2A – Bug List

1. During rush hour, the number of cars trying to find parking in the Reitz Union parking garage exceed the number of available spots.  

Why it exists: There are too many students and faculty members who own a vehicle and would like to park on campus after parking is lifted at 4:30 PM.

2. Around lunchtime on campus, the Reitz Union Starbucks will say they have certain items in stock, then tell you they’re out of that item after you pay.

Why it exists: The Starbucks on campus are constantly hiring new employees who are unaware of what items are currently in stock or out of stock.

3. In the morning, Bus 38 almost always drives past the bus stop outside my apartment without stopping because it’s already full from past stops.

Why it exists: There are too many students that rely on the 38 for getting to campus but not enough buses that run at the time or have enough space.

4. When there’s no seats left on the bus (most likely the 38) and you’re forced to stand, and no one pulls the stop request cord for the bus to stop.

Why it exists: No one that is sitting nearby or has easy access to the stop request cord lives in the particular residential area that has a bus stop.

5. Early in the morning, waste disposal and trash removal services appear to take out the trash, but they are always extremely loud and noisy.

Why it exists: Trash must be collected early in the morning, otherwise trash would be left laying out in the street or outside one’s place all day.

6. Having to take the bus in the morning to get to campus, then taking the bus home and retrieving one’s car to go back to campus for activities.

Why it exists: Parking is restricted on campus in the mornings and require vehicles to have a valid decal, but it becomes lifted after 4:30 PM.

7. When commuting between one’s apartment and campus, the Wi-Fi switches but sometimes takes a bit of time to adjust to each Wi-Fi network.    

Why it exists: On campus, Eduroam is the service that allows students to connect to wireless internet and it takes time to set up the configurations.

8. Around 6:00 AM in the morning, the neighbor’s dog will begin barking and whining and will not stop until a couple of hours later around 8:00 AM.

Why it exists: The dog is only a few months old and whines because of a lack of attention from his or her owners, who are not home most of the time.

9. Teastori, a bubble tea shop off campus, has the tendency to mess up my orders such as giving me a tea with a milk base instead of a green tea base.

Why it exists: The store tends to always be packed during visits and the bobaristas or workers are more concerned with completing orders on time.

10. In my apartment complex, there is parking reserved for bikes, scooters, and mopeds, but people who drive these still park them in parking spots.

Why it exists: The parking spots are significantly closer to the resident’s apartments compared to the reserved parking for bikes, scooters, and mopeds.

11. During breakfast and lunchtime on campus, the Grubhub app states it will be "back soon" for the Reitz Union Starbucks, not allowing anyone to order from it.  

Why it exists: The Grubhub app is constantly undergoing maintenance to update the menu with the latest and seasonal products, such as holiday beverages.

12. On the way to class, students walk next to their friends to converse, but this blocks the entire sidewalk, preventing other people from going around.

Why it exists: The students on campus may not be in a rush or have class coming up soon, so they can socialize outside or walk around with friends.

13. In the morning, Bus 12 got stuck at the four-way intersection to the extent that someone on the bus asked if they should press the crosswalk button.

Why it exists: The other street that the intersection shares have significantly more traffic compared to the route the bus was taking, which was to campus.

14. The vending machines in the Reitz Union have an inconsistent selection of Gatorade flavors, and one must travel to different floors for a variety.

Why it exists: The staff that places the products in the Reitz Union vending machine makes sure each one has at least two or three different flavors, not one of each.

15. When driving on a road with a 45 MPH speed limit, but the car one is driving is stuck behind a person on a moped who is going under the speed limit.

Why it exists: The maximum speed a moped can go is around 30 MPH, so if a car is behind a person on a moped, they must comply and also go around 30 MPH.

16. The temperature on the bus is always near freezing and requires a jacket, but the weather outside in comparison tends to be too hot for a jacket.

Why it exists: Busses are kept at a lower temperature in order to prevent moisture build-up on board along with the accumulation of bad smells and odors.

17. After the semester started, Walmart had little to no food left in the frozen food aisle and had to issue a notice that they will restock the items shortly.

Why it exists: There are too many students who purchase groceries or frozen food at the start of the semester, and they all rely on Walmart for convenience.

18. During rush hour, there are a lot of students walking back to their apartments from the bus stop and they all tend to jaywalk or just cross the street.

Why it exists: There are no crosswalks that exist near the bus stop where students are dropped off and it is most convenient for students to just jaywalk.

19. Dance practices usually occur outside the Reitz Grand Ballroom, but recently they have been moved to other locations because the ballroom is occupied.

Why it exists: Many other student organizations also have performances coming up and need a location to practice, such as outside the Reitz Grand Ballroom.

20. When walking to class, students outside the Reitz Union or in Turlington Plaza will try to give you flyers or convince you to join their organizations.

Why it exists: These students tend to be officers or volunteers that offer to give out flyers so that the organization becomes more well-known among students.

Reflection: The challenges I had when coming up with the list consisted of thinking of bugs, especially near the end of the list. The first half of the bug list came to mind rather quickly, after brainstorming a list of what bugged me on a day-to-day basis but near the end, it became more difficult thinking of bugs. After writing my bug list, I found that many of these problems tend to not bother me daily, as I would brush these inconveniences off and continue with my day. I found that it was more difficult coming up with bugs over explaining why they exist. Most of my bugs revolved around taking the bus, finding parking on campus, and various services in the Reitz Union, since I frequent that location a lot. This assignment really opened my eyes to minor inconveniences that I faced every day and made me realize how laid-back I am with these issues since they have very little impact. For example, the bug about how Starbucks is always out of particular items didn’t bother me much because I will eat almost anything, but I can see how it may impact someone who is a picky eater or has dietary restrictions. Overall, this assignment has changed my perspective towards bugs one may face in his or her daily life and has made me much keener at identifying them. My favorite part was figuring out why each bug exists and identifying the root cause of the problem. I discovered that oftentimes, the reason the bug bothered me was because of personal opinions towards the issue, but the reason for the problem was due to factual evidence after thinking about it. This assignment taught me to look at the world through a completely different lens or perspective, and I will continue to do so!