Student gym not working out
I love working out. I like to take care of my body and live a healthy lifestyle. BYU does a pretty good job at promoting that by having healthy food options on campus and numerous intramural activities for students to participate in. The school unfortunately, falls short in one aspect, the student gym.
It’s terrible. It’s way too small for the student body population. There are not enough cardio machines, and that’s if they are all open. At least three are out of order any given moment. I used to go to BYU-Idaho, and that gym, which serves two-thirds of the student body of BYU, is a lot nicer. It’s not just the cardio machines, I can run outside if I need to. The big issue is the weights. Dumbbells only go to 100 pounds, there are no power lifting mats, and there are only two flat benches for bench press.
Honestly, the gym is a disappointment. It makes me feel like the school has put the students’ health and wellness on the back burner just to support a mediocre football program.
— Joseph Simpson
Concord, California
A poor student’s plea
A 19-ounce box of frosted flakes at the BYU Creamery costs $1.20 more than at Wal-Mart. A 70 sheet spiral notebook costs as little as 25 cents at Wal-Mart. At the BYU Store, it costs 99 cents. There are many reasons these on-campus retailers should lower their prices.
First, we as college students have many other expenses to pay for. After paying for tuition and books and housing, funds are scarce.
Second, students without cars have to buy food or school supplies from places they can walk to in a relatively small amount of time. The two stores closest to campus should not have the highest prices.
I do realize that there are reasons behind pricing that do not immediately come to a frustrated freshman’s mind as they stew about their money problems. I do realize the need for these retailers to make a profit since they aren’t as big as other retailers. However, both stores attract a substantial amount of customers that aren’t students, especially around Christmas and college game days. This influx of buyers would certainly not decrease if the prices were lowered, and surely more students would voluntarily visit the Creamery and Bookstore if their prices more closely matched those of other common stores.
As a college student with a very small budget, I, with many other BYU students, am pleading with the creamery and bookstore to lower their prices. If they are lowered, many students will shop at these stores more often. Please, lower the prices, so that we can all enjoy a little less bitterness in our hearts and a little more change in our wallets.
— Madi Hamilton
Nampa, Idaho
Loosen up on gun control
President Obama recently announced that he would be moving to take executive action on gun control, including measures that would require background checks on gun sales over the internet and at Gun Shows. The response has been swift and brutal among Conservatives. Words such as “stupid” and “petulant” have been thrown around by right-wing pundits and media outlets, all trying to outdo each other with just how much they hate this news. What I can’t seem to figure out is, why? Do we really want someone that would fail a background check in possession of a firearm?
I love guns and go shooting often, but I would be the first to say that some people just shouldn’t have them. Americans need to make the distinction between control and prohibition. Obama isn’t advocating the eradication of guns from the United States or a blanket ban on firearm sales; rather, he is taking steps to keep suspect persons from obtaining deadly weapons. We need to put away the “Obama is after our guns” attitude and think about policies that would make us all safer by keeping weapons out of the hands of those that would use them to harm others.
— Morgan Curriden
Las Vegas, Nevada
