By Jeremy Pepper
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 6, 1997

Student fee is necessary

Editor:

In regards to all the negative emails/letters that have been against the Student Union referendum, what's your damage?

Here is some more background information. When a student referendum was suggested for the Student Recreation Center, it passed overwhelmingly. A referendum for the student union is not only warranted, but desperately needed. Let's look at this logically: who serves more people, the student union or the student recreation center?

Also, when I wrote for the Wildcat, I helped write a staff editorial titled "Field of Dreams." Unlike others that I could speak of, I never quit the Wildcat to run unsuccessfully for ASUA President and then attack one of the victor's proteges, who is trying to do the best for the students. But, sorry I digress. The staff editorial explained that UA is one of the few universities WITHOUT a union fee. Maybe that's why our union sucks. For G-d's sakes, I have been to JCs in California with nicer unions than the UA.

Also, part of the reason that there is a push for a student referendum is that there is no university administrative support. From a very good source, I have a qoute of one of the administrators saying that if students want to eat, they can go off-campus. The support in the administration was the IIF building, not the union. Has anything changed? Not that I have read in the paper.

Before graduates from many years ago write to blast the current ASUA, they should get their facts right. It is better not to speak and let people assume you know nothing, than to speak and remove all doubts. This also goes for writing.

Jeremy Pepper

UA Alumnus, Class of '97