Latimore family grateful

Thank you very much, Connor Doyle, for writing the article about my son, Dennis Latimore, on Jan. 23. You are a great writer. Surprisingly, Dennis' 86-year-old grandmother was the first to learn about the story. Then word traveled around to his aunts and uncles, and then to me. Your article was so heartwarming for our family and you had all the facts straight. Sometimes I cringe at what the sports announcers say about him on air. Thank you again for writing such a nice article.

I hope after graduation you can pursue a successful writing career, as you certainly have a good start. I plan on coming out Feb. 7 for two games and then on Feb. 28. If you're ever in Kansas, look up Halstead. We'll leave the light on. Thanks again.

Melinda Latimore
Dennis Latimore's mom

No human is an 'illegal'

This is in response to Shane Dale's Thursday column "Getting Serious about the Border," blaming immigrants for the current state of the Occupied States of Amerikkka - Sorry I mean the United States of America. To ignore the reason why human beings, (they are not illegals as Mr. Dale referred to them; no human is an illegal) come into the United States is being straight out ignorant.

People from Mexico and other nations from the south migrate to the United States because of the poverty and political upheaval caused by this nation we reside in. Just analyze who really is in control of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. First, analyze those economic elements, then pass judgment. It smells like neo-colonialism. Let's not forget NAFTA. Since its inception in 1994, the unemployment rate in Mexico has reached a "steady" 75 percent.

Why did the United States "force" Mexico to change Article 27 of its constitution, which guaranteed communal ownership of the land? It's called building an empire. Now, with no Article 27, the land has been privatized, leaving millions landless, thus U.S.-owned multinational corporations use the land and pay Mexicans - I mean indigenous people - $2 to $3 dollars a day. Is it any wonder why there is an indigenous uprising in the state of Chiapas, Mexico? I just cannot imagine what the Free Trade Area of the Americas will do to the Western Hemisphere. That means all tribes of the Western Hemisphere must rise to protect our Mother Earth.

Just to address the whole notion of "illegals," Mr. Dale, the only illegal immigrant in the Western Hemisphere is the White Man. Think about that the next time you call people from Mexico "illegals."

Jesus Jimenez
Pascua Yaqui Indian and
doctoral graduate student, psychology

Dale's calculations do not add up

Get serious! What good timing - just when everybody at this university is worried about money, Dale sees a way out. Hey, we have all these illegal immigrants here. They cost us a lot of money because they make our own people unemployed, use our health care but don't pay taxes, don't spend the money they earn here in the U.S. and keep our prisons full. Let's close the borders, send the prisoners back to Mexico and we'll have plenty of money to spend on the UA and then some.

How naive. No matter how unattractive you make the situation for illegal immigrants here, it will always be for some people better then their situation at home. So people will keep trying to come here. And I can't blame them. Apart from that, whether you want stricter law enforcement or not, the idea that stopping illegal immigration (if possible at all) will generate all that money is simply not correct. For one, Dale does mention the 100-to-1 out-manned border control, but forgets to add the salaries of hiring 99 others to his calculations. But I guess politics is the one study where your calculations do not have to balance, they just have to sound nice. And have that right timing.

Astrid van der Horst
physics grad student

Can the cactus garden

I am writing this in response to all of the ridiculous publicity the "cactus garden controversy" is getting. I know that there are already tentative plans for it, but I still feel I need to express my opinion for it. Right now, our school is in somewhat of an economic crisis. Prices are sky-rocketing everywhere around us on campus. People complain that there is not enough money, and that we are doing nothing to get more. Well, the Alumni Plaza is just what we need to fix it. I am a big fan of the old saying that you need to give a little to get a little. And I am completely willing to give up a "garden" of a bunch of cacti if it means getting more money for the school. I understand when people say we need to preserve the cacti in the garden because they are part of our school, but seriously people, look where you live. In case I am the only one who has noticed this, but we live in the middle of the desert! You can drive five miles in any direction and find lots of cacti to plant in the ground. I do like the fact that the school got together and was able to coax the university in keeping what they wanted, but I do find it completely inappropriate for the same people to complain that there is no money, without being willing to give up something as small as the cactus garden.

I think that whatever the school plans on building for the Alumni Plaza will look just as nice, and in turn give more money to the school. So, in closing, I would like to say that the student population needs to use their coercion powers in much more effective ways than saving a bunch of thorny cacti in a plot of dirt, and not prevent ways to have money coming to the school, instead of away from.

