Salomé Cloteaux, editor-in-chief: Every time I complain about IU parking, I am met with the same responses: “There isn’t enough space to have parking for everyone on campus. Why don’t you just walk or bike or take the bus or ride a scooter? Don’t you want Bloomington to become more walkable and less reliant on cars?” But when it’s 11 p.m., I’m finally leaving work, the buses aren’t running, my bike got stolen twice in one month, there has been another e-scooter accident, I don’t make enough money to get an Uber every day, my car got towed because although I paid almost $200 for an ST parking pass, I was late to move my car from the stadium the night before the third basketball home game this week, and I have to pray my roommate is still awake to pick me up so I have a safe way home, I think I have a right to complain about IU parking.
Emma Uber, managing editor: Finals week is less stressful than a regular week. Sure, there are higher stakes, but at least it’s doable if you manage your time wisely. Any other given week I could have two exams, a couple papers, hours of classes and club meetings every night. With finals week, I have lots of work to do but I also have the time to focus on doing my best work without distraction.
Marissa Meador, managing editor: I don’t know if I’m just cheap, but it feels wasteful to buy gift-wrapping paper that will immediately become trash. But it’s such a staple of Christmas and birthdays that we’ve made an entire industry out of it. Beyond the wrapping paper itself, the product is shrink-wrapped and packaged into cartons — we’re literally wrapping the wrapping paper! The gifts we’re wrapping are usually in boxes that will get thrown away as well, and those boxes were probably shipped in one or two bigger boxes. Using newspaper feels like a good alternative because it provides the same mystery element, but I’m afraid people will think I don’t care enough about the gift to buy something shiny or cute.
Haripriya Jalluri, managing editor of engagement: Deadlines don’t make sense most of the time. They are often arbitrary, especially in academia. Why does something need to be due Sunday at 11:59 pm if it’s not going to be graded or thought about for 2 weeks? Sometimes I guess they make sense. I have to say that because I’m a business student and, yes, there is an ideal time for strategies to be implemented and clients to get information. However, most of the time, they are pointless and should be more like “suggested times.”
Tory Basile, arts editor: Hearing about other people’s dreams isn’t boring (sleep dreams not life-goal dreams). I think it’s fun and I like to analyze them to pretend I am a cuter and funnier Sigmund Freud.
Livvie Hurley, copy chief: Pedestrians should not constantly have the right of way in Bloomington, it makes traffic super bad.
Alayna Wilkening, design editor: Attendance policies in college are way too strict. This might just be the classes that I’ve been in, but all of my classes this semester took attendance, and three of them were lectures where the notes could be found on Canvas. I’m not usually someone who skips class, but the fact that I could only miss three of them felt unnecessarily strict. If I’m skipping class, it’s because I need to, and it’s ridiculous to get counted points off for something that I could easily catch up on at home.
Nadia Scharf, enterprise editor: Oatmeal raisin cookies are better than chocolate chip ones in every way. 100%. The dough is flavored so each bite is tasty, and the raisins and cinnamon complement each other perfectly: it's texture and flavor in a beautiful combination. Chocolate chip just has a better marketing department.
Dalton James, sports editor: Daylight savings time should’ve never been introduced. Why should it be light outside until after 9 p.m. during the summer? It makes no sense. After a long day of work I would like to go to bed at a reasonable time, yet that’s not possible because it’s still light out. Standard time is the correct time because it matches our body’s internal clock, therefore we should always be on standard time.
Mia Hilkowitz, news editor: Meditation is way too anxiety provoking. As someone who cannot deal with uncomfortable silence, meditation does not seem like a good way to unwind. Sit alone in silence with your own thoughts? Never.
Andrew Miller, assistant news editor: Drain gang and Brazilian funk are the only good music anymore and have lapped everyone else in quality. “Amygdala" by Bladee and Ecco2k is the best song of the 2020s.
Danny William, opinion editor: It’s beyond me how car racing like NASCAR and Formula One can be considered a sport. Whoever wins has almost nothing to do with who is behind the wheel. You can be the best driver in the world, but if they put you in a bad car, it’s impossible to win. We’ve spent years arguing over whether cheerleading and marching band are sports while ignoring the most obvious outlier.
Jared Quigg, opinion editor: Coffee is utterly undrinkable without a ton of cream, milk and sugar added in. I don’t think I will ever understand how people drink it black. Drinking black coffee is like pouring mud into your mouth.
Olivia Bianco, special publications editor: The summer is so much better than the winter it’s insane. I like the warm weather and driving in my convertible car. I feel like there’s always more activities to do in the summer, especially outside. I’m a big fan of being on the water as well and that’s something you can only really do in the summer. Layering up for the cold and the sun setting earlier sucks.
Nora Barth, newsletter producer: I don’t care what crazy comments Summer Walker makes or whoever Grimes dates, I will listen to their music until the day I die. If someone made the album “Art Angels”, they can have babies with whoever and I will just ignore it. There is no wild statement that Summer could say that would make “Fun Girl” not the best song ever made.
Natalie Fitzgibbons, Arbutus editor-in-chief: Personal growth is interesting. One day you’re a freshman scared to email a source for an interview, the next you’re a junior in charge of a collegiate yearbook… and still nervous reaching out to sources.
