Illustration by Holly Randall
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
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The UA parking. Panda Express. The Student Recreation Center. UA butt shorts. What do all these have in common? They’re just a few of the things on campus that people hate or revere (the notorious butt shorts are one of those things that can fall into either category). However, what takes the cake for the best and worst that the UA has to offer? This week our columnists try to sort the business out.
Warning: Bike paths are for pedestrians only
The most overrated items at the UA are the bike paths. When I first came out for Freshman Orientation, the student leaders made such a huge deal about having a special way just for bikes, but in reality it is just a path to run into pedestrians. My first three weeks here have revealed that the paths reserved for bikes are hostilely inhabited by pedestrians.
Every time I ride on the bike path, I come close to running over anywhere from three to six individuals and angering many more. I have been cursed at, flipped off, and even had an eggroll thrown at me for riding my bike on the bike path. The bike paths at the UA are not all that they are hyped up to be. They are essentially just another sidewalk for pedestrians and should not be touted as a “special feature.”
As for the most underrated subject, it definitely has to be the University of Arizona Honors College. The Honors College opens up many horizons and opportunities to mature for its participants. The classes directed by the Honors College are taught in small, intimate environments. There are no more than 25 students in honors classes, which makes it much easier to interact with the professor and fellow classmates.
Priority registration, extended library checkouts, and daily bulletins sent directly to personal e-mail accounts are all elements offered to honors students. There are also Honors Forums held at least once a month that have a professional guest speaker to enlighten students about current and vivacious issues. Plus, there is a free lunch involved.
The Honors College needs more widespread recognition and promotion among high school and college students.
Moe Naqvi is a physiological sciences freshman. He can be reached atletters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Breakfast burritos, sex, and the fourth floor of the library
I have a confession to make. I hate Mexican food, a condition that really doesn’t work in my favor given the fact that I go to school in Tucson, aka Li’l Mexico.
Ordering from a Mexican restaurant is about as unpredictable as a church-organized knitting circle. I really just don’t have an appreciation for a cuisine that basically just consists of different combinations of tortilla, meat and cheese. However, the breakfast burritos at ye olde Café Sonora are my sole reason for getting up in the morning.
Perhaps they roll the tortillas in a different way or maybe they just put some highly potent street crack into them, but I keep coming back for more of their delicious goodness. By far the breakfast burritos are horrifically underrated as one of the few exemplary culinary offerings that the UA has to offer.
As far as anything being overrated, the fourth floor of the library has been getting an unfair reputation as being the vortex for weird acts of sexual perversion on campus, second only to the elevators at Coronado.
I went to the fourth floor one night, complete with camcorder in hand.
Yet, there were no couples having sex by the “Collected Works of Francis Bacon,” no weird guy who couldn’t help but indulge in the act of self-love at the sight of my sandaled feet. Or maybe I just don’t have sexy feet.
Anyway, try elsewhere if you’re trying to catch people practicing sexual acts that aren’t even legal in Amsterdam. I suggest starting off at any room belonging to a member of the men’s basketball team and then working your way alphabetically through the Greek system.
Susan Bonicillo is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
The meaning of diversity
The most overrated thing at the UA: diversity.
I’ve been wondering where this much-touted thing called “diversity” is … When the administration speaks of diversity, does it define “diversity” as the presence of many ethnicities, creeds, etc., or does it mean it in the sense of the “United Colors of Benetton?” Do petite bourgeois women with fake tans count as “people of color?” Such a skin tone is no doubt an affliction, but I don’t think it’s the kind that merits recognition for affirmative action.
I was reminded of the importance of diversity last week during a class discussion on the W.E.B. DuBois/Booker T. Washington debate. For those of you unfamiliar with these seminal figures of American history, this debate set the course for the civil rights movement: Booker T. Washington held the banner for “separate but equal,” that white folks would recognize the value of the Negro as they proved (as though they had something to prove) their worth by virtue of their hard work and the contributions they made to society (many black folks were lynched for doing just that — white business owners didn’t like the competition). W.E.B. DuBois’ line of demanding immediate equality won out; it was the road taken by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Yet, several people in class seemed a little too eager to valorize Booker T. Washington while writing off DuBois as “confrontational”; the whole proceedings gave one the impression that some of my classmates were nostalgic for the days when “niggers did what they were told.”
