Twirling Torero roller coaster to open on campus

Neville Longbottom

The university recently gave final approval to a plan to build an on-campus roller coaster. The roller coaster, named the Twirling Torero, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.

Groundbreaking will begin next fall, the week students begin classes. The administration decided to delay work on the construction until then in order to best interfere with daily activities on campus.

Plans to build a roller coaster on campus began after a recent survey of 1,000 undergraduate students. In the survey, 733 cited “too much parking” as their main complaint about USD’s campus, while 647 said their main complaint was “not enough roller coasters.” Faulty math notwithstanding, a committee was formed to deal with these issues.

The committee decided to address both issues simultaneously by demolishing the Mission Parking Structure and building a roller coaster in its place.

The Twirling Torero will be 300 feet tall and reach speeds up to 72 mph. There will also be two loops.

“I’m always arriving at campus early, and with parking being so simple, I’m always stuck waiting around for half an hour or more for my classes to begin. Anal Beads A roller coaster would really help that time go by faster,” said Jessica Walton, a sophomore who will not be able to enjoy the roller coaster unless it takes her more than six years to graduate.

Despite how freaking awesome the roller coaster will be, some have voiced concern that demolishing the Missions Parking Structure could interfere with parking.

With so many places to park on campus, getting rid of one should not interfere with parking on a normal day of classes; however, it is possible the construction could affect parking for special events such as basketball games.

“Many of the students who complain about parking don’t realize all of their parking options. Students just need to be more creative when it comes to parking,” said Michael Terry, planning commissioner of the building project.

Terry recommends taking a bus, walking or loading oneself in a box with a day’s supply of snacks and water and shipping oneself as alternatives for trying to find parking for special events on campus.

Terry, along with the rest of the planning committee, feels that the amount of fun that a roller coaster would provide the campus overrides any slight concerns about problems the ride could cause for parking.

To help quiet dissention, however, parking services is offering tickets for three free rides to any student who purchases a parking pass from now until the Twirling Torero opens.

The tickets will be good for the first week of classes in fall 2012, when the ride opens.