Letters to the Editor

Online exams make sense for professors and students

Taking exams online is a good idea, and all professors should use this resource as it is a great way for students to take their exams in a more convenient and comfortable environment.

How great is it that students can sit in their pajamas in their dorm room and take an exam for a class?

Not only is it convenient in that aspect, but also a student does not have to wait for their professor to grade the exams and post them on the web portal. As soon as a student finishes their test, they click a button and there is there grade sitting in front of them a mere second after they took the exam. Also, a student doesn’t have to worry about a professor losing the exam or Scantron and the student doesn’t have to worry about a professor or computer grading the Scantron wrong. Online testing is a great and convenient way to take exams and should be used more often.

January Daoust is a freshman in mass communications.


Parking citations do not deter, service students

If there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is that I will never understand the reasoning behind parking citations. I understand that they are supposed to deter students from parking in particular areas, but in reality, you know just as well as I do that they don’t work. What is the point in giving a ticket for an expired meter? Is it going to make the vehicle’s owner return faster and move their car? No. Nobody benefits from it.

The car is not going to be moved any sooner and the owner has to pay a $15 fine. I know that $15 doesn’t sound like a lot to the average person, but that’s a lot of money to most college students.

Parking tickets are a lose – lose situation.

Another aspect of parking citations that I don’t understand is the appeal process.

I know after you submit your appeal form it goes before a committee to be evaluated. My big question is who is on the committee? Is it a group of adults who think that college students are the scum of the earth, is it a group of fellow students who can identify with what you are going through or is a combination of both? The best scenario would be the combination committee, because your citation would be looked at from both points of view and would be judged more fairly.

I’m sure Parking & Transportation Services has legitimate reasons for their citation procedures, but I don’t see the benefit.

Amanda Groscurth is majoring in criminology.


USF offers good clubs and activities to students

I never thought that students would have so many opportunities to be involved in their school. At USF, I am very impressed at the variety of activities and clubs that there are to join. I do not think that I realized exactly how many clubs there were until the other day when I looked into it a little bit more. I learned a lot when I went to the Marshall Center and received pamphlets on all the different activities and organizations. There are many groups out on campus that do a lot for the school and community that I never realized existed. What I am really trying to say is that students do not see all the possibilities available.

When a student joins an organization or a club of some sort, they meet many new people and they may experience things that help them grow as a person. Other students may just like a certain activity and decide to join for that reason and that may lead them to decide what they want to major in. There is always something out there for every kind of student, and if there isn’t something they are interested in then they can start an interest club. Thank you to all of those students who keep the many organizations and activities alive on campus. If it wasn’t for you, we would not be as diverse a community.

Angela Spoto is a freshman with undeclared major.


College should be about meeting people as well

I have only been in college a few months, but I have picked up a key piece of information that I feel is good advice to pass on to others.

The first week of school here, I spend most of the day sitting in my dorm room. I was either on the computer or watching television; just about anything besides socializing. As the days went on, I felt more and more homesick for my friends and my family back home. I started to wonder if I’d actually be able to make it here in college if I was this depressed the first week. I wasn’t even leaving to eat and I ate the food my parents had left for me. I watched as everyone went out to the school functions and were meeting new people.

I had the problem of only talking to people once I knew them. I soon realized that if I was to socially make it in college, I was going to have to change my methods of meeting people. So I began to do what was unnatural for me and talk to my suitemates and people in my residence hall. I went to a few of the events, the first football game, and just stayed out in the halls more to meet new people. Before I knew it, there were people I was recognizing every time I walked to class. I would say hello and get the same recognition.

I only spent time in my room if all the people in my suite were there hanging out, or if I just needed to rest and relax. My suitemates and I have gotten to know each other better and we luckily all seem to get along really well.

So my advice to everyone is that although you may feel inclined to live seclusively in your room and drown in your homesickness, but I can’t stress the importance of getting out and meeting new people enough.

College is about receiving a higher education, but it’s also about learning how to socialize and deal with people that are similar and different from yourself.

Chad Smith is a freshman majoring in psychology.


Please do not feed the squirrels on campus

I’m almost certain that everyone on the USF campus has had an encounter with our beloved friends, the squirrels. As cute as they may seem, they are a potential threat to our safety. Have you ever sat down outside on a sunny day in the shade of a tree to enjoy those few precious moments before your next class? No sooner do you begin to relax than a cute furry blur crosses your vision. You look up to see a squirrel looking down at you from the closest branch.

Now, as cute as you may think it is, that crazy squirrel is thinking that you may have some food or something that it wants. The squirrel begins drawing closer, then it’s off the branch and near your shoulder. You take off, clutching your belongings in a race for your life, or so it seems. I’m sure this has happened to everyone on this campus and not just me. Those squirrels have somehow been tainted by humans and our food, so it should be our job not to contribute to the problem. We can do this by throwing our leftovers in the trash and not on the ground so these creatures can’t have easy access to it. Every person on this campus should do their part not to feed the squirrels. We aren’t just endangering other students but we are also hurting squirrels by letting them eat foods not intended for them.

Desirea Shropshire is a freshman majoring in nursing.