NIC is a fantastic school. It allows people like me to get our associate degrees for cheaper than at a university, with good instructors and great students. With that being said, I, as a student, do have some suggestions.
Here at NIC, we have a lot of obstacles to overcome, just like any school. The first thing this year to challenge me as a student was the new HigherOne card.
With this change, all I saw was problems. We all expected to have our money the moment we woke up and many students were frustrated with the fact that they had to wait until 2 or 3 p.m. to finally be able to get supplies for classes that were already overdue.
If you chose to wait and transfer that money to a bank or credit union for a more secure transaction… well, you had to wait up to three more days! And if you did choose to use the card (like I foolishly did), you didn’t have access to PIN-based transactions. This meant paying rent was delayed two weeks until the check came in from the company, you couldn’t use money orders to pay your bills, you had to send your credit card info through the mail and hope your identity didn’t get stolen and if you called the institution you got charged a convenience fee.
What happened to the good old days when I could get my check directly deposited before the checks were even mailed? Change is not always good!
When I say change is not always good, I mean that with a passion. The new roundabouts are the same thing.
When I used to get to campus, I would drive right up to the dike road, no worries. Now, however, I have to not only stop myself but keep a watchful eye to make sure no one is going to sideswipe me (which has almost happened quite a few times already this semester). I cannot wait to see how awesome they are going to be in the snow. Crazy kids fresh out of high school are about to total my car.
But my car isn’t even completely safe on campus because of the lack of parking.
On campus, according to parking services, there are 1,900 student spaces and 171 staff spaces. Sounds like a lot until you realize that the first issue of our paper this year quoted 7,000 students enrolled this semester. Not all of them are on campus at the same time and not all of them drive, but enough do that it is hard to find a decent parking spot.
I personally did not buy a parking pass this year because I felt like it was a waste of money. I park on the dike road, or by the skate park, neither of which have many people looking out if someone decides to pull a hit and run on my car.
However, I would rather walk a little way than support fancy sidewalks that were more important than a parking garage. I do not approve!
This may sound like a mindless rant, but I have spoken to many students on these subjects and these seem to be the main issues at the school. I just hope getting these opinions out there will help administration realize what people want. We pay tuition and we should have a say, but not everyone has time for meetings.
I want to reiterate that I love this school; I am excited and proud to say that I will be graduating at the end of next semester. And I am excited to be on the award-winning Sentinel!
Opinions expressed in editorial and opinion articles are the views of individual NIC students. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Sentinel, North Idaho College, or any other organizations or groups there-in. North Idaho College is not responsible for the accuracy of statements or opinions shared.
