USD should solve common problems students have

As the academic school year slowly comes to a close, I’d like to touch on the things that have bothered me and other Coyote students this past year.

First off is parking – finding a spot is the epitome of impossible.

This especially speaks true to commuters, as I have many friends who drive to school and have heard multiple stories of them rounding the parking lot three or four times in search of a spot.

“I think that I already pay enough to have to park on the side of the street,” said junior Adriana Moreno.

It’s unfair that a student who pays a great deal for a parking pass is stuck leaving their vehicle on the side of the road, thus not being able to use their parking pass and resulting in them running frantically to class in hopes of not being late.

Moreno said a possible solution for this is to assign parking based on major.

“I wish the school would do assigned parking based on your major and organize it that way to make sure that those who pay for passes can find a spot.”

This is an idea that should be further looked into.

Another pet peeve, more for other Coyotes rather than myself, is the structure of math courses.

When first-year students first attend USD, they’re required to take Math 102, and sometimes Math 095 depending on their ACT scores.

The math classes are self-taught and students have to put in multiple hours at the Math Emporium, which takes time away from focusing on their other classes.

“It just isn’t a good system,” said first-year Tyler Hofer. “It is self-paced so if you get behind by even a week, it’s hard to catch up, and it takes time away from my other subjects.”

Offering these math courses in a classroom setting would likely result in less complaints and less stress.

The final pet peeve I have for this year is the food system.

First off, I’m not here to bash on the staff and what they do, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say the Commons meals aren’t much like the home cooked meals we often crave.

Due to not eating Commons meals much, and many friends not wanting to as well, we solely rely on the other options for sustenance. But this gets hard when places like Einsteins, Qdoba and Chick-fil-A are only open until 7 p.m.

What if a student is busy doing homework until that time, or something comes up? What if they don’t have other money to purchase food, and they rely on their flex to eat?

The hours for these places either need to be extended or another food location needs to be brought to USD that stays open until 10 p.m., to give students time for a later meal.

Essentially, there are some things that need improvement, which USD should look into.

Just because I’ve shared these pet peeves doesn’t mean I don’t love being a Coyote, because I certainly do and am proud to be one. However, I’d be even more proud if changes were made that could benefit us all.