The Chattanooga State Communicator
March 2013 • Page 14
Finding your “spot” on Campus
By Jennifer Redmond Editor-in-Chief Every student has been there; driving around campus in so many circles that you wind up cross-eyed and dizzy. It can be one of the most frustrating aspects to college life. What is it? Finding a parking spot where you don’t have to walk a million miles to get to class. So what can students do? It is fairly simple; parking lot etiquette. Students can get overly frustrated with trying to find a parking spot, and it happens daily where students skip classes because they just couldn’t find a spot to park. What is the answer here? Building more parking lots? Destroying nice little patches of grass and even areas where wildlife lives to put in more parking spots? No, in the long run that just does more damage and honestly, it still is not going to address the underlying issue. Students drive through these lots every single day, wasting gas and time looking for a place to park. For some, it isn’t about getting up close to the buildings just because they can, for them, it is because physically they cannot walk those long distances lugging what feels like a ton of bricks on their backs. So these students do what
makes sense; they look for spaces closer to their classes. How many times have you as a student circled the campus trying to find a spot that is in some semblance of nearness to your classes? And as you are doing that, how many times have you watched other students get in their cars, start them, and then….just sit there. It can be a tad frustrating or flat out infuriating. So here are some suggestions and tips for parking lot etiquette. For those on the move 1. Be calm. Being angry with people who aren’t moving as quickly as you would like does nothing to help you out and in some cases it can elevate and escalate a situation. 2. Make sure you have plenty of time to find a spot on campus, even if it isn’t close to your classes. 3. Utilize the shuttle bus on campus. There are pick up spots at all of the “out of the way” parking lots and it runs all day long and drops you off right in front of the Omniplex. For those leaving for the day 1. When you get into your car, and you are leaving, be prepared to move. You know as well as anyone, driving in circles is no fun.
Staff Photo By Laura Wood
2. Pay attention to those around you. There’s no use in having an accident while on campus. 3. Be aware that traffic around campus goes ONE WAY. While some may think that goes without saying, there have been a couple of close calls recently where a driver was almost hit by someone going the wrong way around campus.
Everyone on campus is here for the same reasons; either to learn or to teach. Respecting each other within the classroom is vitally important, but so is the respect shown outside of those walls. Taking care of each other, even in something as trivial to some as the parking lot, can go great distances and make a day better than it was to begin with.
BCIS Launches New Initiatives By Jenny Allen Staff Writer
would be open to graduates of Tennessee Technology Center constructionrelated programs, Department of The Building and Construction InLabor JATCs and veterans by granting stitute of the Southeast (BCIS) met practicum credit toward an Associate of recently to recognize new leadership under Jimmy Lail of Raines Brothers, Applied Science degree in Construction serving as chairperson, Dallas Rucker Management. Chairperson Jimmy Lail made very with the City of Chattanooga, serving as vice chairperson, and Bob Franklin strong and clear comments about their new initiatives. “We need to continue to of Franklin Architecture, serving as professionalize the industry by creatsecretary. This new leadership team plans to create and support new initia- ing opportunities for workers to pursue higher education and recruiting the best tives for the Institute in 2013. and brightest from high schools and our The first change involves improvcommunity into construction. Those will ing high school outreach to promote be the major goals of the BCIS in 2013.” careers in design and construction by The BCIS is a conglomerate of conutilizing the local ACE (Architecture, struction professionals that directs Construction and Engineering) Menand supports construction education tor Program and the East Ridge High in the Chattanooga area. This group School Construction Academy. Their second initiative focuses on something is composed of representatives from a variety of trades, contractors, engineers, a lot closer to home for the students educators, architects, and city officials. of Chattanooga State. The BCIS team Together they oversee the educational plans to assist with a new A.A.S. in pathways toward the construction inEngineering Systems Technology at Chattanooga State Community College dustry all the way from grade school to college. with a concentration on Construction Since the BCIS began in 2006, ChairperManagement. This new program
Left to Right: BCIS Leadership includes Bob Franklin, secretary; Dallas Rucker, vice chairperson; Jimmy Lail, chairperson; Caitlin Moffitt, BCIS co-director; Kenny Smith, past chairperson; and Roger Tuder, past chairperson
son Tuder led initiatives to start various degrees including the A.A.S. Construction Engineering Technology and the Heavy Equipment Operator programs at Chattanooga State, as well as the B.S. Construction Management program at UTC. In 2009, Chairperson Smith pursued the inte gration of technical
training course credit and promoted technical training not only in the Hamilton County School district but also in the entire Chattanooga region. If you are interested in becoming involved with the BCIS, please contact Caitlin Moffitt at Caitlin.moffitt@chattanoogastate. edu.
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