Shuffling the deck

If you thought standing in line for football tickets was tough, consider the problems that could arise when 600 students are given access to spaces in the new North Campus parking deck.

The deck, which was to have been completed Dec. 4 and open in time for spring semester, now won’t be open until April 1 at the earliest. But University officials have said that 600 of the deck’s 1,200 parking spaces will be made available to students, with the rest going to faculty and staff with North Campus permits. But now the question is which students will be allowed to park in the deck?

The University said a decision on the issue will be made in two weeks. That decision will be based on recommendations from the Student Government Association and the office of the vice president of student affairs.

Possible solutions include making the spaces available only to graduate students, holding a lottery for the spaces or allocating the spaces on a first-come-first-served basis.

In his State of the University address last winter, President Michael Adams said he wanted to make the University more “student-centered.” He also spoke of the importance of increasing academic standards. Why not combine these two goals with parking spaces?

To say the least, parking spaces are some of the most coveted commodities on this campus on a daily basis. The location and convenience of the North Campus deck makes it one of the most appealing of all parking areas.

So, when the question is raised as to which students should have access to the deck, why not reward the best and the brightest? Students who earn a 4.0 GPA and are named Presidential Scholars for a semester should be given a chance to have a space in the deck for the following semester.

But, considering nearly 2,400 students were named Presidential Scholars last spring quarter, a lottery would be necessary. Another drawback is that students who spend most of the day on South Campus may not benefit much from the North Campus deck. But at least they would be given the opportunity and the recognition.

It’s time the University did something to reward students who achieve high levels of success. While this may be a limited token of recognition, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Champ-ion of education?

Whatever happened to student athletes? Though the Matt Stinchcombs of the world are inspirations, they are overshadowed by players foregoing their final year, or years, of college to go pro.

The latest example is Georgia’s Champ Bailey, a top five NFL prospect, who decided to skip his senior year for the certain big bucks of the NFL.

While it’s tough to fault him, it does make one wonder if it’s the right decision. Consider the basketball stars who skipped some or all of college to turn pro. The six month NBA lock-out, that finally ended Wednesday, proved that both players and management could have used a little more education. Perhaps more athletes should practice what they preach to kids and stay in school.