Likins well worth his raise

The Summer Wildcat on June 19 posed the simple question in reference to Dr. Peter Likins.

ãIs this man worth $468,000?ä My answer to that question is a resounding ãyes.ä Let me tell you why.

As both a lone student struggling to make a place for myself on a campus of over 35,000 students and as the leader of an often-overlooked campus organization, Peter Likins has put his foot forward on every possible occasion as an advocate for both myself and the small group of people I represent.

As a freshman in 1998, I attended a banquet welcoming new National Merit Scholars to UA.

By some stroke of luck, I ended up sitting next to President Likins himself. Still young in his presidency, Dr. Likins was trying to make a place for himself at this university ÷ a situation identical to my own at that time.

I spoke to him for quite some time, completely ignorant of the fact that his name carried the title ãPresident, University of Arizona.ä

He asked about my family, what brought me to UA, and what my goals were for the future, among other things.

I went along with my daily life.

As I began my career here at UA and also my involvement with the Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team, I began to see many disparities that existed between the opportunities afforded to disabled vs. non-disabled athletes on this campus.

My freshman idealism took over, and several other athletes and I decided to approach President Likins to inform him of these inequities and ask him to begin a process of changes that would help to resolve them.

Within a week, we were sitting in his office, educating him on adaptive athletics and presenting a proposal for campus-wide change that would help us to develop our programs.

Now, almost four years later, UAâs six adaptive athletic teams are known nation-wide for excellence in competition.

I myself, through the excellent coaching and support that I gained through my participation on the team, was able to win four medals at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. Our program is used as a model for other universities who wish to start athletic programs for individuals with disabilities.

Through President Likinsâ assistance in gaining funding, public recognition, and respect on this campus, we have become the ãplace to beä for athletes with disabilities.

This is a man who took the time to learn about me personally. Indeed, his e-mail address is accessible via the UA Web site, and direct inquiries result in direct responses within days.

This is a man who granted an hour-long appointment to five athletes with disabilities simply to learn how HE could most effectively help US.

He has worked tirelessly to represent all on-campus groups fairly to the best of his abilities.

This is a man who called me when I was sick in the hospital one week before the Paralympics, simply because he was concerned about the stress I was under and whether I was coping emotionally.

Sure, in order to make that call he might have had to put off writing an e-mail or making an expected phone call to a member of the Arizona Board of Regents.

But thatâs just the kind of man he is.

Cheri Blauwet
molecular and cellular biology senior
assistant coach, UA wheelchair track and road racing team

Likins pay raise justification flawed

I donât know if Peter Likins deserves a salary of nearly $500,000 a year, but his justification for accepting the pay increase to ensure that his responsibilities to his family are met seems pathetic ÷ as if Likins wonât really derive much comfort, pleasure, security, etc. from his handsome salary, rather, itâs just for the family.

If I were the same Peter Likins who has been giving pink slips to UA workers, I would be trying to put a shine on my raise too. The statement that Regent Chris Herstam makes that ãyou get what you pay for,ä in the context of paying a premium for Likins, sounds profound but if you think about it for a moment, by Herstamâs logic we ought to eat at the Tack Room for every meal because ãyou get what you pay forä and we should buy a $65,000 luxury SUV because ãyou get what you pay for.ä

I think what Chris Herstam means to say is that we ought to pay as little as possible for just what we need, because if you donât you will tend to get what you deserve.

Leon Byerley
Tucsonan

Buildings need murals, not empty walls

I have a postal address that says otherwise, but really I live on this campus. I am a half-time staff person, a full time student, and an avid reader and researcher. As I traipse all over campus in often suffocating heat and with too many heavy thoughts, I often find myself wishing I had something interesting to contemplate and take me away for a moment or two. I find myself wishing there were more murals on the empty concrete and stucco walls on this campus.

Some simply scream out to be painted. Take a moment during your own traipsing to imagine a mural focused on books and techie themes upon the plain concrete parts of Main Library and the very forgettable southern entrance to the ILC.

