Breaking My Back

Each semester as I journey over to the bookstore to pick up my new books, I feel disheartened as I remember the pain I still suffer from the heavy books carried from semester's past. After talking with other students around me, and noticing how large the backpacks are that everyone is carrying, I can't help but think that by the time we are 50 we will all look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame (no offense to him). You would think that with all the current technology our world thrives on today that there would be a better way in which we could download our books for a fee, instead of having to cart them around with us everywhere. Although I realize that there would be complications to this process, and books are necessary for our learning, I strongly feel that something needs to be done. Throughout the continuation of this paper I will present my ideas and observations as to why I think buying books for classes is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Hopefully a resolution to this problem can be obtained that will allow us the benefit of utilizing such valuable material, but prevent future health problems for our students.

Parking Problems

Time is the most valuable resource any one of us posses. Time dictates when our classes are held and provides a common meeting point for all enrolled. It is also the means by which most job holders wages are based when they receive their hourly allotment. When one recognizes the value of time he seeks to truly maximize each waking moment of the day. He is in constant search of ways to improve his efficiency. One such needed improvement is in the commute to and from school. I currently spend half of an hour each way as I walk to campus from my apartment. It seems as though, by driving, I would improve upon this time greatly, but this assumption would be wrong. The parking available for undergraduate students is almost nonexistent. The drive is fairly short and painless but finding a place to park is another story. On any given day I would spend more time driving in circles looking for a parking spot that really does not get me that much closer to campus. I think I will stick to walking.

Testing Center Late Fees

It's midterms. You have five tests in one week, plus classes, work, all your other studying, and numerous other obligations. You wonder when you will have time to simply take all of these exams, much less when you will have time to study for them. You look in your planner and finally decide that you have no other option but to pay a few late fees. Testing Center late fees take advantage of a busy students life. They foster procrastination and long lines. The Testing Center should no longer have late fees because doing so hurts takes advantage of students both academically and financially.

Youtube and Myspace BLOCKED... Is it really that big of a deal?

I still remember the confusion, anger, and frustration I felt the first week of school when I tried to watch "Evolution of Dance" on Youtube, only to find it was blocked by the BYU Network. Outrage seeped through me even more, when I tried to log on to Myspace, and realized that, also, had been unfairly taken away from me. What was going on with this school? After cooling off from those first terrible experiences, I started to think about why they were blocked, and slowly came to the realization that maybe BYU knew what they were doing. I remember back home, I would spend mindless hours on Youtube watching monkeys throwing their own feces, and people popping zits in mirrors. Is this a valuable way to spend your time at college? Also, we, or at least I, have been warned by our bishops and stake presidents to delete our Myspace accounts, the reason being it can lead to worse things such as pornography, and also creeps who stalk girls. Now, the question still remains, should Myspace and Youtube be unblocked? Are we mature enough to be able to choose which websites we would like to spend our time on, and strong enough to resist the temptations of those websites? Myspace and Youtube should remain blocked, for the reasons listed above, and for other contributing arguments.

Trash and More Trash

With seventy vending machines strategically scattered across the BYU campus, the Cougar Eat containing a plethora of bottled beverage choices, and of course having access to dirt cheap pallets of bottled water found at the nearest Wal-Mart, the students at BYU generally do not have any difficulty finding, locating, and consuming a most likely delicious bottle of drink of their choice. One might find this a positive thing. After all, it is a good thing to keep hydrated. The problem with this picture, however, is that once that student is done drinking that bottle, the only place to dispose of it is in the trash. BYU needs to establish a recycling program that in addition to recycling paper, cardboard, and aluminum cans, also recycles plastic bottles. If effectively started, by advertising recycling with posters across campus and in the school newspaper and also by providing easily accessible recycle bins, BYU can not only make a profit from selling the recycled plastic bottles to recycle plants, but can also better the environment that we live in.

It's More Than Just a Game This Time

Imagine being a student who lives right off campus and is getting ready for a new semester. You have no car because you are a poor college student. You sit down at your computer and go to the BYU website to look up your book list. Luckily, you live very close to campus, so you head out with your book list and your credit card. You enter the bookstore and go up the ominous stairs to brave the mass chaos of students and books and pushing and shoving. After a few deep breaths you begin to find the correct books but you have to reach over three other people to grab each one. You stand in line for over ten minutes and then the nice lady at the checkout counter scans all of your books. The total is completely outrageous! If you use your credit card for your books you will not have enough money for groceries for the month. Yet what other choice do you have? You have no car, so no way to go to a nearby bookstore, and you cannot order your books online because you need them for your classes that begin in two days. Looks like your parents will get a phone call asking for money. The BYU Bookstore is a huge monopoly, and monopolies just happen to be illegal. I think the bookstore needs to lower its prices so that it is not taking advantage of the BYU students.

