The Daily Cougar--Opinion Online

Writing a goodbye column is tough, perhaps tougher than writing any other column. There are so many people I want to thank, so many I'd like to
blast one final time, so many points about this campus and its petty bureaucrats that I'll have to leave to future columnists.

I guess the first place to start is with those people I need to thank. To my editors over the years: Tom Carpenter, Keenan Singleton, Cara Sarelli,
Jason Consolacion, Ellen Simonson, Nikie Johnson, Ed De La Garza: thanks. It's been a blast. To my fellow columnists: It's been fun. To
everyone who ever wrote a response to one of my columns, however hateful: thank you. It means a lot to know someone was reading who
thought I made a strong enough point to warrant a response.

To the petty bureaucracy of the dorms, on which I've been silent all year, I must say this: Shame on you. I hope the extra money you're charging
students who stay during gap periods this summer actually goes to repairs.

We still have air-conditioning issues, the card readers don't work properly half the time, the electrical system is suspect, our Ethernet is of
woefully poor quality with frequent outages and that's just in the Quadrangle, which seems to be where the best-kept buildings in the network
are located.

For the amount of space we get (half a room and one-quarter share of a bathroom) and the prices we pay, this is nuts. I'm so glad to be leaving.

To UH's current administration: Bring back the live cougar. I was here before Sasha, the incredibly poor marketing gimmick that she is (does
anybody realize "Shasta" is a feminine name already?), walked onto the field to disgrace our sports teams.

Of course, we were already parading around a guy in a suit, proving our "Cougar High" image even more. Give us a status symbol with a little
dignity.

To my professors: thanks, to all of you. The real reason to come to UH is the quality of faculty, and I've not met any in the Cullen College of
Engineering who weren't willing to talk to students and give a bit of guiding advice.

Well, I think that's it. It's strange to be graduating. I'll miss writing for the Cougar; I won't so much miss a few of my classes, but it's now time to
face the "real world."

See you out there.

Ahlf, a graduating senior electrical
engineering major, can be reached at mahlf@mail.uh.edu.