The Current Online

Parking complaints prevail, security cracks down and it’s up to Longview students to fix the problem, arrive early

by Greg Farley

Drivers arrive at Longview every weekday around 9 a.m., frustrated that they cannot find a parking spot in front of or near the building where they attend classes. It is a spectacle to see people drive around intently searching for an available spot.

According to a Longview public safety officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, one logical alternative to being late every day would be to arrive on campus at least 15 minutes early in order to secure both sanity and a parking spot. A student named Lindsey, who said she is accustomed to campus life, agreed, saying that she arrives at 8:30 a.m. for her nine o’clock class. A student named Nick said that with his long commute, he arrives even earlier.

Another alternative is to park in the D Lot, where 90 new parking spots have been added at the Rec Center.

“It is approximately a five-minute walk from the D Lot all the way to the building at the far end of campus (High-Tech & Automotive building),” said the security officer. “If you are arriving five minutes before class, you already do not have much time to be picky about what parking spot you get.” He added that many people burn up gas and time, almost as late as 25 to 30 minutes after classes start, simply because they are wishing for a very convenient parking spot.

Parking across the street has been seen as another interesting option. “The parking over in the D Lot or across the street is not the most convenient alternative, but that five-minute time bubble is your best bet if you are running a little bit late,” he said. “You can buy back the gas you have burned, but you cannot buy time.”

The officer said that security is going to come down harder on parking violations such as parking in stairwells and in the faculty parking lot, now that the semester is back in full effect.

by Greg Farley

An epic confrontation of musical proportions occurred on September 11, 2007. The much-anticipated Curtis album, brought to you by rap star 50 Cent, has arrived along with the release of Kanye West’s Graduation. Over the past month and a half, it has been among the hottest topics among music fans and forums that these highly acclaimed albums would arrive on the same day. That day came this past Tuesday.

There is not much separating the two except for their styles. 50 Cent is the stereotypical gangster rapper hailing from New York City, with hit songs like “I Get Money” and “Ayo Technology.” Kanye is the more conscious rapper of the two, because he is not afraid to take on bigger issues with songs like “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’.”

This is the third album for both 50 Cent and Kanye, having both begun their trek in 2002. So it is easy to see that 50 Cent has something to prove now that show time has arrived. The media has attached to this competition of musical prowess, with numerous advertisements and updates. Even Las Vegas is in on the action, taking bets on who will sell more during the first week of sales.

So will 50 Cent’s Curtis or Kanye’s Graduation win the war? Only time can tell. My prediction was that 50 Cent would emerge with the victory, simply because he is more mainstream and knows what it takes to outsell big name competitors as opposed to Kanye, who is the far better lyricist. As of right now, though, it seems as if my prediction has not come to fruition.

The first day sales show that Kanye has sold 437,000 copies to 50 Cent’s 310,000 copies. More recent figures show that Kanye has won the race to platinum, moving 1,153,000 units, to Curtis’ 921,000.