Cy in Chains

There has been a lot of talk about the chains currently covering campus lately. Quite a bit of the student population seems to be against it, arguing that it breaks up the beauty of central campus and that once again, the campus government (henceforth known in this post as the "Man") is screwing up their land. Stephen Schmidt, one of our political science professors, equates the chains put up around campus "...like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa". Heck, a Facebook group about the subject already has over a thousand members and growing! The "Man" seems to disagree -- they say that the fences are to prevent people from trampling the beauty --,although the uproar is enough that they are planning to renegotiate where they will be plopped down, or even at all.

So where do I stand on this big issue? In all actuality, I don't really care all that much -- I thought the fences really didn't look all that bad amongst the foliage (they don't curtain every walkway!), and the ones that do get in my way are easily jumped over by my manly long legs. I can see where this is a big issue for some people, though, since there is a bit of a "The Man's trying to tell us where we can walk!" vibe to the whole story. In my mind, however, there is no real evil villain in this picture; Both sides are trying to preserve our common space in their own specific way. Nobody is going to yell or taser you if you take a nap on the grass. It seems to me that as long as you respect your surroundings and don't make any big mud holes in the middle of the green, then I think you will be fine.













It all comes down to respecting our environment, although the issue is more complicated, like most big issues usually are. Cow paths, on one hand, do look pretty ugly -- but they are a sign of life on the campus, a sign that students do go to learn and live in the place. My old roommate said once that the paved pathways throughout our school were originally cow paths themselves (which pretty much explains some of the stranger trails that you can follow around!) I don't mind the cow paths much as long as they are quick little shortcuts through a small area; If there was a big trail going north-south through the center green, then there would be a bit of a problem.

So yes or no on chains? I err on the side of no, since they can be a hassle to get around (or over), even if I don't mind the ascetics. Here is my only real comment; don't get too mad at the administration over this -- they are just trying to preserve our shared space too!