Who’s important — students or visitors?
As an LSU student I often find myself asking if I, the student, am the University’s main priority or do sports and rodeos and other non-learning activities take precedence. If you tried to park in the CEBA parking lot yesterday morning, you may be asking yourself the same question.
I find it ridiculous that our administration allows a rodeo to take a huge chunk out of our school’s already too few amount of parking spaces. Were they not thinking? It is OK for some non-educational event to prevent a large number of students from making it to class on time or not even make it to class at all (because we all know professors who don’t allow tardiness)?
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it is. As a University already suffering from a huge parking problem, it is idiotic to even consider the notion of allocating those parking spots elsewhere. Unfortunately, this reallocation of spots is only one of many parking problems our administration both creates and never seems to remedy. After spending a couple thousand on tuition, a few hundred on books, and 40 bucks for a parking tag, I’m sorry if I feel I have more of a right to a parking spot in a designated commuter lot than a visitor to our campus.
I thought this was a University, not a carnival.
Marlena Sigue
Sophomore — Accounting and Pre-Law
LSU liable for broken windshields
I know most students are concerned with such issues as the forthcoming war with Iraq and other major issues, as am I. However, something happened yesterday that really annoyed me. After walking after class to my car, parked in the baseball stadium lot, I found my windshield had been shattered by a baseball that left the field and found a home in my glass panel. I went into the stadium and some nice players came out to my car and apologized, but explained they are not liable for damages.
Now, I know this fly ball was not their fault, but it was not mine, either, and now I have to fork up two hundred bucks for a new windshield. The reason I am so annoyed is that I pay every year to park 15 minutes away from any building of any importance to me, and then after I have hiked my way back to my car and find my windshield completely busted, I find out I have to come up with the money to pay for that, too. I really just think there should be some fund somewhere for freak accidents such as these, so the student does not have to come up with the money alone. The baseball hit my car so hard it bounced into the bed of the truck next to me. I would like to thank the baseball players for apologizing and commend them on their concern for the accident, but I hope one day with all the money they pull in with those games they can keep a small fund somewhere for the little people like me who are fans of the program, but not of having to get a new windshield.
Meghan Kinney
Junior — Criminology
Pulling of fire alarm irks student
Last night, Herget Hall’s fire alarm was pulled around 12:30. This was all fine and dandy, but we had to wait two hours before we could go back inside. On top of this, it was cold and rainy. Last semester we had so many fire alarms go off, I lost count. The fire trucks even stopped showing up. It seemed to happen every night, even twice some nights. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about having fun but that is not my idea of fun. But if your goal is to make people mad, you are doing great! I am writing this in hopes that the “cool” kid who did this will realize that it’s really not funny. Seriously, you are in college. Grow up!
Megan Taflinger
Freshman — Political Science
Why certain theories can’t be proven
I was naïve for many years, believing that all Christians who read the Bible also believed in creationism, and that only atheists and non-Christians could swallow Darwin’s theory of evolution. It blows my mind that some Christians don’t believe in Adam and Eve because of scientific evidence.
The reason that evolution is a theory (which biology books say cannot be proven) is that it is simply not factual. What scientist ever watched an atom for 5,600 years, recording its decay? If animals inferior to humans can evolve to survive, why can’t atoms of carbon evolve to gain longer half-lives than ever before?
Here is the truth. Not what I believe, but what I know: God created us as spirits in his own image before we came down to Earth to receive our bodies. None of us looked like monkeys; we all look like our father.
I also know that the carbon-14 atom probably didn’t evolve. Material (fossils for instance) that scientists say are over about 6,000 years old come from pieces of other planets or objects (for God has worlds without number) that God used to make Earth. If you don’t believe in God, consider this: the big-bang theory. Particles and gases just decided to “bang” into each other to form Earth and all the perfect systems within it (such as our organ systems and those tiny factories in leaves that photosynthesize). These particles made up everything which is in Earth, because matter cannot be created or destroyed. Those carbon atoms in fossils that are billions of years old spent most of their time floating around before they “banged” together.
Scientists tell you to be skeptical of things — you must prove, then believe. I say to have faith and be skeptical of scientists and their theories. These things are true, but you must find out for yourself. That, my friends, is only possible if you communicate with God (through prayer).
I don’t want to convince anyone to change their beliefs, but tell me if a reasonable person could have my point of view.
S. Evan Dee
Freshman — Secondary Education