Mike Rosenthal
undeclared sophomore

UA should not 'glorify ex-students' with Alumni Plaza

Speaking as an University of Arizona alumna (1966), I cannot fathom why the UA Alumni Association would dare propose an architectural design for an "Alumni Heritage Plaza" that involves removing the cactus garden.

It is interesting that nothing appeared in any alumni publications, nor were alumni polled as to any designs, or even the *need* for any building on the Mall. What's the purpose of this building, if any?

Universities exist to educate students, not to glorify ex-students. Please save the money allocated for this ridiculous building and instead spend it on the education of students now and in the future - for necessary buildings, maintenance, instructor payrolls, scholarships - there are so many more valid reasons for this expenditure; but if the red tape involved is too difficult to undo, at least save the cactus garden.

Carol (Hoag) De Priest
UA alumnus 1961-66
Tucson, AZ

UA teaching assistant deal not so bad

As an alumnus of UA and current grad student in the UC system, I was interested to hear the Wildcat opinion board's perspective on graduate subsidies on January 28. I would actually like to contribute to your findings. You did not accurately state the amount of stipends to Princeton and UC graduate students. Princeton students in most departments receive over $20,000 as a stipend, and that precludes a TAship. Princeton graduates also do not pay tuition. UC students do not receive stipends unless they are endowed with a special fellowship. However, their TAship does provide them with nine months of wage earnings currently valued at $1426 a month after taxes, for a grand total of $12,834 over nine months (three quarters of TAship).

However, graduate students are not always guaranteed employment for the full year, and some departments (like mine) do not offer TAships for the first year. Thus, on this basis alone, Arizona and UC schools are relatively equal. However, the difference comes in the UC fee waiver, which by next fall will be 100 percent, leaving TAs responsible only for school fees, amounting to around $175 a quarter, or $525 a year. This includes $1,000 of health insurance payments, and a strong health plan.

This is where Arizona is particularly deficient in its standards. However, since the UC fees are much higher than the University of Arizona's fees, even our 100 percent fee remission still warrants that we pay only $1,300 less than Arizona graduate students, while earning a smaller yearly stipend ($12,834 for nine months, and you stated the Arizona stipend is $13,500). Additionally, with the exception of UC-Davis, housing and living costs at all UC campuses are substantially higher than in Tucson, with housing rates anywhere from twice as high as Tucson (in San Diego) to five times as high (in Santa Cruz and Berkeley). I currently pay five times as much for housing near the UC-Irvine campus as I did for my housing adjacent to the UA in 1999. Thus, UC students, while having a collective bargaining agreement and a strong union, are not necessarily head and shoulders above Arizona graduate students.

The small fee remission is clearly a slight, but given the strength of many of Arizona's graduate degrees and the financial worth that many of those degrees carry, financial hardship of this sort is hardly without future reward.

Dave Nelson
UA Alumnus Class of 1999

Unserious students should get out of Res Life

As a resident of Hopi Lodge, I agreed to sign the substance-free contract because I wanted to live in a community that would have as little negative influence on my studies as possible. In addition, I am absolutely in accord with Residence Life and Mr. Van Arsdel's ideal that students should hold themselves to a higher standard and behavior while living in an academic and social community. All too often this school year I have seen my hall mates set themselves up for academic failure and very embarrassing social situations because they chose to violate the contract. To those that consider Hopi Lodge a joke, I'm sure you'd find more comfort in the waiting room of the Dean of Students (because you've smoked too much of a leafy green substance), or in a bathroom stall at a trashy bar (because you downed too much vodka) due to the nature of your unwise choices. I know for a fact that Hopi's RAs and Hall Director do they best they can to enforce the contract, and promote good health and living habits for their residents. It's just too bad nobody appreciates it.

For the record, I am not one to let my academic goals and values suffer because of other people's unlawful and unhealthy choices. With that, I say shape up or ship out, drinkers and smokers - and that goes for anyone living in any residence hall here at UA. Does anyone notice how many problems the university has with accommodating students in residence halls, let alone ones that will follow the rules? Don't make things worse then they already are.

If you were so inclined to sign a lease to live in a residence hall, be mature and wise about your intended actions. Instead of trashing a good contract (which really was intended for students that want to spend their education in a healthy environment), do something better with your time.

