2008 Woodie Awards
Tours mask problems
On The Rocks
Klara Nizki
Issue date: 3/17/04 Section: Opinions
It's time for prospective students and parents to take campus tours.
It's humorous to me how they're unaware of some of the problems our school has.
I want to be proud of the school I graduate from, but when I look at the condition and money management of our school, I wonder how it became this way.
Through life experience, I've realized to value the art of first impressions. This is why it comes to me as no surprise that the tours don't mention certain things about the Business and Aerospace Building, such as how the south side third floor balcony is about to fall off (the doors to the balcony are locked, and there is a sign) or how the elevator has a mind of its own, sometimes sitting idly on one floor and closing and reopening the doors, making handicapped students and faculty back track to the north side's elevator.
My favorite is the girls' restrooms. In one, ceiling tiles are black from mold, and in another, there are problems with the soap dispensers. This isn't an old building.
It was entertaining to see a landscaper trying to tidy up with a leaf blower in the rain and a guy arranging rocks in a ditch. That's my money efficiently at work, right?
When the tour continues to the library, do they mention that most of the books are outdated? It seems as if the money was spent more on the exterior appearance rather than the interior, the books, which is what really matters.
We really don't need books, when we have that new nice entrance for the football stadium in the works.
Though I must admit, at least there is a great article database and periodical collection.
In front of the library, we finally got rid of the nasty old portables that used to be offices. I'm assuming those offices are the ones that have moved into the asbestos-laden, condemned ex-dormitories. Apparently, the new lovely landscaping will prevent health problems as a result of exposure to the asbestos.
In our school's quest to pave over anything green, why has the issue of a parking garage always been shot down? If garages were built, I guess the school wouldn't make as much money off of parking tickets because there would actually be enough spots. It would save space, look nicer, and more students would go to class. I can't remember how many times I just went home because I couldn't find a spot or had wasted too much class time looking for one.
I've heard the issue with crime and safety in garages, but students aren't any safer now. In a recent semester, someone was attacked in their dorm room: Maybe we just need more security all around.
What's the point of constructing parking lots past the school apartments beside Greek Row? It seems speeder-hunting cops are the only people who actually park there. What a waste of time and money.
What about the rugby field in the middle of campus? Since everything else is paved over, why can't we make that a parking lot? The players would probably appreciate it if their field moved to where they could actually park close enough to walk there in a reasonable amount of time.
What about Blue Raider Drive? My tuition is paying pavers to drop blobs of hot asphalt into potholes and stomp on them with their feet until they think it's flat. The result of this is a reversed pothole, a lop-sided speed bump. No wonder I see a lot of jeeps and sport utility vehicles driving around campus.
I shouldn't even start on how many times the art department has been shafted for more popular programs.
I love the professors I have, but I'm tired of the headaches that come with attending here. I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this lack of supervision and responsibility on our school's behalf.
Klara Nizki is a junior business major and can be reached via e-mail at knizki@aol.com.
It's humorous to me how they're unaware of some of the problems our school has.
I want to be proud of the school I graduate from, but when I look at the condition and money management of our school, I wonder how it became this way.
Through life experience, I've realized to value the art of first impressions. This is why it comes to me as no surprise that the tours don't mention certain things about the Business and Aerospace Building, such as how the south side third floor balcony is about to fall off (the doors to the balcony are locked, and there is a sign) or how the elevator has a mind of its own, sometimes sitting idly on one floor and closing and reopening the doors, making handicapped students and faculty back track to the north side's elevator.
My favorite is the girls' restrooms. In one, ceiling tiles are black from mold, and in another, there are problems with the soap dispensers. This isn't an old building.
It was entertaining to see a landscaper trying to tidy up with a leaf blower in the rain and a guy arranging rocks in a ditch. That's my money efficiently at work, right?
When the tour continues to the library, do they mention that most of the books are outdated? It seems as if the money was spent more on the exterior appearance rather than the interior, the books, which is what really matters.
We really don't need books, when we have that new nice entrance for the football stadium in the works.
Though I must admit, at least there is a great article database and periodical collection.
In front of the library, we finally got rid of the nasty old portables that used to be offices. I'm assuming those offices are the ones that have moved into the asbestos-laden, condemned ex-dormitories. Apparently, the new lovely landscaping will prevent health problems as a result of exposure to the asbestos.
In our school's quest to pave over anything green, why has the issue of a parking garage always been shot down? If garages were built, I guess the school wouldn't make as much money off of parking tickets because there would actually be enough spots. It would save space, look nicer, and more students would go to class. I can't remember how many times I just went home because I couldn't find a spot or had wasted too much class time looking for one.
I've heard the issue with crime and safety in garages, but students aren't any safer now. In a recent semester, someone was attacked in their dorm room: Maybe we just need more security all around.
What's the point of constructing parking lots past the school apartments beside Greek Row? It seems speeder-hunting cops are the only people who actually park there. What a waste of time and money.
What about the rugby field in the middle of campus? Since everything else is paved over, why can't we make that a parking lot? The players would probably appreciate it if their field moved to where they could actually park close enough to walk there in a reasonable amount of time.
What about Blue Raider Drive? My tuition is paying pavers to drop blobs of hot asphalt into potholes and stomp on them with their feet until they think it's flat. The result of this is a reversed pothole, a lop-sided speed bump. No wonder I see a lot of jeeps and sport utility vehicles driving around campus.
I shouldn't even start on how many times the art department has been shafted for more popular programs.
I love the professors I have, but I'm tired of the headaches that come with attending here. I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this lack of supervision and responsibility on our school's behalf.
Klara Nizki is a junior business major and can be reached via e-mail at knizki@aol.com.
Be the first to comment on this story