As the semester begins and everyone gets back into their routines, it’s always great to experience the comforting guarantees that Laurier has to offer. Nothing beats that first order of spin dip, the first trip to the library, or even the first Phil’s Wednesday! But of course, with all of these good experiences we are also reminded of the nuisances that accompany these qualities of our school. We all know that Laurier is a wonderful place and that it’s great to be a Laurier Golden Hawk, but there are a few areas where our school could definitely afford to pull up its socks.
I reached out to my fellow Hawks to see how they felt about their university experiences. The responses were overwhelming. There are so many great things about Laurier but no one (or place) is perfect right?
Here are a few of the top recommendations made by Golden Hawks and some ways to get around the frustrations (or at least a warning so you can be prepared!)
1. Lousy Loris
Course selection at Laurier is always a nightmare. Frozen web pages, crashing windows and many tears of frustration all accompany course selection.
Caution: expect a full newsfeed of sassy Facebook statuses about this inferior server during the months of June and July!
2. Crummy Café
At first, “all you can eat” may sound appealing. After a month or so, however, it gets old. The cafeteria system that was put into place two years ago does nothing but take up valuable study space and expedite the freshman 15.
3. Bookstore Bottleneck
It’s almost impossible to walk through the upper concourse area during the first two weeks of school, due to the bookstore line blocking all traffic. Do yourself a favor: pre-order your textbooks to cut your waiting time from fifty minutes to twenty.
4. Crappy Caffeine
During finals, getting your late night caffeine fix is usually urgent. Unfortunately, you won’t find any late night coffee shops on campus at Laurier and you will be forced to hike to the 24 hour Tim’s nearby. Even during regular hours of operation, coffee shops seldom have a line of less than 15-20 people. In order to avoid showing up to class ten minutes late, make sure to allocate at least fifteen minutes into your coffee pick-up routine.
5. Deep-fried Dream
Dining selections are very limited on campus, and this short list gets even shorter when you are looking for healthy foods. My suggestion to solve this dilemma would be to bring your own food, if you’re trying to eat on the healthier side, which brings me to my next frustration…
6. More Microwaves
Regrettably, even if you choose to be healthy and bring your own meal, the microwave situation on campus is extremely limited. But don’t be discouraged! Salad is healthy and doesn’t require re-heating!
7. Daunting Doors
You know the doors to the concourse by the Starbucks? You need to push the handicap button to get in. Yes, it’s annoying and loud. But you heard it here, so you don’t stand there stunned, desperately trying to figure out this alien mechanism like so many before you. Press the button!
8. Loud Library
The library is supposed to be a place of peace, serenity and study. To all those who think it is a place for last nights re-cap with your friends, please reallocate your attention to the 24 Lounge!
Hopefully now you are more prepared for the semester to come! While these are challenges to be fixed hopefully sooner rather than later, don’t forget about how many amazing things our campus has to offer with our new Wellness Centre, library entrance, and the new Business building being built! It really is great to be a Laurier Golden Hawk!