Illustration by H. Arthur
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday December 11, 2002
From the UA's basketball ticket fiasco to the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian debacle, stories ÷ some relevant and important and some, not so much ÷ sometimes just slip through our fingers. On this last day of classes for fall 2002, Wildcat columnists uncover some stories you ÷ or even we ÷ might have missed.
So long to two good men ÷ Goudinoff and Berrigan
Two very important people have slipped through the cracks of the mainstream news media, Arizona Daily Wildcat included. One of them is heading off to a fruitful retirement and the other's life ended peacefully over the weekend.
Dr. Peter A. Goudinoff, senior political science lecturer, has dedicated a good portion of his life serving higher education at the UA. Most students know him from his U.S. and Arizona Constitution class, where he enjoys pointing out the state's arcane laws and strange legal histories. Due to his personal experience in state politics and his sense of humor, many students chose not to skip his class. Goudinoff worked hard in the state Legislature for 20 years, acting as Senate minority leader for a term.
For over 35 years until his recent death, Phil Berrigan has been a leading anti-war and anti-nuclear activist. Not only was he the first U.S. Catholic priest to be imprisoned for political reasons, but he helped found the Plowshares movement which took literally a passage from the Book of Isaiah that advocated swords be beaten into plowshares. He spent over 10 years in jail for participating in actions from draft card burning to symbolically disarming nuclear weapons with hammers and blood.
We should honor both Goudinoff and Berrigan for their dedication to education and promoting necessary change.
Jessica Lee is an environmental science senior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Basketball ticket sales failure
Sorry about Oct. 28. We should have had at least one column covering the pandemonium that broke out during the basketball ticket sales.
But enough regrets; here's to making up for it.
We know that for UA basketball, March Madness starts somewhere around October or November. Go Wildcats! Aside from the demeaning "Zona Zoo" title, the students here take tremendous pride in our entire basketball program.
It is surprising that the McKale ticket office crashed at organizing b-ball ticket sales. The temporary barriers came up at 5 a.m. That's too late, people. People were in line at 2 a.m., so there was a crowd long before 5 a.m.
When the crowd rushed the barriers at 5:30 a.m., there were four police officers staring back at a crowd of 2,000. Did the ticket office think at all about what could happen at a school where basketball tickets are like the Holy Grail?
Suggestions? How about having more than four police officers next year? Maybe the SWAT team should be on call as soon as the ticket windows open. Have more than just police tape holding the crowd back. Metal barricades should have been set up as soon as the line developed. Yes, even if that is 1 a.m.
Apologies to all the people who got hurt or trampled. In the future, let's hope that the ticket office also stays on top of their game.
Mariam Durrani is a systems engineering senior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Wild ride for toads in transportation department
The Parking and Transportation Services toads have been my favorite departmental "red-headed stepchildren" this semester, and for damn good reason, as their self-indulgence is thus far the university's most successful attempt at masturbation. If you skip past the front page and my irate columns straight to the comics, you'd be unaware that you're (surprise!) about to be scammed again.
The toads have recently proposed a plan to keep people from attending class by hiking the prices on parking passes and building more, expensive garages (Wait · why build more spaces when they want to reduce traffic?) so the few students who dutifully attend class daily will receive an additional education in probability, as in calculating the probability that they'll have to resort to rooting through dumpsters to feed themselves after paying for a semester of parking. What's next, mandatory attendance? Wait a minute ·
The worst part is that "under privileged" (to borrow a phrase from self-righteous "privileged" people trying to sound sensitive) people who need to drive from affordable housing are really getting their shorts frosted on this one. Hello, another day job!
Enough with the extortion ÷ let's boot the toads and try some more ethical ways to turn a buck. Like narcotics.
Tylor Brand is a philosophy sophomore. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Supreme Court declares finals unconstitutional
Earlier this semester, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that colleges may no longer submit students to final examinations. Somehow, this one got lost in the press.
The decision came after the Supreme Court reviewed the case of a UA student who sued the university after he failed his analytical chemistry final and was kept from graduating.
"It was embarrassing," said the student. "I got all dressed up for graduation. I had the cap and gown and everything. Then, right in the middle of the big ceremony when they don't call anyone's name, they called out my name to stand up and told me to leave."
Exactly what constitutional right final exams violate is unclear. The 300-page court ruling sheds only a little light on the landmark decision.
"Final examinations," reads the court's statement, "are a big bummer."
Legal experts think the ruling may be based on a footnote to the Second Amendment, in regard to the lawful establishment of militias.
"This one's a mystery," says one defender of human rights.
"But it's nice to know our founding fathers' commitment to fight for the right to party is alive and well in America today."
Students are encouraged to exercise their rights and just say "no" to unconstitutional semester-end examinations.
Daniel Cucher is a creative writing senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
The forgotten story ÷ an impending war in Iraq
There was one issue that, despite thorough and ethical mainstream media coverage, managed to slip through the cracks this semester: the military and political pressure mounting in Iraq. I know what you're thinking: "What pressure? What's Iraq?" This may come as a surprise, but our government is building a case for the invasion of Iraq under the pretext of attempting to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction.
It's no wonder that this issue was under-reported; there was just so much to talk about during the past few months that something was bound to be overlooked. How could the media report on Iraq while at the same time maintaining its extensive coverage of the rebuilding of Afghanistan? Who could forget the attention 1.5 million anti-American protesters in Italy?
With all the time that's been dedicated to the economy, the transition of power in China, Bush's tax cut plan, the nomination of Henry Kissinger to lead the investigation into Sept. 11, 2001, and the devastation caused by AIDS in Africa and Asia, who has time for Iraq? The deterioration of Chechnya, Indonesia and Nigeria certainly hold more interest than potential problems with our oil-rich foe.
Just think of the alternative: a media that irresponsibly focuses on one issue at the cost of all others. Let us all thank goodness for our independent, fair media÷the cornerstone of any free society.
Caitlin Hall is a biochemistry and philosophy sophomore. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Too many students cannot afford college
The issue that received far too little attention this semester was the prospect of tuition increases and, more importantly, a lack of financial aid.
It has received some press, but not nearly enough.
There are many students who depend on financial aid and scholarships to pay for college. They will be unable to pay for college should they lose their scholarships because they got one B too many, and face increased tuition.
Tuition at the UA is low ÷ much lower than any college with the same caliber of education.
Nonetheless, there are students who are being turned away and are finding a higher education out of reach, not because they are not hard-working enough or because they aren't capable, but because they can't afford the tuition.
Until the day has come when anyone who is willing to work hard and shows potential for success can get a higher education, tuition is still too high and financial aid is still too low.
We cannot afford to turn people away who want to come out of lower economic classes.
I'd rather have students from lower economic classes getting free educations and becoming doctors and lawyers than ending up on unemployment.
Kendrick Wilson is a political science sophomore. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
