Stop me if this happened to you before: while getting ready for class, you see on TV or find online that there’s bad weather coming but for whatever reason, you step out of your car or your dorm without your umbrella, and by the time you get to class, you feel like you’ve taken another shower. There is very little to no cover along the campus’ many winding paths and class waits for no one.
David Delgado | The Daily Cougar
On Feb. 18, I found myself running in a torrential downpour, sans umbrella, to the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library for a research workshop. Skipping it was not an option, and not attending would affect my grade. I had to sit soaking wet through an hour-long seminar.
“There was once a 10 percent chance of showers in the afternoon, but it ended up being a downpour in the morning instead,” said UH-Downtown history senior Julie Workman. “Of course I did not have my umbrella, so at first I tried to just wait it out but then I had to make a dash in the rain to my car, as I had an appointment to get to and couldn’t wait. I was drenched but on time.”
On my long 90-minute drive home through evening traffic, still soaked, the realization dawned that the University needs to figure out some way to help students when it rains.
“I would suggest building a walkway where students can walk through just in case it rains,” pre-business sophomore Roxana Guzman said.
That is a solution, but a costly one.
A more feasible option would be for the University to adopt an umbrella system like those used by outdoor malls. For example, Market Street in The Woodlands has made more than 500 large umbrellas available to retailers and restaurateurs. Each shop typically has an umbrella stand with five to 10 umbrellas and when it rains, patrons take one and deposit it at any of the shops when they are done. This is all done on an honor system.
It is possible for the University to adopt this system. The umbrellas could have the UH logo and logos of sponsors so they would be easily distinguishable. These sponsors could fund the purchasing of the umbrellas and stands. We could name them “Pride Parasols,” “Cougar Cover,” ”Shasta Shelter” or something less dorky. Thus, the University bolsters school pride, provides advertisers with another avenue for ad revenue and keeps students and their stuff dry.
Now, the honor system might not work at UH; students love free stuff and might be prone to keep the umbrellas, even if they’re supposed to return them. To get around that, the University could require students to pay a small deposit. Then, when the student returns the umbrella, they could get their money back or at least a portion of their money back.
Workman gives another suggestion that may be more cost effective.
“You could use the same idea, but instead of using umbrellas, use plastic see-through ponchos with the logos displayed on them,” Workman says. “It would be more cost effective in the long run since those could be mass produced easier and cheaper than umbrellas.”
While some people might say “just bring an umbrella with you,” many people often do not for various reasons. Not everyone has time to grab one on the way out the door or out of the car, remembers to check the weather in the morning or simply forget. An umbrella system would be a great convenience for the students, faculty and guests of the University. I love the sound of rain, particularly when it is falling on an umbrella instead of my head.
Sarah Backer is a business sophomore and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.