The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Opinions

Rails over rims

The Red & Black wants you to hop aboard the Brain Train bandwagon

Thanks to a group of concerned University students, a commuter rail between Athens to Atlanta is a real possibility in the near future.

The Bulldogs for the Brain Train held a rally at the State Capitol Wednesday in conjunction with other pro-rail forces. We applaud their efforts, and if you're as tired as we are of guzzling untold gallons shuttling between Athens and Atlanta, you should too.

First, the Brain Train will live up to its name, linking students to at least four of Georgia's most prestigious colleges. Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Emory University and, of course, our own beloved University are all along the proposed line.

Second, the line will benefit commuter students who drive up and down 316 daily or even weekly. Many of the stops along the line are in cities such as Lawrenceville, Tucker and Lilburn - commuter towns that spend untold amounts on fuel.

The train also would make it easier for students to make day trips between Athens and Atlanta for events, such as concerts, providing a safe alternative to driving. It also will provide a convenient link to the University's Terry campus in Buckhead.

Because the line's future is unclear, students should voice their support through organizations such as Bulldogs for the Brain Train.

This is for a number of reasons, including current laws that favor spending money on highways over other, superior solutions, such as the rail, a general distrust of public transit stemming from MARTA's checkered past, and resentment of Atlanta from rural lawmakers.

You don't have to be a diaper-wearing rocket scientist to know the Brain Train just makes sense.

Benson blues

If the walls of the women's studies building could talk, they'd be crying

Mice in the walls and leaky roofs more commonly are associated with condemned project housing than a building at a prestigious public university.

Nonetheless, the Benson Building - which looks more like a shady Del Taco than a place of learning - houses the women's studies program.

In addition to the building's poor size and quality, its location on South Campus is inconvenient for the students who use it.

We acknowledge that a lot of students take the Introduction to Women's Studies class, but that's not reason enough to demolish the old building.

According to the department's Web site, there were 31 women's studies majors in 2005-2006, a number that hardly constitutes a new building, much less a whole classroom.

It seems like women's studies, a Franklin College major, should be housed in a building on North Campus. That way, the women's studies department gets a nicer home and a more convenient location - and the University doesn't have to build a new facility.

Then, maybe the former women's studies building finally can serve as what it's always aspired to be - a shady Del Taco.

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