Cannon Center Chaos

Lines extending out the doors. Scarce amounts of food. Limited available seating. Problems such as these exist in the Cannon Center on the weekends. The Cannon Center is open from 6:30 in the morning until 8:00 at night, on the usual weekday. However, on Saturdays and Sundays, the popular food spot for freshmen closes at 6:00 P.M. The concern increases though, when you take fast sundays and firesides into consideration. On fast sundays, the Cannon Center does not open until 3 P.M. and closes at 6 P.M. and on nights of firesides, it closes at 5:30 P.M. These hours do not provide enough time for a person to eat at a leisurely pace and allow them to enjoy the food. On days like these, it often takes a long to time to even enter the dining center. The lines can be excruciatingly long, especially on fast sundays. In order to solve the problems, I believe the Cannon Center should extend their hours on the weekends in order to allow everyone to enjoy a refreshing, unstressful meal, expecially on the Sabbath day.

9:00 church? seriously?

Every member of the church knows how hard it is to get up in the mornings when your mom comes in and says it's time for church.  Especially when it's seven thirty in the morning.  As if that's not hard enough, now you are on your own and no mother is telling you to go to bed because you have early church in the morning.  This is the tragic story of new college students.  As responsible as every entering freshman aspires to be, let's be honest the "no bedtime" concept is a big deal.  This early church causes students to just sleep in and not get credit for even going to another ward.  This jeopardizes their enrollment in BYU.  If they do manage to roll out of bed, the majority of students will just sleep through the three hour block.  These people receive no extra spiritual benefit than those who just slept in but still receive credit for being there.  Lastly if a student does manage to get there, and by some great miracle does manage to stay awake, they generally will feel disappointed with the experience due to the lack of participation from others.  I don't think any freshman ward should begin at nine o'clock because of the inevitable obstacles that surely do follow.  

Greek Life

Undergraduate Greeks perform more than 850,000 hours of community service and raise approximately seven million dolars for charities each year. People too often make unfair judgements from stereotypes that fraternity brothers are beer guzzling jocks and sorority sisters are superficial snobs. What better place than Brigham Young University to prove that those negative aspects do not have to be incorporated into Greek life? Fraternities and sororities create bonds and ties that last long after graduation. Greek life promotes service, high expectations, school envolvement, leadership, and future professional connections. As director of fraternity and sorority affairs of University of Rochester, Monica Smalls explains,"It's about choices. Some fraternities and sororities - some people - make the right choices, and some make choices they will regret later on." Let the BYU students make a choice to go Greek and create lasting bonds while enhancing their college experience.

Black Gold for Black Hearts

Picture in your mind your most prized possession. Now imagine your mother sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night, snatching it and taking it apart, saying, "We can put this to better use." How would you feel? In essence this is what the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is trying to do to nature-loving Utahans and Americans alike. Without the full consent of the National Park Service, they sold leases to several oil companies to start drilling as close as four miles from our beloved Delicate Arch. Would you be willing to risk severe air and water pollution, marred landscapes, disrupted peace and tranquility that visitors enjoy so much, not to mention possible collapsing of these irreplaceable wonders of the world for the slim possibility of a few extra bucks in your pocket?

Gratitude

As I look back through the pathway of time I envision my diverse upbringing. I see the many places I have lived, the many schools that I have attended and most importantly, every experience that has changed my life for the better. I can honestly say that being able to attend Brigham Young University has been the most important life changing experience that I have been blessed to go through. Since I was old enough to understand what BYU had to offer in terms of education and environment, it has been my dream to attend said University. Ever since this dream has become a reality, my expectations of everything here at BYU has either been met or surpassed. This also applies to the student body. But sadly enough I have met some students who have yet to understand what it is exactly they are in possession of. The total disregard for rules and their complacency with only doing enough to barely pass their classes is indicative of a person who has yet to come to grips with the reality of their situation. They have been accepted into a prestigious University that many rejectees would have done anything for the chance at what it is we are experiencing. The potential for greatness for a person who is able to attend Brigham Young University has been exponentially increased. I would hope that those whom I speak of will come to realize that being at BYU is a privilege and not a right.

