Tech Rec renovations
I am confused after reading your consensus opinion about the bill to fund the Tech Recreation Pinsetter Proposal. You seem to have a very negative attitude toward the situation, claiming this bill is being forced in under the radar.
The bill has been postponed to this date to ensure that asking for such a large amount would not bankrupt the capital outlay budget while there were still many requests coming in. You do mention that there would be approximately $100,000 left in the budget for the year but do not mention that the fiscal year ends on July 30th. This means that the $100,000 would only be required to service the students for mainly the summer semester.
As for the alternatives you list, the pool tables already adequately service our current patronage and the reason the arcade machines were taken out a few years ago was under-utilization by the student body. As for the current gaming stations installed in Tech Rec, we are already planning expansion and upgrades to this area using other funds.
We see constant use by the students and student organizations as well as both FASET and Connect with Tech groups in the bowling alley. One of the first glimpses of Georgia Tech that many of these visiting students get is that of Tech Rec and the Student Center. We also get many alumni who come in and remember their times at Tech Rec in years past.
But mainly, I would like to stress how this isn’t a large “blank check” being written to update Tech Rec. This is an investment in state-of-the-art machines that will last for many years to come. The current machines have run for about 40 years, and the new ones should at least run for 30. Also, you neglected to mention in your opinion that the bill includes a new lane machine to replace the one that currently barely works.
These items have been checked to bring the cost down to what it is today. We have tried our best to reduce the cost to students, but what we hear as our main complaint about the alley is the state of the pinsetters and scorers. Please don’t sabotage our attempt to update Tech Rec to be on par with other bowling facilities.
Christopher Jordan
6th-year CS
Transportation hires are affordable
Regarding your opinion column in today’s Technique, we probably share a common dislike for the transportation department here on campus, but with the amount of money that the department gets every year, I’m sure they are more than capable of hiring someone to do that job beside the management building.
Is it good financial planning? No. Could they be using the money to lower funds or increase bus drivers’ pay-checks? Definitely. I could write a whole Technique’s worth of opinions about the transportation department, but I just wanted to bring another angle to the issue. They’ve got the money.
Matt Miller
3rd-year INTA