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Opinion

Keep UH image in mind on the road

Adil Saleem
Opinion Columnist

This past Friday, I attended Friday prayers at my local mosque. Right afterwards, there was supposed to be funeral prayers for a recently deceased man. The school holiday, along with the funeral prayers, provided a backlog of cars in the parking lot. What was weird was that people were growling inside their cars while others prayed inside for the man who had died. It had to be the saddest thing I've seen in a long time.

To be more concerned about getting out than having a little patience at a time like that is inexcusable. Granted, blocking off cars is never good, but scowling at the problem isn't going to get it resolved. But I could care less about the other people cutting motorists off and parking haphazardly. It was the cars with the UH parking permits that disturbed me the most.

It's not even something I noticed just then; it's taken a while to process. We fail to realize how we UH Cougars tend to present ourselves in our hometown. Every time we drive somewhere with that parking decal displayed prominently on our windshield, we're sending a message. We're saying that we belong to the University of Houston, and everyone is judging how people at that school are more than the individual motorist. 

We get judged constantly, and most of the time, those judgments are unfair. That's life though, and we don't live in a perfect world. When we drive recklessly, or cut people off on the road, they see our cars, and they might see that parking decal. And they might think to themselves, "UH drivers are the worst." 

I'm not saying change your whole driving habits. What I am saying is be more considerate on the road, as well as on campus parking lots. An analogy would be that UH is a huge trucking company, and all of us students operate trucks that are branded with the UH insignia. So even though some of us are great drivers and some of us aren't, most people don't judge on the individual merit, but that of the group. 

Being a courteous driver is not a bad trait. Last week while fumbling for my keys, a loud honk directed at me startled me. The driver raised her hands and mumbled some words, which to me were inaudible, but somehow I knew they had to be something to the tune of "where are you parked, so I can stalk you around the parking lot and park." That attitude does not make me want to tell you anything.

And everywhere you turn, you hear people complaining about parking. From the unavailability of parking on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the complaints about the parking situation presented during Frontier Fiesta. All I can say is: stop complaining. Finding a parking spot is not impossible. One just needs patience, and if you don't have patience, then arrive early. There are many parking lots on campus, and the only impossible thing is not finding a parking spot in at least one of those parking lots. 

So be courteous, and be respectful when driving around town as well as UH. You represent not just yourself, but thousands of other students, faculty, and staff. As a commuter school, UH students are more represented in Houston and surrounding areas than other schools in the state. Instead of spending half an hour preying on fellow students, park in the back and walk to your class. It'll do you good.

Saleem, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at aild@hotmail.com.