Testing Center Nightmare

The Brigham Young University Testing Center is a designed facility where students are administered tests from all courses they are taking within the semester. The Testing Center gives professors the opportunity to use the designated class time for lecture and the center for tests. With all upsides to the Testing Center, the most overlooked problem to what seems a flawless building is the physiological games it place on the individuals testing there. In most cases, with a very large classroom setting, students are prone to feel overwhelmed with the unnoticed chaos. While inside, individuals from all surroundings move restlessly, then the constant noise of writing to paper chimes in and to finish it all off, the employees breathing down your back while taking a test can be a very hard situation to concentrate in. This much commotion in a small class room setting is not nearly as noticeable, but with a building that has a testing capacity of 650, all these little noises combined can get be deafening. The testing center needs to distribute the students into small classroom type surroundings. By testing students in small groups each person is given the best chance to perform at their upmost potential.

Pi Beta Phi

Calling all those that want adventure, want to expand their social life, and those that are bored for the majority of your time during the day!  The thing that can give you more adventure, a bigger social life, and rid you of your boredom is being held back from you and you do not even know it.  Brigham Young University does not allow students to start up or join any fraternities or sororities, and I do not agree with this.  Yes we are allowed to join different clubs of our choice; however fraternities and sororities have some things to offer that the simple club cannot.  Clubs meet no more than once a week if not less than that.  Do not get me wrong these activities can provide one with a sense of excitement.  On the flip side fraternities and sororities meet every day since most of the members live in the same little area, if you will.  BYU should allow individuals to set up fraternities or sororities as long as the members adhere to a set of rules that the university sets, including the Honor Code.

Caffeine

Bad spelling aside, this image is meant for humor and does not reflect myself.

If i tried to light up a cigarette in the middle of class, the professor and other students surely would make me stop right there on the spot. However if I come to class with a Mountain Dew no one would take a second thought of it, some may even want some. The Church has no "official" stand on the issue of whether or not caffeine is against the word of wisdom, but has left it to each to decide for themselves. BYU has made it their decision to not offer caffeinated drinks on campus. I feel that this policy is mainly to avoid the criticism and outcry that would come from the ultra conservative groups if BYU sold these beverages on its campus. If we wanted to really ban the sale of all caffeine from campus, chocolate would have to be removed from all the vending machines also. Students will continue to purchase these beverages and bring them onto campus and in their classes without consequence or second thought. BYU loses potential profit by not offering them and does nothing to bar their presence on campus, so why even have this policy to begin with?

Peace of Mind for All!

People living on the south side of Provo can hardly get home without passing several signs warning, "For your safety, you should not walk alone in this area after dark". Provo isn't often thought of as a dangerous place, but the end of 2008 saw a string of violent home invasions. Even the incidence of rape is close to the national average in this "college town". It's disturbing then, that such a high percentage of it's residents are legally prohibited from keeping a firearm in their home. Concealed-Carry permits issued by the state government are not even recognized in major parts of the city and at most workplaces. Proponents of this policy frequently point to violent incidents on school campuses and the risk involved with firearm irresponsibility. But it is my firm belief that there is no reason a state-issued weapons permit should not be honored on a university campus. Such permits require that a weapon remain completely hidden from view, and require that the permit holder have both training, and a spotless record. Anybody who used the weapon irresponsibly would have to break the law to do so. Of all the school shootings that have happened, how many of the perpetrators had a legal right to the weapon they used? Furthermore, a would-be rapist or attacker would think twice if they didn't have the peace of mind they have now. Until this policy changes, predators can roam the area knowing that their victims are unarmed. After all, the people who obey this policy aren't the ones we need to worry about!

A Signature Then and Now

America was founded upon the ideals of the pursuit of happiness, equality, and freedom. The winds of time have molded our society into a very different shape today than what it was in 1776, some changes have been for the better and some for the worse. Back then, your signature meant something. The signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign the document planning on taking it back if the British ever laid hands on them. John Hancock did not sign the Declaration of Independence in such a bold fashion because it was something worth living for, but because it was something worth dying for. The signatures of those men held their honor and integrity, something not even the royal crown of England could take away. Except when questioned under law, our personal integrity no longer seems to be attached with the name we sign, as seen by those who sign the honor code, but give no regard to obeying all of its components. We do not have the right to pick and choose which aspects of the honor code apply to us. We all signed the document. We will obey all of its statutes. That is it. No more, no less. It's final. Our signature is a personal oath of obedience and, if broken, we will be required to accept the appropriate consequences of our actions.