University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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WX The senior side¬ walks not only display the rich heritage of the Univer¬ sity educa¬ tional sys¬ tem and the campus setting, but signify all the people who have shared in the Arkan¬ sas experi¬ ence. Kerry Kirkland alumnus 16 SIDEWALK TALK The Story Teller

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A shortage of convenient spaces adds up to ' lots ' of parking ROBLEMS With more than 11,000 parking permits issued FOR 6,500 SPACES, STUDENTS DODGE IN AND OUT OF OVERFLOWING LOTS INSTEAD OF TAKING THE BUS What do a dime, a nickel and a penny add up to? Yes, 16 cents is the logical answer. But for a parking officer, the answer was as high as $25, and was the maximum amount drivers were fined for illegally parking on campus. The 16 cents was merely the cost of issuing a single ticket. So, where did all the money go? The money generated from parking tickets paid for the Parking Office ' s salaries, vehicle maintenance and fuel. The funds also paid for the new parking lots constructed periodically. The two, new parking lots constructed last summer cost approximately $400,000, an av¬ erage of $1,600 per parking space. Even with two new lots, there were still more cars than parking spaces. Although 11,000 parking permits were issued each year, only 6,500 cars could park on campus at a time. But according to Gary Smith, assistant director of parking, there are an average of 500 parking spaces along Razorback Road empty everyday. I ' ve seen people driving around for 30 minutes looking for a parking space (near their class) instead of parking somewhere else The scenario: You ' re late for class, you whip into a meter space, jump out and go to put change in the meter. But to your dismay, you find only pennies in your pocket or the bottom of your purse. Thinking surely I won ' t get a ticket, you slyly look around and see no ticket givers. Then off to class you go. However, chances are that your vehicle like this truck will receive a ticket. (Jay Rowland photo) and taking a bus, said Smith. The money generated from tickets also provided a transit system which was often appreciated on cold or rainy days. Although considered a vital service by some, others, often on-campus students, didn ' t bother taking the bus. It ' s kind of useles s for me to use the bus sytem since I live in Gibson. I haven ' t used the bus once this year, said Jamie Messenger, a freshman. The buses ran from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on four different routes. Full-time drivers started at 6:30 a.m. and were relieved at 3 p.m. The part-time relief drivers, generally part-time students, took the wheel until 5:30 p.m. According to John Ed Graddy, transit office operation supervisor, bus drivers must undergo a written test, a driving test and at least three days of on-the-job training. As for disciplinary matters, drivers had the authority to quiet students and ask them to leave if they ' re uncooperative. Only two disciplinary measures have occurred since 1979. So, the moral of this story was: Students wanting to save money and hassles parked in the empty, but distant lots and rode the free buses. Other students parked in more con¬ venient, and often illegal parking spaces, and helped finance the bus system through parking tickets. Was there any logic to the campus parking situation? No, but then a dime, a nickel and a penny don ' t equal $25 either — except at the Parking Office. O Tina Canfield and Kim Dineen PARKING 15 Life

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Senior walks commemorate graduates and maintain a unique RADITION Since 1876 more than 90,000 names HAVE EXTENDED FROM THE STEPS OF OLD MAIN PRODUCING 1.44 MILES OF SIDEWALKS Sometimes they ' re empty a nd solemn. And at other times, they become as crowded as Wal-Mart ' s aisles during a red- light special. The University ' s sidewalks were not something to be ignored. Besides keeping thousands of feet dry, the walkways gave students something to read as they walked to class. Controversial, yet useful, the sidewalks Were full of chalked announcements, general comments and even election campaigning. With no rules or laws forbidding such expressions, freedom to talk on the side¬ walks was restricted only by the supply of However, the chalked messages weren ' t he main reason the University ' s sidewalks were special to thousands of seniors. The ah the University ' s seniors since 76 have been set into the campus pathways. arting with the first graduating class, the nam es start on the steps of Old Main and extend over 1.44 miles on campus. Approxi¬ mately 90,000 names spread over the walks, Unt 76 all seniors were listed, whether le y graduated or not. Since then, only the n ames of the graduates have been included and confirmed by the Registrar ' s Office. During the year, the 1988 Senior Walk was p • . a beautiful fall day, Mike and Kerry coll an ” ' a umn °f l b e University, recount their tl? ° e . da y s an d how the senior walks contribute to unique Arkansas tradition to their sons Ryan and ea gen. (Information Services photo) completed by the Graduate Education Building. In the early years, names were engraved. In 1986, engraving was replaced by sand blasting with the invention of the Senior Sand Hog. As many as 200 names could be blasted per day, compared to 100 with the engraving system. Graduating classes now range from 2,500 to 3,000 members. A walk, containing a complete graduating class, usually took one-month to complete, depending on the weather. Three sidewalks were built each year: one for the year ' s graduating class, and two previous years to catch up. With so many names to carve, mistakes were occasionally made, but the Physical Plant checked each spelling three times before placing the names on the walk. According to Leo Yanda, Physical Plant director, corrections were made at no cost to the graduate. There ' s almost total accuracy, he said. What do the students think about the walks? Senior Mary Peck said: It ' s really a good idea — you can always come back and know you ' re a part of the University. Peck ' s opinion was shared by the thou¬ sands of students listed on the sidewalks. Slogans such as Bush in ' 88 scribbled on the sidewalks in colored-chalk washed away with the rain, but the senior names remained as a permanent record of the graduates that left their mark on the University. □ Liz Vanzant Wirn the invention of the Senior Sand Hog in 1986, Physical Plant workers are much more efficient at completing the Senior Walks. The innovative sand blasting machinery allowed the University to continue the unique tradition that began in 1905. SIDEWALK TALK Life 17