Rexboig

I live in Rexburg Idaho. The place is saturated with incredibly
conservative Mormons. I find that the issues that arise aren't typical for a normal
community. First, there's the issue of taxes. It took us 8 months to
vote in favor of a bond to build a new high school. The citizens dreaded the thought
of raised taxes, no matter the reason. Another issue is the city's response to the people's
fear of taxes. They find ways to accomplish their goals without consent. A 3 million dollar
splash park was installed without any vote. The temperature in Rexburg is below zero most
of the time, so the splash park is completely useless. There was also
an outbreak of E. Coli, heightening the anger of this big waste
of money.

Rexburg is home to BYU-I. The students there are quite pious. A
student went out of her way to research all the hot-cocoas sold at a
store on campus, discovered trace amounts of coffee and petitioned to
have the place closed. My father, who teaches a historical culture
class, has been asked by students to go through textbooks and censor
the "pornographic" (nude) classical art. A technician who had worked at the
college for 30 years was fired on the spot after an offensive remark
he made offhandedly to a student about gays in the military.

My Taylor Hall Community

The community I chose was my hall community. At the hall meeting we had some issues come up that were debated upon. One was about singing in the shower, the girl argued that it was your own personal time and that one shouldn’t have to put up with someone else’s singing. The next issue was singing while going to the bathroom, a couple girls felt it was very awkward for one to do that when other people are there also. Another issue was about how girls would come into the hall late at night yelling and talking loudly, and that was not fair for those girls trying to sleep. The last issue was how girls need to get their hair off of the shower walls, which most girls where disgusted by. These were just the main issues brought up at my hall meeting.

Community Issues

1. One issue that is debated within my community is the question of is it okay to take food out of the cafeteria when you are not supposed to. Of course that may seem to be an obvious no but there are many good people who do it so I wonder if they think it is okay.
2. Another thing that could be an issue with students in my dorm is why they will soon not be allowed to leave their bags by the wall, as they always have been able to, before they go in to eat in the cafeteria.
3. One thing that we debated within a class was if the class should use iclickers. Students were able to voice their opinion along with the teacher informing them of the benefits of both options.
4. In a meeting held with some of the residents in my hall we also talked about how technically leggings are not an appropriate substitute when the dress doesn’t come to the knee. This issue could be argued because many people around campus may not be aware of this rule so they wear short dresses with leggings. Also some may say that this rule is unnecessary because leggings are modest enough for the Honor Code.

The BYU community: Issues

The BYU community: Issues to be debated.
- Should BYU’s class schedules be changed so that students get a sufficient Spring Break? Should the schedule stay as it is, allowing the students to be in school year-round? I want a Spring Break!
- Should the Testing Center be expanded or relocated to a new building? As it is, the Testing Center is hot and stuffy with as many desks possible crammed into too small a space. I’m sorry, but I’d rather not get sick while taking a test just because the person behind me has Swine Flu and is breathing down my neck… literally.
- Please, more parking on BYU campus!!
- Is it just me, or is the Bookstore out to get students’ money? The Bookstore is a campus store, you would think they would remember that the people who shop there are poor. On the other hand, if it weren’t for the Church paying for students to have a more affordable tuition, I would not even be here… I cannot figure out if that makes me feel less bothered about the Bookstore’s expensive prices.

My Chipman 3200 Community

My fellow floor mates and I have become a close knit group of freshman here at BYU. Though we get along well, there are a few issues that don’t always agree on. Some of the girls follow the proverb “early to bed, early to rise…” almost religiously, but myself and others enjoy the nightlife here at BYU and the joys of sleeping in. This leads to a “circle of sleep,” some of us are awake, and some of us aren’t. This problem leads to resentment among some of the girls, it’s hard to be loving to your neighbor when they insist on playing Miley Cyrus at midnight, or if their alarm starts blaring at 6AM. Another debate is the level of volume of music that should be played. For example I like country music, however the girls next door basically hate it, and even when I try to play it quietly, it’s hard to enjoy it when they complain. The biggest problem right now on our floor is hair in the showers. It’s a nasty experience to stumble out of bed in the morning, looking forward to a nice hot shower, only to discover a glob of long dark hair on the tile walls while lathering up. This problem has been discussed multiple times at floor meetings, and everyone agrees it’s gross, but people still refuse to do something about it. Another issue is the effectiveness of cleaning checks. Many of my neighbors wonder if it is really necessary. Inspectors barely seem to look at your room as they give your trash can a check, your floors a glance, and your shelves a rub. For something that causes a great amount of stress for me and my roommates, they seem to not take our work into consideration. These are just a few small issues found on our floor community, but overall we get along well and have lots of fun!

BYU issues

Even though some have called Brigham Young University the “Lord’s University” we’re far from perfect. Some debatable issues within the BYU community are:

Students have to pay to attend sporting events as any other spectators do. At other universities, students are not required to pay to go to sporting events. Why do we have to pay to support our school’s athletic teams?

At an institution in which academic excellence is stressed, it is interesting to note that the library has limited hours. Most college campuses have the library and its resources available for student use 24 hours a day.

As we all know, the honor code requires men to be clean-shaven. With other honor code policies, there are religious standards they help us uphold. But there is nothing in our religion that states that men shouldn’t have beards. So what’s the harm in a bit of scruff?

The last issue within our community is the lack of school spirit. Why aren’t we supporting our athletic teams? Where are our BYU t-shirts? Where is our enthusiasm and pride in the university we attend?

Issues as a Dorm Building

Issues as a dorm Building
Bed times: Everyone has different sleeping habits and you need to know when others are sleeping so you don’t wake them. Also you don’t want to be interrupted by your roommates either.
Cleaning: Everyone has a different definition of clean and we need to work through that to where all are comfortable.
Noise: Different people think of different volumes to be loud or not. Being respectful of other people and if they are trying to work or not is important
Different Schedules: Understanding that others may be coming and going more than you are, or at different times and be respectful of that.

Problems in my Community

Visiting Rights-I believe that students living in Heritage Halls should have the right to have other students of the opposite sex in their bedrooms, as long as the doors are open and unlocked.

BYUSA-Students should understand better that BYUSA is not a cult or a program set on ruining the lives of the student body and that its goal is to create harmony on BYU campus among all the student body.

Intolerance-Many BYU students are intolerant of differences between people and change. They do not like to have their lives tweaked in little ways while at school, which is interesting especially when many of the students have served missions or have done studies abroad where they are required to experience different cultures and constant change.

Lighting-There should be more time at the crosswalk lights so that students have sufficient time to cross the road without worrying that some campus policeman will ticket them for j-walking.