As college students, we all have them. Areas and situations that sap our energy, damage our minds and drain our souls. Melodramatic? Yes, but in the following list I’m sure you will recognize places that you would like to see change dramatically so that the very trial of them is removed from your life, freeing you to focus on more important things, like family, friends and “Halo 3.”

The Department of Motor Vehicles is not a place I go often, but the experience was deeply unsettling. The DMV near Meridian Street, where I found myself several days ago, had rows of cheap plastic chairs harshly lit by fluorescent lights. Dozens of people were crowded into the space, barely talking or looking around. Most of them just sat there glumly, chin in hand as their eyes flicked from their printed number to the bright red numerals displayed above each open counter.

As the numbers slowly advanced, a chime would blare and a harsh, only vaguely-feminine mechanical voice would echo throughout the chamber, “Now serving one-zero-zero at counter three.”  I would glance up each time that robotic tone sounded, only to find that I still had 20 or 40 more numbers to go before it was my turn.

All sense of time was lost as I watched the numbers progress and heard the scrape of chairs, rustling of papers and the hum of background conversation. It kind of reminded me of a very depressing classroom.

I advocate that DMVs start to replace their plastic chairs with real furniture. I would like something with padding if I’m going to be sitting in the same spot for three hours. And please, fire the robot. A human voice with warmth and compassion just might pull people through the tedious hours of waiting for their license renewals without flipping out and diving through a window in a desperate bid for freedom.

Early morning classes are another problem area. I sat through 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. classes and I can report that there is very little enjoyment to be had in the experience. I felt dead-tired, and my only impulse was to drop my pencil, set my head on my notebook and return to dreamscape. Does that make me a poor student? Probably.
Still, early classes put too much of a strain on students and teachers alike. Students are not going to learn well when they are tired and barely functional, and professors have to shoulder the burden of motivating and involving students in discussions and lab work when those same students, like me, just want some more shut-eye.

Last, but certainly not least, is the cafeteria. Anyone who has lived on Western’s campus knows the pitfalls of the on-site eating establishments. Staring down the length of my fork at some dubious vegetable dish for the third night in a row is in no way fun. Choosing from the exact same combo of hamburgers, grilled-cheese sandwiches and pizza that I’ve have seen all quarter, all year long, makes me quickly lose whatever real desire I had to eat.

And the worst part is that much of it is horrible for the body. White flour, sugar and grease galore are present, which are nice if you like clogging your arteries and gaining some weight. Anybody who wants to avoid gaining 15, 20 or 30 pounds, should not eat in the dining halls, period. If you brave the cafeteria lines, you will have to be exceptionally picky.

However, these are all very fixable problems. I would say Fairhaven Commons uses a good amount of whole grain in its offerings, but the Viking Commons really needs to step it up. Would it kill them to use brown rice and whole-wheat hamburger buns for once? Or is that just too crazy to contemplate?


Tristan Hiegler is a Western senior majoring in News-Editorial Journalism.

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