By Nicole June | Perspectives Editor

Middle College: It’s something of an oxymoron in the eyes of most traditional college students.

What is Middle College, you ask? It is a dual enrollment program offered to local high school students in which they can take classes at APSU for both high school and college credit.

According to APSU’s middle college Web site, the mission of Middle College at APSU is to “engage students who find it difficult to connect or become engaged in traditional high school programs.”

These students are required to have completed their sophomore year of high school and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. They are even eligible for certain scholarships.

While this may seem to be an innocent addition to our fine university, it in fact has its own seedy underbelly. This mission statement does not mention these students are receiving the same privileges as full-time undergraduate students.

While sitting in a lower-level communications class, it came to my attention a Middle College student was in the class. This student seemed ready to embrace the college experience, prepared with a new patterned bookbag and freshly sharpened pencils. I am not the only one who noticed this student.

The professor of the class addressed the student, explaining she was very lucky to be in the class. Why, you ask? Several upperclassmen had been vying for the same spot in the class, which has limited availability, but were unable to get in.

However, little miss Middle  College seemed to get in just fine. Is this an injustice? Should middle college students have priority over upperclassmen struggling to keep their heads above water and graduate?

Upperclassmen students should be permitted entrance into a class before Middle College students. Upperclassmen have more at stake and less time to meet their requirements than these mutated high school students.

APSU is growing larger and larger every semester. Each time we come back, the freshman class seems to be larger than the last.

Now we not only have to fight with freshmen for those coveted desks, but also with students who are not even of legal age. Where does the madness end?

That’s not to say Middle College students are not welcome at the Peay. Anyone who wants to take on such responsibility at a young age is admirable.

However, these students should be placed at the bottom of the list when an upperclassmen needs to take a certain course.

The next time you see a Middle College student gallavanting around campus, give them a pat on the back — and a warning glance.

By Nicole June | Perspectives Editor

You hop in your car on a bright, sunny morning. You’ve purchased all your books, bought a new bookbag, hey, you even brushed your teeth today.

As you pull up to the vast brick buildings of APSU in grandma’s old clunker, you turn the corner and a plane of shining metal awaits you.

Welcome to the land of APSU parking. Those who actually wish to arrive on time to class are instead plagued by an hour-long ride of hornhonking, nailbiting and chainsmoking (in the haven of one’s own car, of course).

Several new construction projects and reassignments of parking lots have drastically changed the landscape of campus. APSU is small as it is, and it now looks like a crowded sardine can.

Imagine what this scene must look like to incoming freshmen, eager to begin their next four to 10 years in college. Devastating, huh?

And for those of us who are veterans of the Peay, this situation can only be described as annoying.
Throughout the years, students have been able to park in the lot near the Trahern and Music/Mass Communication buildings.Now, however, the entire lot now resembles something like the Red Sea. Each space has been given its own scarlet stripe to designate it as faculty/staff parking. Students have been thrown out of this parking lot and must now park near the Dunn Center or further. Perhaps this was the idea of someone at the Foy, eager to spread the message of fitness to avoid the dreaded freshmen 15.
But never fear, a handy-dandy, color-coded map has been provided on the APSU Web site. Strain your eyes and point your fingers, and maybe you’ll locate a spot within a 15-mile radius.

But wait. There’s more. For the low, low price of somewhere near $25 a day, you can park wherever you want.

An officer will put a decorative sticker in your window while you slumber in class, and when you find it you can empty your wallet.

APSU has also added the convenience of paying your parking ticket online through Web Self Service. How thoughtful.

So newbies, brace yourselves for a year of scrounging for change and rousing games of bumper cars. Good thing we have those nifty bus passes now, no?

– Nicole June, Perspectives Editor

“I’m looking forward to getting a 4.0 and meeting a lot of people. I hope to get all I need to get out of APSU, and I want to go to all events and take in all the freebies.”
Joe Marler, freshman political science major

“I want to learn to be independent and organize my time. I don’t want to be dependent on my parents. I’m excited to get to my classes and to meet new people.”
Bola Oyebade, freshman history education major

“I want to pick a major that will help me figure out what to do in life. I want to socialize more and become more responsible and independent and do my homework. I am responsible for succeeding or failing.”
Kobe Crawford, freshman undecided

“I want to have an experience of a life time while becoming independent. I hope to expand my connections and become a better student while learning to meet others and to use my time wisely.”
Paige Marrs, freshman undecided

“I am looking forward to being on my own and being responsible for me. It’s going to be a test to see if am ready for adulthood. I expect to be more of a social person and to become more of a public speaker.”
Casey Brown, freshman radiology major