The New Year is almost here and with that comes lists of resolutions. People are resolving to lose weight, get better grades, and make more money, but what about Mesa? Certainly there are things that need improvement on the school’s behalf as well, but what are they?

As faithful students of Mesa College, we have come up with some resolutions that we believe they should at least consider.

Finding parking is a task in its own. It is trouble enough to have to add at least 30 minutes onto your drive-time in order to find a parking spot, but it’s another thing to have to add 10 minutes on for the hike up the stairs.

Now, we realize that there are efforts going into a new parking structure, and amen to that, but that’s going to take some time. There are bills that have to be passed, funding provided, and of course, the three-year construction to get through. Needless to say, it’s not going to happen in the next year.

What’s our solution? Cut corners wherever possible, the stairs. Yes, they are a good “work-out,” and seriously, who doesn’t love a little five-mile hike at 8 a.m.? But when you already have to add the extra hour on for parking, do you really want to add an extra 30 minutes on for climbing the stairs? We suggest an escalator. It’s fast, easy, and would look great. Not to mention students would be less likely to show up to class thoroughly drenched in sweat; always a plus.

Another thing that needs some work is the college’s main Web site. It is an amazing tool to have an up-to-date Web site that has all faculty and staff information ready, not to mention updated sports scores and such. But seriously, our Web site is a little, well, outdated. When you come across a staff member who has not only not worked for the college in years, but has also passed away, we think it might be time to sit down and update the sucker. But hey, who are we to judge?

The only thing worse than coming across a deceased professor while sitting completely drenched in sweat from the 10-mile hike up the stairs is doing it on a SLOW computer. It’s positively dreadful, especially when you get a whiff of the guy sitting next to you. Now people, yes, MySpace is of high priority these days, and heaven forbid you wait three hours to see how many comments you got in the past 20 minutes, but seriously, you’re slowing it down for everyone.

A campus-wide MySpace ban, however, would likely be a cause for protests, and well, riots, so maybe we should veto that suggestion. Just get a faster Internet that works.

And, while we’re on the topic of bettering ourselves, this whole “campus-wide smoking ban” probably won’t be campus-wide. Smokers still smoke where they like, and maybe it’s because they know there are no actual consequences.

A verbal warning – wow, we’re shivering in our boots ladies and gentlemen. Now how to fix this, we don’t exactly know. If we suggest actually fining the rebellious smokers, well, we might just have to watch our backs. And if we just kind of let this one go, well, we might just have to watch our lungs, if that’s possible. So we’ll just leave that one off the list too.

Overall, Mesa’s New Year’s Resolution list really isn’t that long, at least according to us. There’s the parking lot issue, which they seem to have covered. The whole escalator thing to minimize the 20-mile hike. The updated Web site to keep students better informed. The faster Internet, to avoid riots at all costs. And smoking, which we decided to take off the list once again to avoid riots and unfriendly meetings in the creepy elevators.