Page 2 THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1977
Opinion/Commentary/Letters
Ceteris Paribus
Why not a parking lottery?
By MARK RANKIN
I recently read an article about a
psychologist who was concerned
that students might be under undue
strain as a result of the pressures of
day to day life in academia. To be
sure, the pressures are there; but
there are diversions. Some of us
throw frisbees in front of the
academic building. Others walk
over and stare at the MSC. As for
myself, I have become a watcher of
parking lots.
My favorite one is the one that
protects the Cyclotron from Mac
Donald’s, its number has slipped
my mind. It is relatively small, as
parking lots go, and it has managed
to remain assigned to the students
although it has suffered more than a
few encroachments from rival staff
lots.
The thing that makes this lot so
interesting is not unlike the thing
that sends men off to war. It is the
thrill of battle. If you don’t believe
me put down your frisbee and meet
me there between 9:40 and 10:00
any weekday morning. What you
w ill see is a phenomenon that
economists have labled “excess de
mand, but I call it war.
It takes a special sort of person to
go to war but the parking lot wars
have their own specialists; the vul
tures and the trackers. The vultures
show up about 9:30 and position
themselves at either end of the lot.
Sometimes in the middle. When an
unsuspecting student decides to
leave campus, the vultures are
down on the vacant space in a sec
ond. Usually the kill is instantane
ous and merciful but I have seen
more than one pedestrian left bleed
ing in the wake.
The trackers, on the other hand,
are somewhat more cunning. They
will pick up the trail of a likely va
cancy and follow it to the ends of the
earth. I once saw a tracker follow a
girl from the Academic Building,
through the MSC, and into lot 60
only to be frustrated when her car
stalled half way out of the space and
a vulture in a Volkswagen squeezed
in ahead of him. Watching these
people is fun, but the sight of blood
is beginning to get to me. Instead,
why not a parking lottery?
Parking lots would be assigned
numbers based on their distance
from the Academic Building. In this
scheme there would be no student
lots or staff lots, just lots. Toward
the end of each semester students
and staff would enter bids reflecting
their valuation of parking spaces and
these bids would be used to assign
stickers to all who have bid. The
bids would be ranked and matched
with parking lots; the highest bids
receiving space in the closest lot and
so on. If one did not like his lot des
-ignation, he would be free to trans
act with someone whose assignment
was more desirable. Those who did
not choose to bid or may have ar
rived after the bidding would be al
lowed to purchase space for the
amount of the highest bid associated
with the lot of his choice.
It is possible, under this system,
that a bid of $20 would place you in
one of the more distant lots but it is
also possible that the same bid
would allow you to park rather close
in. The point is that you would have
no one to blame but yourself if your
bid were not high enough.
The present system of allocating
parking spaces is inequitable at its
best. There is no reason that a pro
fessor or a secretary should have any
better access to the campus than the
rest of us, given that a student can
not bid against either of them for
that access. The parking lottery sys
tem can be a viable one. At its worst
it is better than the present system
which makes access to the campus a
function of whether you pay, or are
paid by, the university.
Slouch
by Jim Earle
Most students here to lea
Editor;
‘SOMEONE OUGHT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
BICYCLE SAFETY. I PERSONALLY SAW FOUR
SERIOUS WRECKS JUST THIS MORNING!”
Every semester new students
come face to face with new instruc
tors. Often, what happens in those
first encounters has much to do with
the outcome of the semester.
I have observed several methods
of course introduction and found
two common approaches.
There are some instructors who
really seem to look forward to hav
ing a new group of students. They
carefully explain the course re
quirements, objectives and grading
plan, letting the student know
exactly what is expected. These in
structors are enthused and they may
even express their optimistic belief
that their students will do well. This
enthusiastic approach is contagious
and students respond from the be
ginning. Oftentimes these courses
may even be more complex and
demanding than others.
