Facebook

Facebook can be considered a community. I was thinking what could be said about it, taking into account that it is indeed a community. A very large and diverse one. It could probably even be considered the largest community in the world to some. One that is always changing and inviting new members to join in that community. This website can be such an important tool and resource to some. So why do we take for granted, something that has a such a large impact on the daily lives of so many North Americans?
It is probably because of how our generation grew up in the age of technology, where so much has happened and so many revolutionary new electronic devices and programs have been invented that the importance of a website like this one, which plays a major role in the lives of most North American teenagers and young adults, is often overlooked.

Next Stop: Mount Royal

Students have been wanting this for years now. So have many other Calgarians. What I am trying to say is that it is about time that an additional C-train route is built to the Mount Royal campus. This would make it much easier for students to get to school without having to waste gas money on driving everyday.
A line should be made that runs through the Mount Royal campus and meets up with the existing line along Macleod. This would greatly cut down on traffic along Crowchild and Glenmore and also reduce the amount of accidents. It also provides a safe and reliable way for students to get to school every day.
Since we are college students and do not have a whole lot of money to spend of gas every week, the implementation of this rail line creates a very cost effective way to get to school, since our Calgary transit pass is included in our already too-expensive tuition.
I realize that we do have free bus passes as well and bus routes do go through campus, but a train would be so much more reliable and students wouldn't have to always rush to get to the stop at a particular time, they can just wait an additional 10 minutes for the next train.
Again this is just an idea which I believe would be very convenient and safe, but I do hope the city seriously considers this plan to build and additional c-train route through campus.

Traffic Cameras

As some of you might already know, the City of Calgary has put in place a series of red-light cameras to crack down on the amount of speeding going on in Calgary's communities. These cameras detect who is speeding through a green light, or who runs through red lights and captures a picture of the car's license plate and the traffic ticket will be sent to the driver's home via mail.

I think that these cameras will make the communities in Calgary a much safer place for pedestrians and drivers alike, because it will cut down on accidents due to speeding recklessly through intersections. This is a great investment for the City and it can only make the communities in Calgary safer for everyone.

The Blue Bin Epidemic

Every corner I turn there is another army of them. Staring at me as I drive by. These new blue recycling bins that the city has provided for us in dire need. Which we aren't. The earth is mostly. Yet even though it can benefit thge environment, some Calgarians have mixed feelings about this new recycling system brought forth by the City of Calgary, which isn't so new of an idea considering all of Ontario has had this system in place for as long as I can remember. Yet it is a good idea. It definitely benefits the environment because it is an extra little push to make us Calgarians recycle more, and not just throw our cardboard and hard plastics into the garbage.
Since the City will come by weekly and collect the contents of these new bins every week, it saves us the trouble of having to bring all our of recyclables into the recycling depot. It is also beneficial because we do not have to sort all of our recyclables either, which saves us tons of time and effort and will also encourage us to recycle more in a more committed way. The only reason why I may not like these new bins, is that the City of Calgary charges every one a monthly fee for them whether they use them or not. I do not mind this but i bet some Calgarians might not like being charged for something they may do. And then I think to myself...why don't they just USE the new bins and help out the environment. It makes the garbage bags a lot less full since they actually have a place to store their recycling now. This recycling system definitely makes sense, and if the people aren`t going to use it, then Calgary just wasted a whole lot of time and money. Yet i still think Calgary is in need of kudos for a great idea and a step in the right direction.

I'm Hungry...

I brought lunch money today, since my pantry at home is empty. I think maybe i'll head down to the good old Herb n' Market to purchase a nice sandwich, or maybe a salad, nah pizza. So after I select my pizza of choice I go to the cash line up. When it's finally my turn to pay for the pizza I notice that I am $2.00 short of change. That's embarrassing. So I put the pizza back since I can't afford it and head down to Wyckham House. When I get there I realize that the only place where I can afford to buy some food is the convenience store. So, my lunch that day ended up being a bag of Skittles and a Mountain Dew. How nutritious....
The food vending situation at Mount Royal is just plain inconvenient. Sodexho owns all of the food vending places around campus and my primary beef with them is that their business is in a college, where students do not have a whole lot of extra spending money. Some even for food. They have such high prices on all of their food that I am wondering how they are still in business, and how students can still afford to eat there every once and awhile. Since the prices are all so high, mostly on the healthier foods, students are forced to eat the cheaper, less nutritious and more fattening foods that are just not good for a student's health.
We are already under a lot of stress because of a constant load of homework, we do not need the added stress of wondering how we are going to be able to afford to live healthy day in and day out.
What I think should happen, is that Mount Royal should follow the lead of several other colleges and Universities in Canada, and establish a meal plan that would be availible for all students enrolled. That can ensure that students are eating healthy lunches and are not undernourrished while at school.

Parking Anyone?

We are at an all time low in terms of parking space at Mount Royal. Not only do we have a limited amount of parking spaces on campus, but in order to buy a parking pass, we must do so in the summer before school starts. The students who can't afford to spend the money on a parking pass in the summer are stuck when the semester finally arrives. They must use the parking lots that are furthest from the school, and pay $3.00 a day in order to use that lot.

The money spent daily on parking eventually adds up to being more expensive than a parking pass just for one semester. In addition to the less well off students paying more money than the students able to pay for the pass in the summer, these students have to walk sometimes twice the distance to get to the nearest building on campus. This extra walking time is not that bad in the warm seasons but as soon as winter comes around, students are cursing several different things on the way to their car: the cold, the wind, themselves for not buying a winter jacket already and most disturbingly, Mount Royal.

The last thing we want the students of Mount Royal cursing is their own beloved school.

This is why parking is such a huge issue here at Mount Royal. If this unfortunate situation gets fixed, or even just improved sometime in the near future, then the student's morale could be improved as well.