Affirmative action is needed; education is a basic right

I'm writing in regard to Bryant Conger's letter on Monday against affirmative action in universities. Mr. Conger states that the "opportunity to excel" exists in the inner cities as well as the suburbs and that there are "some rich white kids" who shouldn't be punished for their parents' and grandparents' work.

I'm sorry but exactly how long have you been at the University of Arizona? [Read article]

Tuesday night at 6:50, I was on fire, full of vinegar and adrenaline. It was ten minutes till the start of the State of the Union address, and it was open season for conservatives. I was David: poised, rock in hand, turning to hurl it at Goliath. I was the righteous white-hatted sheriff, staring down the outlaw who had rolled into town. My fingers were itching at the holsters, daring him to draw. I was invincible. Yet an hour or so later, I was surprisingly · chill. [Read article]

While UA is struggling desperately to get its head above water financially, the state education machine is only dragging us down. We are desperate for a constitutional amendment to rescue the integrity of the UA budget.

Commonly considered by university communities to be a kind of financial I.V. ÷ an apparatus for the intravenous delivery of money needed to sustain departments that don't attract many research dollars or private donations ÷ the Arizona General Fund is proving to be equally adept at sucking the blood from university resources. [Read article]