the horizon - Indiana University Southeast

the horizonOpinionsWeek of Jan. 30, 20125Editor challenges where sidewalk endsBy STEPHEN ALLENFeatures Editorallen68@imail.iu.eduLove them or hate them, collegesare often synonymous tothe pervasive sidewalk. Whereyou have a college campus,there is often a wealth of intertwiningsidewalks.IU Southeast is no exception— we bear no dearth of sidewalksbetween Knobview Halland the Activities Building.Everywhere, sidewalks spanas far as the eye can reach ineach direction and meander betweencampus buildings.That is, however, all sidewalks lead everywherebut off campus.Don’t believe me?Try taking a stroll across the bustle of Grantine Road for lunch, and pedestrians will quicklyiscover that all sidewalks stop abruptly before inersectingroad frontage with a barricade of dartingehicles.If a pedestrian successfully dodges traffic — uncathed— or timidly retreats to campus, he willote the same concern to the south side of campushen venturing on Southern Drive toward the AtheticComplex.These sidewalks exist only a few yards beyondhe Activities Building — though Hausfeldt Laneccommodates pedestrians with sidewalks.While IU Southeast straddles a sprawling arterialntersection of restaurants and commerce, I find itppalling and perplexing that all campus paths exendeverywhere, yet lead nowhere off campus.AKThis poses a peril for pedestriansafety.According to the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration,pedestrian fatalitiesaccounted for 4,092 of fatalitiesinvolving motor vehicle relatedaccidents in 2009.The state of Indiana endured50 of those fatal accidents. Thisunsettling figure increased to 62fatalities in 2010, or 8 percent ofall motor vehicle deaths in Indiana.This is no isolated or improbableincident.Two similar and fatal misfortunesoccurred in Floyd County in 2010,which involved one recent death of a pedestrian onGrant Line Road in December 2011.Namely, a motorist struck and killed a 24-yearoldmale pedestrian while crossing the intersectionnear Jolissaint Avenue — a segment of roadway absentof sidewalks and intermittent crosswalks.The pedestrian succumbed to his injuries after amotorist swerved around another vehicle while returningto its original northbound lane.Not only do sidewalks ensure the safety of allstudents, but their installation, along with adequatecrosswalks, can also spawn a number of benefits forstudents, faculty and staff.For instance, sidewalks provide the steppingstonesfor a healthier lifestyle.Studies compiled by the Indiana Alliance forHealth Promotion reveal that limited accessibility tosidewalks often discourages pedestrian activity.Simply put, people are too frightened to walk onuntouched territory, much less walk for personalLFGLPSCVLBOLHHUSUCKVOGSVWLFLGraphic by Stephen AllenIllustration by Stephen Allenhealth or leisure.Therefore, people with better access to accessiblesidewalks are more inclined to walk to local establishments.Sidewalks also spur development as a passagewayto the local economy and appreciate neighboringproperty assessments faster than counterpartswithout sidewalks.As a burgeoning residential campus with about400 residents, this campus necessitates a suitablepoint of access to surrounding venues, notably with90 additional on-campus residents in prospect.This is not to overlook that students reside offcampus at Carriage House apartments — a short yetisolated connection across the street.Safety and economic development aside, GrantLine Road serves as the north and south gateways tothe academic community, a beneficial asset in captivatinga prospective student’s first impression.With the installation of landscaped sidewalkswith proper aura and lighting, sidewalksinitiate the first step of reviving a vapidcampus into one teeming with life and,quite possibly, student activity.While New Albany has taken greatMLstrides to improve pedestrian safety andlink the communities, Grant Line Roadremains to be the sole major throughwayin New Albany devoid of sidewalks.This said, rather than delay the installationof sidewalks in future renovationprojects, New Albany and IU Southeastofficials need to conjointly step up andtend to the safety of its students and citizensby linking sidewalks and crosswalkson both Grant Line Road and SouthernDrive.My advice to current students: incessantlylobby officials to install sidewalksor yield and — at the bare minimum —be on guard and look both ways.College: no place for undecided studentsBy BRITTANY POWELLProfiles Editorbripowel@ius.eduCollege is the time for students toocus on their goals for the rest of theirives. However, students who are inchool and do not know what theyant in the future are wasting valuableime, effort and money.What is the college experience?hen I was in high school, the phraseenerally meant partying in college.After a few years, I kept hearing thehrase referring to living away fromome or studying past a reasonableime to go to sleep.I know students who applied to college not beausethey wanted a specific degree, but becausehey wanted the college experience. People feel theyeed this experience to have ordinary lives.I have had people complain to me they are notetting this experience while they are working towardtheir degrees.It is as if they are afraid if they donot achieve the college experienceand all that entails,they will be stuckin some kind of highschool, teenage limbo fortheir entire lives.Wake up, people.I cannot tell you how many studentsI know who are in their third or fourth yearand have yet to choose a major.This is unfortunate.It is difficult to imagine how much money andffort those students are putting into a degree theyill never use.Students who are undecided should drop out andome back when they figure it out.Some people say students who drop out of schoolo take time off are not likely to return. While thisay be true for some students, some people reallyo need time to decide.The average senior in high school is 18, and these8-year-olds are expected to make decisions thatill affect the rest of their lives.Rather than puttering through college takinglasses simply to remain a full-time student, stuentsshould save money and invest in their futures,hether that is taking classes in college or owning abusiness.Who knows, maybe they will findunexpected passions along the way.As for the students who do not returnto school, is it better to have alife with no degree and a small salaryor life with a useless degree,thousands of dollars in debt anda small salary? This is a reality formany graduates.Of course, there is always themiddle ground between choosinga major and dropping out of school— general studies. This major is aquick-fix for undecided students,and, like all easy options, will provedisappointing in the long-run.Some may view a general studiesdegree to have value due to the critical thinking, diversityor other positive aspects of a well-roundeddegree.Some believe this degree gives employers proofof the intelligence and skill of the degree-holder.While this may be true, a person with a careerspecificdegree or job-related experience is going toget the position.Combine this with thecost of the general studiesdegree and the negativesoutweigh the positives.Some employees may wantto receive a general studies de-gree because their employers willgive them araise simply for obtaining adegree, e, regardless of the field.If an employee wants to continue the same job afterputting fouryears of effort into his degree, that isa personal decision.ioHowever, if my employer gave me that kind ofleeway, I would not sit through 120 credit hours ofwhat I am sure is a highly thought out combinationof random classes.Instead, I would take the more creative path andgo for a degree that would give me some culture orexperience.Instead of majoring in general studies, I wouldchoose to learn a foreign language or receive a finearts degree.People use the expression “maybe in another life”when they see an opportunity and have to let it passby due to other priorities. Students should let theirdegrees be those opportunities to further their livesand never allow indecisiveness to hold weight intheir futures.Student OpinionWhat do you think of downloadingand sharing copyrighted music?Madeline BaeteUndecided sophomoreShelby-Lain BrownPsychology sophomoreHannah HattonPsychology juniorTrevor AtkinsAccounting sophomoreONLINEIt doesn’t matter tome. I just don’t want topay for it. We’re collegestudents and we’rebroke.I don’t care. Artistsand promoters haveso many other ways ofmaking money off of it.I don’t do it. I just listento the radio. As faras the law is concerned,it’s wrong, but it’s alsowrong how much buyingmusic is.I think it’s right thatit’s illegal. Artists createthat music, and theyaren’t going to be paidotherwise.