Ingrid Lindstrom
philosophy and creative writing freshman

More Questions? - Here's my Final Answer

I am writing in response to Jeff Meyerson's paid advertisement printed in the Tuesday, Januray 29 Wildcat. Jeff wrote about his experience where he, as a Jew, found Jesus to be the Messiah. He tries to present himself as a committed Jew, yet from his story it is clear that he was only occasionally involved with his synagogue and never delved into his Judaism. Unsatisfied with the Judaism that he didn't even know, he claims to have spent two whole months studying Jewish texts, something that with years of study one would still not complete, and found nothing contradicting Jesus as the Messiah. I am certain that what Jeff didn't say is that the texts that he studied were specifically pointed out to him by other Christians. Nowhere does he say that he sought information or guidance from a rabbi or any other source in the Jewish community. As a law student, Jeff should know that a man who has himself for a lawyer has a fool for a client.

He says you can be a Jew and believe in Jesus. This statement does a disservice to both Judaism and Christianity, and simply isn't true. In the same way that a Christian who accepts the teachings of Mohammed becomes a Moslem, belief in Jesus as the Messiah makes one a Christian. As Jason Johnson said in yesterday's Wildcat, a Christian is "any person who has consciously accepted Jesus Christ is the son of God." While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a Christian, it simply isn't Jewish. For more than 2000 years Judaism has weighed in on the concept of Messiah (which is uniquely Jewish) and Jesus just didn't fit.

It is important that other students understand a few things. Jeff did not pay for his story to appear in the ,I>Wildcat. An organization that does not identify itself paid for the story to appear. This organization wants to convert other young, confused Jews like Jeff to Christianity. We are being deceived by a group unwilling to come out, be honest, and admit who they are.

I am not trying to convert anyone to Judaism. But just as Christians would say don't go to a mosque to check out Christianity, if he, or anyone else on a spiritual journey, wants to check out Judaism or what it says about the Messiah they can contact a rabbi in the Jewish community, come to Hillel or check out www.jewsforjudaism.org.

Joel Simon
Judaic studies and psychology senior
immediate past president of student board of Hillel Foundation

ASUA is a disgrace

I think the students don't realize quite how much of a disgrace ASUA made of itself by allowing this concert to be cancelled and doing such a shabby job selling tickets. ASUA just threw away $35,000 of student money! Your money! ASUA had to cancel the concert because they were arrogant and wanted to profit off a concert that should have been close to free. The money ASUA has is taken from student tuition and from the bookstore and it should not be used to make a profit. It should be given back to the students in the form of events like concerts.

Ray Quintero, our eminent student body president, should be impeached for being incompetent enough to allow this to happen. Luckily, student government elections are coming up and the campus has a chance to choose the kind of leaders who won't wantonly waste the student money.

Seth Frantzman
Former ASUA Senator
history senior

Campus construction almost unlivable

I live in the Santa Cruz residence hall and it is currently before the crack of eight o'clock on a Thursday. My first class is not until 11, so you may be wondering what I am doing up so early. Well, I would like to send my appreciation to the University of Arizona's one-of-a-kind residence life assholes.

Not only have I had to invest over $30 on mattress pads to upgrade my "bed" from a 3x6 concrete slab, to a 3x6 concrete slab with a piece of cardboard on, but every time I try to roll over in my sleep I am greeted by another concrete wall for my arms and knees to constantly smack into. And don't even think of trying to bring any company into one of these cement nests, because they are a hair's breadth away from the concrete ceiling. This isn't even the driving force in my letter. Neither is the fact that I am woken up at least three times a night by the absolute worse snorer on campus as my roommate.

Nor the fact that I wake up in a pool of sweat every night because the air conditioners have been turned to heaters. I actually thought it might be a good idea to try to sleep with the window open to get a small breeze into this little cell of mine. That was the stupidest idea yet. Now to my enjoyment I am awakened every morning by the sounds of jackhammers and beeping dump trucks across the street! I, as well as most of the entire Highland Street side of Santa Cruz dorms would like to thank this piece of shit building and the geniuses who decided it would be a good idea to tear up another hole in the ground for the absolute most God-awful four months of attempted sleep I've ever had to endure.

Kevin Morris
undecided freshman