Imagine cosmic-oriented murals on our dozens of Stewart Observatory buildings; a series of science, or better, Oriental studies murals on the fantastic surfaces on the face of the Science Library; and imagine stirring southwest murals on the new student unionâs smooth surfaces. But who needs a smooth surface?

Imagine what could be done with the 3D possibilities of the texture of the white towering part of the Harvill Laboratories building.

I am not suggesting gaudy displays, but rather well-thought art, perhaps the result of an art school competition open to all students, staff, and faculty.

You ask, ãWhy does the university really need to do this so I have a nicer walk?ä Well, I think I am not the only one who would like a nicer walk. Yet, point taken, so how about this: I have been on mural tours in Chicago and Mexico City and I remember them clearly and would love to do them again someday. If you were to ask me to name my favorite coffee shop at my alma mater, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I would say Gratziâs.

Not because it had better coffee or was quieter for study, but because it faced a mural of famous authors in bright and beautiful colors. In their way, they spoke to me and inspired me.

I have voiced this idea about murals to many of my friends, and to a person they are all in favor of murals and giving this campus some class and pizzazz.

Whatâs more, because I know in the end money is what talks, murals will bring eating, drinking and Arizona-baseball-cap-buying people to see them.

Prime example: I spent money on the mural tours I attended. I told others about the tours and suggested they go.

I learned things about local cultures as a person in new and different places. I fondly remember the murals and the tours to this day. I only ask that you imagine.

Christine Dykgraaf
School of Information Resources and Library Science

Democrats should put Americans first

Opening the Arizona Summer Wildcat last night was rather amusing. Seems like it was open season with Shane Daleâs commentary last week about Europeans. Let me defend him by merely pointing out that Dale is the kind of person that would lay his life down for the freedoms granted by our treasured Constitution. As demonstrated by the three liberal stooges (Mark Konty, David Morden and Allison King) and Democrats in Washington, they are all for using our precious freedoms, yet they would never defend them. Instead, they hide behind them, saying that it is great to disagree with oneâs country.

Sure it is, but Dale and I are sick of liberals in this country ALWAYS siding with foreigners. For example, John Ashcroft introduced a plan to fingerprint people coming from countries who allow terrorism to persist in their borders. Leftists grabbed at their boxes of tissue and screamed racial profiling­ their favorite phrase since post 9/11.

No, No, No. Instead of protecting Americans, let us first accommodate the poor people from other countries so they are not offended. Give me a break!

Beyond this, Konty brings up the subject of how low drug-usage rates are in the Netherlands as compared to the United States.

He then laughs at the war on drugs. I had to laugh at all three of these fools, for I am sure they are helping the drug business immensely as evident by their conclusions. Can I ask Konty how Roosevelt repealing prohibition has improved that social problem?

Has he taken any notice to current trends of alcoholism among youth today? Legalizing dangerous things does not make social problems go away. Get that through your head.

Murder continues to happen almost every day. With Kontyâs philosophy, we should legalize that too and hope it goes away!

King addresses American attitudes as a problem for dislike among Europeans. Let me be the first to shake her awake from her utopian nightmare. Europeans still believe they are in charge of everything and thus have a massive superiority complex of their own. Europeans are not used to being the underdogs and they have great problems with Americans who do not care what they have to say.

America has a right to be proud. Our constitution grants everyone the same opportunities to live the American dreams. That is great stuff ÷ no wonder people flock to our country!

As for Mordon, get over yourself, you self-righteous socialist.

The fact that your letter made it into the paper must mean there was a shortage of letters to print. Our government shall never be used as a crutch for society. If you want to pay higher taxes just so you can be like everyone else and never advance, then bon voyage, buddy! Hard work is what has made people successful in this country, not social programs and 80 percent tax rates.

Appreciate what you have in the United States. There is a reason why people from all around the world come here.

I am glad that the Marxist triplets are in the small tie-dyed, Birkenstock wearing, lib pool. One-way tickets to the Netherlands and to Cuba for people like them would help our country profoundly.

Charles A. Peterson
history junior