Dear Editor:
I really enjoyed the remarks of President Gordon B. Hinckley at Tuesday’s Devotional in the Marriott Center. The whole experience, however, has reminded me of an issue that plagues this campus and has yet to be addressed this semester.
Many of the new freshmen have probably already noticed the difficulties caused at large group gatherings by the saving of seats. Somehow, thousands here in the BYU community have got it into their heads that if they send a messenger three hours before a Devotional to save a dozen seats for the whole gang that this is perfectly justified.
I always want to go to Devotionals in the Marriott Center with a good spirit, desiring to learn something new or be reminded of something I’ve known for awhile. However, after taking 15 minutes of my time constantly asking “are those seats taken?”, one gets a little distracted and a little upset at everyone’s ideology.
At the end of President Hinckley’s remarks, I counted 50 empty seats below the concourse — all unoccupied that could have been filled in by attentive ushers.
What I am suggesting is that we stop saving seats for the whole crew. I can see saving one for a best friend who gets out of class late or a spouse who’s finding a place to park out in the lot, but reserving a whole row for your ward is a little ridiculous. Let those of us who skipped a class to arrive early and tackle a seat actually get one instead of being stuck in the nosebleed bleachers.
Isn’t it the ushers’ job to take care of this sort of thing? Let’s help each other out and make the devotional a good experience for all.
Patrick Cragun
Santiago, Chile
