be happy to take any more. We just want to see how this naturally develops.”