SG bicycle repair's long lines, small staff unacceptable.
By Editorial Staff
Drop/Add is over. All the boxes are unpacked, and your dorm or apartment is coming together nicely. You've caught up with all your old friends and made a few new ones. And ohmygawd, it's finally setting in that you have papers to write, books to read and endless pages of homework assignments. You are officially entering panic. Take a deep breath. You'll get through this. Employ all those anxiety-management techniques you've learned over the years, and take a five-minute break to read this week's stress-free edition of…
Darts & Laurels
One great way to relieve stress is to get some exercise. And what better way than biking around town, breathing in fresh air? Oh wait. Your bike, which sat chained to a rack all summer, has a few problems: a little rust, some worn inner tubes and a chain that doesn't shift smoothly. You cart your bike all the way over to campus for some of that wonderful free bike repair only to find a line longer than the Tour de France route.
We have to throw a don't-put-the-brakes-on-bikes DART to Student Government for not hiring enough bicycle mechanics. SG should have anticipated the greater demand at the start of the semester and hired accordingly. Free bike repair is one of SG's most popular and price-effective services. The program hopes to hire a few more mechanics early next week, but until then, we'll just have to wait to get our spokes inspected.
If you're still really stressed about a broken bike on top of all your academic troubles, you could make a counseling appointment. Just be wary of very delayed charges on your ISIS account. Here's a this-is-not-what-the-doctor-ordered DART for the UF Student Health Care Center. The center discovered it had not billed 43 students for services, some dating all the way back to August 2006. The bills - along with financial holds - were placed on the students' accounts without notification, and this may have prevented some of the students from registering for classes during drop/add. SHCC said it would work with students to get the holds lifted. To prevent this from happening again, if SHCC or any other office needs to belatedly bill UF students, they need to notify students so the charges can be taken care of before they become a problem.
Maybe your stress could be helped by a little makeover. A pedicure can do wonders not just for your toes but for your soul, too. You know what they say: Look good, feel good. So we're handing a you'll-be-so-pretty LAUREL to the Reitz Union for finally getting some renovations. While the outside will still be a huge eyesore, its interior will be revamped by spring 2008. Remodeling the main lobby will hopefully make the building more inviting, bringing more students to its new lounge area to study or kill time between classes. Maybe you could even take a nap on one of the two-seater couches - sleep is a great stress reliever.
You could also try to solve your problems the bad way - by stuffing your face with ice cream and chicken strips. That's easier than ever on campus now, so here's a welcome-to-the-21st-century LAUREL for UF dining facilities, which will soon be accepting credit cards. Within two weeks, all on-campus restaurants will accept plastic payment. So go ahead, buy that coffee on credit and enjoy a victory sip for conquering your stress. Just make sure it's not piping-hot.
