Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                            Matt Dulin    Barrett Goldsmith    Zach Lee 
                Jim Parsons            Christian Schmidt           Blake Whitaker

Timeless

A time capsule uncovered last month by library construction workers reminds us of UH's easily forgotten past.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to replace the remnants of yesteryear with new pieces of tomorrow's history. Digital archiving is enough to satisfy historians, but it's not enough to satisfy us.

We'd like to see a new time capsule assembled and placed in the library cornerstone when its renovation is completed. We'd like to see our life and times captured for posterity -- and not just on a CD.

A time capsule from the year 2004 would include a few common markers: a copy of The Daily Cougar and perhaps the Houston Chronicle, a course catalogue and a list of today's tuition and fees -- things to connect UH's future students to today's.

Perhaps the capsule could include a CD -- or maybe an iPod -- packed with the year's top songs in MP3 format -- a tribute to our generation's copyright "pirates."

How might future college students react when they read lyrics to OutKast's "Hey Ya?" Either with raised eyebrows or disinterest. 

Throw in a few photos of the campus, the new buildings and the old. Get photos of Houston's skyline as well -- imagine how alien it will look to your grandchildren.

A handful of change -- a few quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies -- could be a novelty in the mid-21st century. We could also include a list of what common items cost, such as textbooks, a gallon of gas and an automobile.

We should keep a time capsule in order to preserve our touchable history -- a history that's more real to the people who will never know our time the way we do.

The library should create another time capsule -- one that's hidden away and could be forgotten. In time, another generation will chance upon it and come to know us better.
 
Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu