BYU student parking
The students of BYU have spent far too many hours studying to achieve grades good enough for acceptance into this school to be rewarded with such inconvenient parking arrangements. There is no reason why students at BYU should have to walk up the 192 steps (I did my research) before and after class to park by the Smith Fieldhouse. This is the only reasonable parking space for students and it just so happens to be fairly distant from the majority of classes on campus. Sure, we can park on the other side of the Marriott or down by the tennis courts, but I believe that students at BYU should be awarded better parking options. I understand that transportation by bicycle is ideal. However, many of the students of BYU have to work before, after, or if you’re like me, in-between classes. For these students, transportation by bicycle is simply unreasonable.
There are many parking spaces available that could reasonably be made accessible to students. For example, the parking by the WSC and the MOA is only available to guests and faculty. Are the guests of BYU more valuable or more prized than its own students? I should hope not. I would suggest turning the parking lot by the Wilkinson Student Center/MOA into a “Y Lot,” as well as opening up a floor or two of the parking garage under the Joseph F. Smith Building to student parking. These new arrangements would cut down on tardiness to class and irritation felt by students that must rush to class after searching for 10 minutes for a parking spot and then run up the 192 steps to class.
— Logan Robison
Ephraim, Utah
The cost of a BYU education: Your beard
For all of us, the opportunity to come to BYU for an education has some costs. Most of us do not have a scholarship and the main cost is tuition. Maybe you gave up a scholarship somewhere else. Many of us left our families to come here. Maybe your girlfriend went to BYU—Idaho or the University of Utah. The point is, with all the academic and personal rewards gained from an education, it demands some degree of sacrifice. The definition of sacrifice is to give up something good for something better. There are many sacrifices made for a BYU education. One sacrifice for us men is shaving every day. This is one the requirements of being at BYU, yet for some reason it is the focus of far more than its fair share of complaining on campus.
Complaining about not having beards and going several days without shaving because you don’t necessarily believe in the rule is dishonest. We all signed the honor code. You wouldn’t be at BYU if you hadn’t. We all knew when we signed it that a BYU education came at the cost of a beard. We all knew this was the case and consciously or not, we all decided that coming to BYU was worth the sacrifice.
As I said earlier, sacrifice is giving up something good (There is nothing inherently wrong with beards!) for something better – a BYU education and everything that comes along with it. Here at BYU we get what can be difficult to obtain in today’s world: an education in an environment that is honest, happy, friendly, and that promotes the high standards we all want to live. Let us all maintain our focus on things that are more important and turn our focus away from complaining about beards.
— Derek Vasquez
Spokane Valley, Washington
Happiness: As close as a smile
About 27,000 students attend BYU. How many of you have smiled today? All of us want to be happy. Do we realize that happiness is as close to our reach as a smile?
Dale Carnegie stated, “What all come to understand is that there is no such thing as a neutral exchange.” A recent ad by Coca-Cola shows babies smiling with the words, “Kids smile 40x more than adults.” At the end they ask, “Did we forget the first thing we learnt?” Coca-Cola understands the power of a smile to create a successful campaign.
A study at Wayne State University showed that smile intensity in the photos of a yearbook had a 35 percent variable in the person’s lifespan. Statistically, those with a “true” smile cut their death rate in half.
An LDS Primary song instructs, “No one likes a frowning face. Change it for a smile. Make the world a better place by smiling all the while.” That is great advice we all can apply. Elder Joe J. Christensen said, “How many times in the scriptures does the Lord command us to ‘be of good cheer’ or ‘lift up your heart and rejoice’ and ‘be exceedingly glad?’ We should remember that happiness is a commandment and not merely a suggestion.”
When the Lord gives a commandment, we are entitled to His help. Let’s brighten BYU with our smiles.
— Scott Jordan
Dana Point, California
