You Op To Know: Student Life columnist responds to your Letters to the Editor
Welcome to You Op to Know, The Daily Orange Opinion section’s weekly podcast.
This week, The Daily Orange Opinion section brought on Student Life columnist Jennifer Bancamper to address some of the letters to the editors that readers of The Daily Orange have sent recently. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to submit a letter to the editor at opinion@dailyorange.com.
Episodes will be back following the break.
TRANSCRIPT
WEIS: Hello everyone, I’m your host and producer Allison Weis and welcome to The Daily Orange’s opinion podcast You Op To Know. Tonight we have Student Life columnist Jennifer Bancamper to address some of the letters to the editors that readers of The Daily Orange have sent recently. So what Letter to the editors are is that people in the Syracuse community can have their voices heard in the Daily Orange. Welcome Jennifer.
BANCAMPER:
WEIS: So, what drew you to become a student life columnist?
BANCAMPER: Freshman year I remember talking to my peers about issues on campus that SU was neglecting and needed to improve upon. I realized that it’s not enough to just talk about them. My craft is writing so I thought, what can I do to use that? I got an email in the ETS Listserv that the Opinion section was hiring, and I found that it’s a great section for talking about the things I want to talk about.
WEIS: You voice your opinions pertaining to student life at Syracuse University, and people who submit letters to us are able to do the same for their communities. Why do you think that’s important?
BANCAMPER: I think it’s important especially for SU students. SU has a lot of initiatives and resources targeted to us, so it’s important that we give our input on those initiatives and resources. I think in general people should voice what matters to them because if you don’t voice what matters to you, no one will ever know what matters to you.
WEIS: The last six letters to the editor were all written by students and all addressing specific things on SU’s campus that should be improved. One of the letters was written by a SU junior said that Schine cafeteria should include more health conscious options. What is your opinion on this, does SU have a responsibility to offer health conscious choices?
BANCAMPER: I agree with the student who wrote this, I find myself in Schine wishing there were more options when I’m trying to be healthy. Our school is very populated so it’s important to have choices that fit all types of students not what’s most efficient or easy.
WEIS: Do you have any recommendations on healthy options they can include?
BANCAMPER: I think they should include more meals, I know they have salads or fruits but they’re not things that you want to eat for lunch or breakfast.
WEIS: Another letter was written by a SU sophomore said walkways should be safer this winter. How do you think snowy walkways impede student life?
BANCAMPER: Snowy walkways increase the time it takes to go to class. It increases time that you walk between classes. If you’re running late it’s harder to get to class because you’re worried about slipping and falling. I know I had a situation last semester, it was too slippery on the promenade and there was so much traffic from students trying to walk on one dry part of the promenade. All of it should be dry. I think it creates unnecessary friction for students going to and from class.
WEIS: What do you think about the promenade?
BANCAMPER: Just grip. Even when it rains people avoid the promenade or walk on the edge. It’s a safety issue.
WEIS: Commuting is another thing that could be affected by the winter weather. But another letter, written by a SU senior, said that there are a lot of other issues related to campus safety. What do you think are the biggest problems related to students who are commuting to campus?
BANCAMPER: I know in the letter they were talking about how bad the roads were, the potholes. That’s something I’ve noticed driving and Ubering around. Last semester my friend’s dad was driving us and he couldn’t get up a hill because it was too snowy and icy. I think it’s definitely not ideal for students coming here often.
WEIS: We only have guaranteed housing for two years, the other two years students have to live off campus, how can SU help these commuters?
BANCAMPER: Of course. Definitely, there are two classes, the upperclassmen, that is a large portion of the student body living off campus. There should the the same security as there is on campus and on south campus off campus for students.
WEIS: Do you have anything else that you would like to touch upon?
BANCAMPER: No not really.
WEIS: Thanks so much for joining us, Jennifer.
BANCAMPER: Thank you for having me.
WEIS: Episodes will be back following the break, but be sure to check back in then. In the meantime, catch up on old episodes which can be found on our website. And, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to submit a letter to the editor at opinion@dailyorange.com. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
