Spring Break
UConn Only Sucks If You Make It Suck
Maxwell Heiber
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Commentary
F our students were given space in HuskyTalk to say what they thought of the new system for purchasing basketball tickets. Not one of the students said anything positive, and one even went so far to say that UConn has ruined everything that once was fun. I laughed at that comment, but then I was saddened by what I see as a trend at UConn. Too many students complain and not enough students work to make things better.
For example, the new ticket-purchasing system makes sense. The wristbands allowed groups of friends to stay together and the old system was no longer an option. Did anyone honestly think there would be tents of people camping out for tickets at a university that has recently been in the news for multiple stabbings? Especially when last year's ticket line was plagued with drinking and fighting. Expecting the school to invite phone calls from concerned parents and pay for police overtime is unrealistic. Of all the students that complained about the ticket-buying system, how many sent e-mails with constructive suggestions for next year's system? Is it really that much fun to just whine all the time? And seriously, what would administrators gain from treating students badly on purpose? Many of them have children of their own, work hard and do their best to make choices for the students' benefit.
The complaining about the ticket-buying system is just one small example. The expression "UConn sucks" really upsets me. UConn is my home right now, and it's probably yours, too. That doesn't mean that I like every little thing about it, but I maintain a generally positive attitude, appreciate the good things and do my part to try to make it better. Complaining doesn't count.
It's not just ignorant, mean-spirited or lame to say, "UConn sucks." It's dumb. UConn is so big that it doesn't usually make sense to talk about it as one thing, rather than a collection of many parts. If you get an unfair parking ticket as I have … let's take a moment to talk about that instead. If you've gotten a parking ticket, that doesn't mean that UConn sucks. It doesn't mean that you've never had a good teacher, made good friends or chased geese by Mirror Lake. Most of the parts of UConn have nothing to do with each other.
For example, the new ticket-purchasing system makes sense. The wristbands allowed groups of friends to stay together and the old system was no longer an option. Did anyone honestly think there would be tents of people camping out for tickets at a university that has recently been in the news for multiple stabbings? Especially when last year's ticket line was plagued with drinking and fighting. Expecting the school to invite phone calls from concerned parents and pay for police overtime is unrealistic. Of all the students that complained about the ticket-buying system, how many sent e-mails with constructive suggestions for next year's system? Is it really that much fun to just whine all the time? And seriously, what would administrators gain from treating students badly on purpose? Many of them have children of their own, work hard and do their best to make choices for the students' benefit.
The complaining about the ticket-buying system is just one small example. The expression "UConn sucks" really upsets me. UConn is my home right now, and it's probably yours, too. That doesn't mean that I like every little thing about it, but I maintain a generally positive attitude, appreciate the good things and do my part to try to make it better. Complaining doesn't count.
It's not just ignorant, mean-spirited or lame to say, "UConn sucks." It's dumb. UConn is so big that it doesn't usually make sense to talk about it as one thing, rather than a collection of many parts. If you get an unfair parking ticket as I have … let's take a moment to talk about that instead. If you've gotten a parking ticket, that doesn't mean that UConn sucks. It doesn't mean that you've never had a good teacher, made good friends or chased geese by Mirror Lake. Most of the parts of UConn have nothing to do with each other.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
Jonathan
posted 10/04/06 @ 12:01 PM EST
Guess he got tickets........
Tdog
posted 10/05/06 @ 3:46 PM EST
UConn has become a better Educational Institution, but it has gotten worse for students. I had the pleasure of suffering through the Uconn 200 project and never seeing the end results. (Continued…)
wendy
posted 10/06/06 @ 10:04 AM EST
As a proud a alum, I am disheartened to hear people say "uconn sucks". Mr. Heiber is right, Uconn, or any other university is what you make of it. As a transfer to Uconn, I was so pleased with my experience. (Continued…)
monkeyterp
Josh
posted 12/04/06 @ 7:50 PM EST
I couldn't agree with this article more.
CR
posted 11/24/07 @ 9:58 PM EST
As someone who recently entered UConn, I've had nothing but bad experiences from all walks of campus life. Many of the other students I talk to, echo the same complaints that I have, mostly about the incompetence and general "screw off" responses gotten from academic advisors, as well as complaints about the miserable conditions of most of the residence halls. (Continued…)
Mavrick
posted 1/29/09 @ 11:23 AM EST
UConn sucks. Never had a good teacher, because there aren't any. Food is attrocious. Apartments are shitty. Class you need, can't get into. Fuck UConn. (Continued…)
astrolover
posted 6/30/09 @ 8:54 PM EST
Why do people always say that? "Oh, no, man, YOU must be the loser because you spent thirty seconds hating on the most diverse, interesting, and fun schools in the country" [expletive removed by administrator] Uconn really does suck. (Continued…)
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