GUEST COLUMN: Voters beware: USU can do so much better
It’s student election time at school. I hate student elections. It is a time of plagiarism, propaganda and the pursuit of a person’s own happiness. (You may have noticed similarities with the national election campaigns running right now. What can I say? College students are really impressionable.)
Here is my biggest problem: It doesn’t have to be that way. Out of all the people in the world with enough influence to make a difference, I believe young adults are best suited, partly because they seem to care the most, but mostly because they think they really can change the world. So, with this idea in mind, it really bothers me when I’m handed a campaign flier with the following platform: Improve teacher evaluations, get the “A” back up on the mountain and represent student opinion better in student activities.
I don’t know about you, but, as a student, those are not my biggest concerns. In fact, those aren’t even on the list.
To me, it sounds like this campaigner, like so many others, isn’t really worried about the students at all. Everyone knows the current teacher evaluation system isn’t the best, in fact, there is a proposal to change it on the table right now. And what do the Aggies need an “A” on the mountain for? USU has Old Main, something that makes us unique among Utah universities. It is time for ASUSU to raise the bar a little and start making a difference. USU doesn’t need to be the same as every other university out there. USU needs to be better, and it can be.
As a student, I offer three minor changes I’d love to see happen at USU that would make my, and probably many other students, educational experience a little better. (Remember, USU shouldn’t be like every other school. It should be better, much better. Don’t brush suggestions under the rug just because there is another school out there worse than USU.)
First suggestion: As both a student and an employee of USU, I would love it if there was a place, besides the vending machines, where I could get a quick bite to eat after 4 p.m. The Hub seems to close earlier and earlier every day. I understand business is not the best in the evening, but if USU wants to be better, they have to care about the 25 or 15 or even five students affected when the Hub closes early. Those students that are so sick of eating QuickStop hotdogs every night, they’d rather go hungry than eat another one, which we all know doesn’t make studying easier.
Second suggestion: I would love it if I could get a real person on the phone at the registrar’s office. I’ve called in my own behalf and in the behalf of other students and I’ve never talked to a real person on the phone. To get anything done, I always have visit the office in person, and then there is always a line. I know that office is busy. But even if USU had to tack an extra dollar onto every students’ tuition so they could hire someone just to sit and answer the phone, and answer questions, it would be worth it.
Third suggestion: My last suggestion has to do with parking. I know this is a sore spot for many people at USU. I have spoken with past ASUSU presidents about this subject and the only thing I’ve ever heard anyone say is “We’re not that bad compared to other schools.” (If this is your attitude, please refer to above paragraphs.) I’m a believer that “not bad” doesn’t automatically imply good, and if USU were to think outside the box a little bit they might find some improvements to be made.
In general, I’m a bus goer, along with many other USU students. Utah State and Logan City have a wonderful bus system that is economically, environmentally, and, generally, student friendly. I support it 100 percent, but every now and again, life throws me a curve ball and I miss the bus. I’m sure this has happened to every regular bus goer at least once. It would be really nice if I didn’t have to choose between missing class to wait for the next bus or having to skip lunch because I had to pay $10 to park on campus all day. Maybe a couple free parking days could be put on every student’s card each semester. Students could scan their student cards at the Aggie Terrace twice per semester and park for free.
These are just a few thoughts. USU could be an incredible place to go to school, worth every penny spent. But it won’t be if ASUSU doesn’t start making a difference.
Contributed by Mikaylie Kartchner, an employee in the Disability Resource Center, and former columnist for The Utah Statesman.