Letters and e-mails
Parking needs examined
To the editor:
I read the opinion piece [In pursuit of parking lot perfection, Jan. 29] concerning the compactness of the CW parking lot at Lafayette and Market Street.
While a redesign by engineering students would probably result in larger stalls, I know that we would not be able to maintain the current number of spaces, which you accurately counted as being 43. However, the suggestion that larger vehicles such as full-size sedans and SUV's be restricted bears further study.
I will get back to you after I review our files to see how many current CW permit holders drive these large vehicles and would be impacted by such a restriction
Until then, we'll keep hoping for a large corporate entity or successful alumnus that would like to see their name across the entrance to a new parking structure!
Charlie Arolla, Director
Campus Safety Services
Rude fans an embarrassment
To the editor:
As an athlete and passionate supporter of Santa Clara athletics, I was excited to attend the showdown between our men's basketball team and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. I loved that our team's hard-work would finally be noticed by our apathetic student body. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to see the stands packed not only for the game, but even for warm-ups! I only wish our other teams, four of which were ranked in the top 20 this past fall, could have felt that same electricity at their games.
However, for the first time in my five years as a student, I was ashamed to be a part of the Santa Clara community. Not because of our team, they represented Santa Clara with valor and class, but because of the student body who consistently chanted profanity laced taunts.
Sadly, I was not brave enough to make a speech to the student crowd, nor was I strong enough to walk out of the section. Instead, I stood in silent protest. A few others joined me, but not enough to soften the classless taunts.
Please don't get me wrong. I am not vying for Sainthood. I yelled, "Mark Few is a midget" and "Spokane sucks" among others. I love a raucous environment. But at some point, a line must be drawn.
While my section chanted "F*** Gonzaga" again and again, I found myself scanning the faces of the crowd, wondering how much this one game was marring the image of the Santa Clara Student. During one of these scans, I spotted a young boy whose Santa Clara apparel would fit most teddy bears. He sat no more than ten feet from me and was gazing, awestruck, at the sea of students. Then the chant of "F*** Gonzaga" crashed down upon him. His look transformed into that of a channel-surfing kid who has stumbled upon the soft-core porn of late night Cinemax. The boy checked to see if his parents noticed. When he saw them focused on the game, he looked back upon the chanting section with mischievous awe in his eyes.
Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe the game didn't taint our image. But even so, we should be ashamed to have shown that boy and others like him, that F*** and Bulls*** are appropriate terms.
Santa Clara is hosting the WCC Tournament from March 4-7. We have a chance to show that our behavior was an aberration but our school spirit was not. Be rowdy at the games. Be creative. But please remember that you are attending a family event and that you are representing Santa Clara.
Justin Ahasic, ('04)