The most underrated aspect: “Revenge of the Nerds” was filmed here. It is this university’s sole distinction.
Sean Anderson is a history senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
‘Scenery’ makes up for lack of school spirit
The most underrated aspect of the UA? The “scenery.”
Any man, from any school in the country, envies the men of this university for the divine sights, views and beauty that graces our campus. Gorgeous women from every state flock to the UA as if some mysterious magnetic force draws them to Tucson like a frat guy to a keg.
On any given trek to class, you can’t help but see dozens of beautiful women, some dressed in sorority shirts, some in timeless UA butt shorts, while still other girls may chose more conservative clothing
But no matter the dress, the natural beauty of these girls surpasses that of nearly any campus. I’ve spoken with men from UCLA, USC, ASU and the University of Texas and all agree that our women are diamonds to their limestones. Keep on shining, ladies.
The most overrated aspect? Athletic school spirit.
I hate Duke, but those kids are true fans. Fans show support through any season, win or lose. Fans chant, fans yell, fans have tradition. At Arizona, all we have is our “shaking keys” practice of unknown origin on kickoffs and our unoriginal “U of A” chant.
In terms of basketball, no other successful basketball program in the country has lamer fans than ours. Only at Arizona do students show up one minute before basketball games wearing black or pink instead of red, while Duke, Kansas and North Carolina fans wait in line for weeks for a chance to grasp a basketball ticket.
The only tailgating our fans know of is behind the wheel and to our fans, tradition involves wearing a Wildcat shirt to sporting events. But, hey, at least we have good weather to watch football.
Dan McGuire is a political science and journalism senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Ruffled skirts the epitome of bad taste
So many things on campus are not valued as they ought to be, but chiefly among them are the chemistry safety video and a sense of taste.
Any general chemistry student knows of the chemistry safety video that supposedly is a witty solution to safety. The first time you watch it, you laugh at “Goggles on, goggles off;” however, after the fifth time of quoting the video out of spite, you decide that chemistry is not the right major for you if this is what passes as humor in the chemistry department.
On the other hand, people at the University undervalue good taste. For instance, if the sculptures on campus are considered tasteful, someone is mistaken. When you walk out of the library at night and see the hollowed out eyes of some sculpture, it’s scary enough to give anyone chills.
And someone put some clothes on the naked lady playing with the pigeon. If no one else does, I will; so if you ever see it wearing UA butt shorts, you can blame me.
And I don’t know where anyone ever got the idea to wear the ugly ruffled skirt and the ugly ruffled dress, but why does this fashion have to proliferate on campus? Besides engulfing the wearer in tiers of fabric, it is just plain distasteful.
But if you want to fix this disparity, please show a bit of taste and wit.
Laura Keslar is a pre-pharmacy junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
The tragedy of the girl-to-guy ratio in Nogales
“Dude, we’re going to Nogales.”
Great.
Drive two hours squished amongst four in the backseat only to wait in line and then pay $20 for an “all you can drink” bar. Then, wait forever to get a watered down-drink while the bartender ignores you until you tip him.
Have a problem? You’re a captive audience. ¿Quieres hablar con la policía?
But a bigger problem is the girl-to-guy ratio. Remember back to when you heard about the party? It was from a bunch of dudes. The bus you went down on? Filled with dudes. These should be clues.
Simply put, the number of girls who want to deal with getting their asses grabbed by scrubby guys while avoiding the Federales is extremely limited.
Am I going?
I’d rather talk to the bums at Subway.
The most underrated thing at the UA? 621-2211.
Any number. Connected instantly.
In an age in which you can’t even get an actual copy of the course catalog, how good is it to have a number that you can call and get connected to anywhere else on campus — without having to look up the number? Be it a department, professor, or office, you just have to remember one number. 621-2211. Need to find out about financial aid? Need to find out how to get tickets to a baseball game? Need to find out about ASUA elections or Fraternity Rush? 621-2211 will connect you with the right people.
Be happy that this hasn’t gone the way of “please see our Web site.”
Ryan Johnson is an economics and international studies junior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