There are other instructoj
introduce themselves
course in a negative way.
vey their feelings that thestuJ
only trying to get througl
easiest way possible. Theseia
tors make the semester’s
ments sound rigorous and (If.
with little emphasis on whatijgteoroli
gained. In some cases, thesUJiiiversit
finds little correlation behvenIture of
stated demands and actual w# I
quired. Nevertheless, he m llheir c
ready be turned off by the inj len, an
tor’s course introduction, len tak<
Sure, it is the student’s reij ligfree:
bility to put forth the effortti Lbig he
ticipate and learn regardless.;||)e U.S.
would be so much more thd
of instructors to just dealt
ad ul t - to-adult relationship a.
operate under the assumpti®
most students are there]
they want to learn.
—Toumonava Mul
Academic advisors exist iwi
A Dutchman hears quiet Texas
The Battalion
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Cooper.
A DUTCHMAN HEARS QUIET
TEXAS
Is this country noisy? The Ger
man who reported his view (Battal
ion, Feb. 18) thought so, and I can
agree with him on the operation of a
garbage truck being disturbing,
espcially for those who shun the
early daylight. One of the reasons
why I moved away to another
apartment last year. But Herr Haaf
generalized to an extent that
seemed unfair. I could assert that
Europe is much noisier than the
States, and come up with arguments
to support that. Just send a West-
European off to Loving County' for a
week’s desert camping and ask him
afterward how noisy this country is.
That’s not the way to do it, though.
In the first place, Germany is in
comparable in size with the U. S.
The population distribution is in
comparable. And the noisy events
are qualitatively different. Of
course, urbanization proceeds here
also, and it could well be that
American city centers in general re
flect a higher level of audio pollu
tion than German ones, as central
cities depopulate and definance.
What about the people? A lot of
Germans and other Europeans who
emigrated in the past two centuries
did so because they preferred a
lower level of government involve
ment. They implicitly chose for a
lack of national planning, for less
taxes and less federal spending. The
Germans who stayed in the old
country are, oddly enough, not sub
ject to as rigorous a car emission
control nor equal employment regu
lations as the present-day Ameri
cans. But their small cars are noisier
than the non-compact U.S. equiva
lents. The streets are narrower,
population density is higher.
Secondly, what is noise? Are the
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European criteria the same as the
ones over here? Should we make a
composite index that is a weighted
average of rural and urban noise? Is
it illogical that a less densely popu
lated country designs standards
later than a crowded one? Are there
cultural or biological differences in
the acceptance of noise? Edward
Halls “Hidden Dimension”
suggests that human territorial
claims differ widely by culture.
Concepts of privacy and social per
ception are differently defined for
Germans, Dutchmen, and Ameri
cans. Is Haaf sure that when “80
million people in this country are
significantly affected by noise’’ the
same thing, on a similar scale in
Germany would have a similar con
notation? The citation of the Noise
Control Act looked as much signifi
cant as the article’s title was dip
lomatic. My reaction is that of a
puzzled reader who is faced with
seemingly incomplete statements
by a Harkness fellow. Let’s just
quietly live on. . .
Editor:
Academic advisors at Texas A&M
do exist, Mr. Miller!
It appears that Henry Miller has
been unfortunate in his encounters
with student counselors; however,
he shrfuld not be quite so general in
his opinions towards them.
Since the first day of my freshman
year, one of my most trusted friends
has been my past academic advisor.
I was assigned to Dr. T.D.
Tanksley, Department of Animal
Science, and his help cannot be un
derestimated.
I went to visit Di. Tanksley a
number of times during my first
year (often without an appointment)
and I do not recall a time when he
wasn’t there to counsel whatever
problem I might have had. Not only
did he see to my best interests, but
he also informed my parents that he
was my advisor and if they had any
questions they could call him at his
office any time,
I recall only one time I
it Ik j x e xas
outwardly angry with me, || on
when I failed to interrupt liisn
ing to get help with a personali
lem.
Since my freshman year,
changed my major to Agricti
Journalism. Here, too, I
advisor to be helpful and cort 6
when 1 needed him.
Four i
aw So
ing, st
I’ll in
I suggest students put fortli
effort toward a relationship! )un ty
The !
had thei
their academic advisors—it«
way situation. For those who ragg’s ]
tinue having problems, seefti id.
partment head; maybe theresh Sever
be a change in advisors.
Whether Miller was unfor
or just careless with his adv
not for me to judge, hut thf
two counselors on campus tl
never know the extent of i
preciation.
— Charlotte Meai
—Jeff Stuyt
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