By Patty Kreiser

The University is becoming Christmas Town…bright signs and colors are everywhere you turn, there are students caroling-okay, more like whining-in the streets, students scurrying around campus laden with University shopping bags full of books. And there are decorations everywhere. Who doesn’t love “Debate ’08” decorations on every inch of campus? And now, just to add to the décor, the University wants to decorate our cars a little bit more.

I’m a rule-abiding student (for the most part): I registered my car with the Department of Public Safety. I put the ugly blue stickers on my little red car, even though the colors clash terribly. I have the big sticker with the barcode on the side of my car. (What, are they price-checking my car?) When I’m not on campus, people can definitely tell where I go to school. My car just oozes Pride Spirit!

So then we get the mass e-mail message that we have to get yet another identifiable badge/sticker/logo/barcode for our cars. When did my car become a Christmas tree? All I’m missing now is the angel on top of my antenna so I’m ready to celebrate Christmas in September.

I understand that it is important to register our cars with the University, but adding on to the ornaments we already have is impractical. There was backed-up traffic to get into the commuter lot behind Breslin because each car needed to get their new Christmas ornament.

If you didn’t stop to get your ornament, you’ll have to give up your coveted parking spot later on in order to go to the Public Safety office, prove your identity (after all, this is national security we’re talking about), get the new decoration, then spend a half hour trying to find a new spot to park your car since you surrendered your spot just a little while ago. I’m starting to think it’s more difficult to register your car at the University than it is to get through airport security for international flights.

These new car ornaments are a waste. Once John McCain and Barack Obama leave the University after the debates, nobody will care if I have this little thing dangling from my rearview mirror. Nobody will care if I have the ever-so-stylish blue “C” sticker on my front and rear bumpers. Will McCain and Obama be looking at my car to see if I abided by University rules? Will the FBI or the Secret Service hunt me down and lock me up in Guantanamo as a national security threat if I don’t sport the new parking pass?

I doubt it. So for now I’ll get my little Christmas ornament and let it dangle from my rearview mirror, but once Oct. 15 passes, I’m taking down the Christmas tree.

Patty Kreiser is a junior broadcast journalism student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].