by Andrea Traietti on February 13, 2020
Opinion
Dunkin’ Cam for the Mail Room
Have you ever gone to pick up a package only to see the line is out the door? In a situation like this, it makes it increasingly more difficult to fit going to the package room into our already busy days as students. Not to mention that your package will be sent back if it is not claimed within five days of arrival. One way to avoid this problem would be to add a camera, similar to the Dunkin’ cam, to the package room.
Most people pick up their packages between classes, which is the source of the problem. Everyone is in the same mindset, thinking it is most convenient to stop by after they finish class, which only causes more of a wait.
The addition of a camera outside of the package room could ease this stress, not only for those working at the time, but also for students who have limited time to pick things up. The benefits do not only include convenience, but also efficiency. If students have more free time, although it may be marginal, it can contribute to better grades and a more involved campus life in general.
The integration on the My PC app could be seamless. Programming and installation are very minimal tasks, which could result in numerous benefits, including the ones listed above. This could be an opportunity to impact the campus in a widespread way— to ease the stress on students’ busy schedules as well as the package room employees.
As a benefit to students there, it should be a student-run push for this integration. Similar to the Ray improvements, if there is enough support for this, change is attainable. Students have more power than we realize, and that should be used to our advantage, which is the reason why students should band together to get this achieved.
—Peter Mazzella ’22
Reading to the End of the Page
What attracts you to an article? The title, the content, or both? Most young adults in our current society attempt to read the news but stop after the first paragraph or glance through. They don’t read the entire article, and this can cause many problems.
It is possible that when we only glance through an article, we lose the main focus and interpret it in ways that are different from what the author meant. For example, we can look at the recent Coronavirus issue, where most of us only read the title or first paragraph of an article and not the entirety of it.
Reading the headline without getting all the information can lead to the spreading of false information, rumors, and possibly hysteria, as has been the case with the Coronavirus. We need to be careful with how we interpret and digest information that we read.
Reading the news is essential to be informed about our society today and it is a great way to be educated in modern events. But when most are just skimming or not truly reading the whole content, this can become problematic for the individual and society.
We need to push everyone to read the full article, and then discuss the facts which they are reading. This will help so many young adults be better educated on the news that they are reading daily.
—Erin Garvey ’22
Becoming a Bookworm
After a long day of classes or work, people dream of hopping back into a nicely made bed, opening up their laptop, and binge-watching Netflix shows for hours upon hours. While spending time this way is certainly desirable, reading for pleasure is a great, or even better, alternative.
With a busy lifestyle and loads of reading for homework, college students might argue that reading for pleasure cannot fit into their schedule. Why would they want to add even more reading on top of their reading for classes?
When it comes to reading for pleasure, one can choose a book that appeals to their specific taste instead of something assigned that they do not enjoy. If you like drama, try Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. If you enjoy coming-of-age fiction, try Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. If you like fantasy fiction, read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. If romance is more your thing, any of the Nicholas Sparks books will do. There are options for any type of interest and any type of reader.
Also, there is no time crunch when it comes to reading a book for fun. One can read for 10 minutes before bed, a few hours on the weekends, or in between classes for a little break.
If you read this and you are still convinced that you would prefer Netflix, challenge yourself to read a book and afterwards watch the movie that is based on that book. Try The Hunger Games, The Outsiders, or The Great Gatsby, and then watch the movies to see how your interpretation of the book comes alive.
Reading for pleasure challenges the mind in a way that watching television cannot. It’s a way for one to escape reality and fully transport one’s self into a whole new story.
—Emily Ball ’22