Ledger staff wants parking, security, academic changes for Christmas
With Christmas coming soon, little kids everywhere are putting together wish lists for the big man in red. At the Ledger, the staff thought it would put together a wish list of its own.
Here are a few things the staff would like to get from the college for Christmas.
More parking. A commuter misses the bus for his noon class, so he hops in his car and arrives at the college around 11:50. He’d like to think he’ll reach class on time.
Odds are he’ll spend the next fifteen minutes either making the rounds in one of the Carlsen lots, or trekking across time zones from the Sports lot to the main buildings in the cheery winter weather.
We know enrollment has gone up over recent years. More students means more cars. Why not accommodate that?
Peace of mind. Speaking of the Sports lot, let’s talk about walking across campus. We touched on what feels like a lack of security presence in a prior issue, but can we talk about lighting?
Granted, the college is dealing with a $3.2 million electric bill, but there’s an unsettling darkness once you start heading toward the far parking lots. If we want to jump somebody, we’re not lurking outside the Carlsen; we’re hiding in the shadow of the ITC or behind whatever car is out of the reach of Sports lot lights.
At least if you’re walking alone in front of the Student Center, there’s some chance that somebody nearby will see you get attacked and call campus security. If nothing else, it would make anyone walking to their car in the evening feel more secure.
A fresh look at requirements. We appreciate the Board of Regents’ recent initiative to rework the articulation policy, but some of the college’s internal academic standards seem peculiar to us.
For instance, if a student scores a ‘36’ on the ACT English test and comes here, they have to spend three credit hours taking Composition I; at KU, a student is exempt from this class with a ’31.’ Students who test with exceptional English skills at the college are barred from taking any literature or specific writing classes until they complete the Composition I prerequisite.
In other words, these bright English students are spending money on a class they don’t need to take instead of spending it on a class that matches their skills and suits their interests. Huh?
We don’t want to seem ungrateful. We’re excited for the new-and-improved articulation policy coming next December and Galileo’s Pavilion coming in May, but the students have been extra good this year. They deserve a little extra in their stockings this year.
Yours Truly,
The Campus Ledger Staff