The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Opinions

The raincoat should trump the umbrella

Is there a way to ban all umbrella use on campus?

I cannot tell you how many times I have experienced near-traumatizing situations when trying to avoid multiple umbrellas while walking to class.

I realize that Fay's wish to bring crappy weather this week prompts a decision to be made.

Here are my reasons as to why a raincoat should be the obvious choice:

- Convenience - instead of trying to carry your iPod, read the newspaper, carry your books, drink your coffee and talk on your cell phone all while trying to carry an umbrella in torrential downpours and/or damaging winds, try eliminating this problem altogether by wearing a raincoat.

- Give the gift of sight - the combination of students not being aware of their umbrella at all times and the existence of pointy, metal ends can prove to be dangerous.

Make the right choice - leave that obnoxious excuse for a rain defender at home.

DENISE POWERS
Senior, Dublin
Marketing

Don't complain, devise a solution

Four years of dealing with the craziness that is the student ticket process has convinced me that the Athletic Association needs to solicit student input more than ever.

Each year they make little changes that seem to infuriate more people every time.

Instead of simply writing in and complaining about the process, I would like to see the students and The Red & Black come together to devise a better solution and maybe, just maybe, the Athletic Association will listen.

That said, I have a few ideas of my own.

First of all, why have we ever bothered assigning sections?

The student section should be general admission, since, newsflash, no one is in the right section anyway.

If they issued general admission tickets to everyone who got tickets, we wouldn't have to have people skipping class, work, and just generally suffering to stand in line and get a good section (only to then not get that seat anyway). First come, first serve.

We should look at assignment systems used by other colleges.

Personally, I think LSU has an interesting idea. It uses a point system for those who attend athletic events; that way, the people who only buy the tickets to sell them are at a lesser priority than those who actually go.

It could function in a similar way to Blue Card events, and then the priority system could include attendance at school functions (athletic and non-athletic) as well as hours earned.

There are enough people angry about the ticket process that there are bound to be some great ideas out there.

Whether you agree with me or not, make your own suggestions instead of just complaining, and maybe that will get us somewhere.

SARAH EARLY
Senior, Charleston, S.C.
Interior Design

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