The Ranger Online

Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Opinion

Road rage must take a back seat to safety

We know it's hard to control road rage when we spend an hour a day looking for a place to park, while stalking anyone who sets foot on the asphalt. But if gritting your teeth and pounding your fists on the steering wheel is part of your daily routine, read on.

Driving demands attention, caution and a sense of responsibility. We must all decide to accept that responsibility and change our behavior.

Driving recklessly is not worth endangering the safety of passengers, other motorists and pedestrians.

According to the National Vital Statistics Report, one of the major causes of accidents, crashes and collisions is not being able to provide full concentration on the road ahead.

The first responsibility for safety lies with the driver, so pay attention.

Minimize distractions such as talking on cell phones and blaring loud music, take your foot off the gas when driving on busy streets and slow down when making turns in a crowded parking lot.

As for pedestrians, you can do your part by communicating with drivers your intentions to leave or camp out in a parking space.

Safety is everyone's business.

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Emergency situations require right choices

Students, or for that matter, anyone, must make choices every day.

While some choices are small, others can be a matter of life and death.

Two weeks ago, a student at this campus collapsed from a seizure.

The Ranger reported that "for whatever reason, there was no attempt made at rendering assistance."

As opposed to coming to the conclusion that students passing by are horrible people who either don't care or enjoy watching others in peril, there might be another reason - awkwardness.

Is it politically correct to stare? Is it rude to stop, or is it better to keep on walking?

There are also circumstances where those who have seizures on a regular basis see it as part of their everyday lives and calling an ambulance only creates an embarrassing situation for them. While awkwardness and embarrassment may be what people encounter in these scenarios, it is obviously better to err on the side of safety than to end up with a tragedy.

Students should not be afraid or ashamed to dial 911. Program the college health center's phone number - 733-2790 - in your phone and know where to go on campus for a medical emergency - Room 119 of Chance.

Also program your phone with the number for the department of public safety - 222-0911 for emergencies or 208-8099 for the dispatcher - in case there's no emergency phone nearby.

It is time for students at this campus to be aware and engage in the social contract we have with one another as human beings at the service of others in need.

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Vying for a spot in new garage creates jam

The new parking garage will be ready for the spring semester, but don't get too excited. It has not yet been decided whether students will be allowed to park there.

A committee headed by Tim Rockey, dean of continuing education and workforce development, is going to make this decision. The first meeting is today.

President Robert Zeigler said that there will be student representation among the committee members, but maybe students should start thinking about where they want to park.

Bottlenecks will slow traffic into and out of the garage, with 1,100 spaces and three entrances and exits. The question is: Who will bottleneck more? Faculty and staff, or students?

Zeigler said that a morning rush is probably inevitable, but traffic should die down during the rest of the day; but students come and go randomly throughout the day. Squeezing all of those cars through will most likely be a slow-going operation.

If the parking is designated faculty only, however, the bottleneck effect might happen only two times a day.

They probably have better car insurance as well.

So let employees have the garage - just give us the rest.

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