Alerts

Andy Steinke from The Minnesota Daily wrote the article, “Some ignore safety alerts”. The piece covered this past weekend’s safety alert where a parking lot attended was robbed at knifepoint, as well as the fact that many students are beginning to ignore these e-mail alerts. This hit home for me not only because I receive these e-mails but also because I am apparently one of the few that pay very close attention to them. One student commented that he believed many students were starting to become desensitized from the alerts because there seems to be so many. Now that is an alert! Students should be taking these warnings seriously instead of just scanning over them to make sure it wasn’t somebody they knew. The alerts are for our safety, and I think keeping an eye out for the criminals described in the e-mails is important as well; we could save someone else from being a victim of more crimes. For example, a female student was sexually harassed a few weeks ago. The alert was sent out, as well as a description of the attacker. A few days later, someone who had read and paid close attention to the alert spotted a man that seemed to match the description. The person called the police and bingo, it was the attacker. It is evident that these alerts are critical. Students need to be aware of the crimes going on within their area. They need to be attentive and know where they are and who is around at all times. Crime is always going to be around, and these safety alerts can only prevent more and more from taking place.

To be updated at all times on crime alerts amonst the Universota of Minnesota campus, click below:
http://www1.umn.edu/police/alerts.html

Noise

The article “Bridge construction could make a racket” by Liz Riggs, flaunted from the front page on Tuesday’s Minnesota Daily. Riggs reported on the reconstruction of the I-35 bridge and the possible noise it will produce. The construction team for the new bridge will be using a technique called “pile driving”. The technique requires steel-on-steel pounding, resulting in quite a bit of noise. Evidently, various students, especially those that live near the area of the new bridge are highly concerned with this suspected noise and felt the need to complain about it before the rebuilding begins. At this point, I don’t feel these people will be as annoyed with the reconstruction noise as I am with their reactions to this situation. Instead of thinking about how a little noise will affect them, I believe it would be more important for them to consider the positives in the bridge getting rebuilt. The I-35 bridge collapse this past summer was and still is a huge tragedy. It is essential for people to recall this major event and the terrors it resulted in. Many people died or were injured, and one of main traffic ways in Minneapolis was closed. We need this bridge up again. It has caused such a commotion not only within Minneapolis but also within our nation. Instead of worrying about getting woken up early by some noise, people should think about the importance of this bridge and how our city will benefit from it being up again. Unfortunately, it seems to be so easy to complain about something when that something has not directly affected you. If anyone is to have concerns with this situation, it should not be based on a little noise, but instead, based on how we can never let something this devastating happen again.

If YOU are truly concerned with this situation and want to lend a helping hand, click the link below for more information:
http://uscriticalinfrastructure.typepad.com/asce_critical_infrastruct/bridges.html

Go Green!

The planet is getting hotter by the second. The air we breathe in and the water we drink, fish, and swim in is becoming dirtier. A rise in severe floods and droughts have already hit numerous parts of our world. Wildfires have torn up our wildernesses. These predicaments are mere consequences of an issue that has become increasingly prevalent over the years: Global Warming. On Friday November 2nd, The Minnesota Daily writer Alex Robinson wrote the article, “Explorer presents on global warming.” The article was based on Polar explorer, Will Steger, who spoke to the design and architecture leaders on the seriousness of Global Warming and how their programs can help prevent this serious matter. For example, Steger asked Architects to consider utilizing more environmental friendly materials in designing their developments. Simple steps like this can make a big difference. Steger spoke of the importance in bringing Global Warming issues into all classrooms, which is the least the University can do in my opinion. As a student here at the U of M, I have found that an immense number of students not only don’t know how to help prevent the problem of Global Warming but also have no idea what it really is. This is almost as serious as the problem itself! Everyone, especially my peers, should have an acute awareness of Global Warming, it’s effects, and it’s preventions. We need to try and beat this now, or bear the consequences later. According to Steger, we need to cut greenhouse emissions 80 percent by 2050 in order to slow Global Warming. Thus, to do this, people need to be educated on the topic. Steger came to this school to not only make a point but also make a difference. Something as little as taking the bus a few days a week instead of driving a car or recycling garbage, can make a large impact. If every student and staff member at the University of Minnesota took part in such simple daily activities, it would make a huge difference and that is what Steger is trying to teach us.

To view pictures of the affects of Global Warming, click the link below:
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/