Column denouncing players 'smears' UA athletic program

When I read Tuesday that the highly regarded columnist Steve Campbell was incredibly upset about the alleged candy incident in Kansas, I tried to imagine what was going through his mind. Doesn't he understand the position he is in? Is he really willing to sacrifice the integrity of his work, the Arizona Daily Wildcat, and the media in general, so he can vent some unwarranted steam?

There was of course no factual evidence that any UA players were involved in taking anything from any vending machine. The entire story was based on some hearsay from a Kansas alumni named, ohh geez, I forget, is it Steve Campbell? No wait, it was Stuart Schwartz. A man who at first, changed his story numerous times, then was unavailable for any further comment, and finally, has disappeared from the face of the earth.

Go figure.

So I ask you, Steve Campbell, what was going through your mind when you wrote such an unsubstantiated article based on rumors and assumptions? Don't you have a responsibility to those same fans, to those same students and to the rest of the general public to report and comment on factual occurrences, so as to not unnecessarily smear the image of a fantastic athletic program and university? Don't you owe your school just a little bit more than that? Don't you owe Daniel Scarpinato (Editor in Chief) more than that? Heck, what about yourself? Is that all you expect from yourself? If this is pissing you off, then good. Now you know how every single person involved with the Arizona basketball program felt when every single media outlet in America was accusing us of something that never occurred.

Unfortunately, I will have to agree with you in regard to our fans. It is their team, but it is also our team. It is a mutual relationship where neither entity can exist or succeed without the other. We realize this and are extremely appreciative of the fantastic support we receive from fans all over the city, state and country. I am sorry you do not share in this belief of a mutual relationship, but I hope that many other fans do. We can only hope for the same appreciation in return for our hard work and effort in order to give the fans something to cheer about and be excited about. Every single guy on the team is proud to wear that Arizona jersey, and we are more than aware that we represent the university just as every fan, student, parent and faculty member does.

In all seriousness though, Mr. Campbell, I hope deep down you are still a fan of Arizona basketball, for it would be a shame to lose a fan with as much passion as you have, however misdirected that passion may currently be.

Jason Ranne
political science junior
UA men's basketball guard

Basketball players work hard, Campbell piece 'unwarranted'

Is your name and picture in the paper really worth all that much? I am writing to inform Steve Campbell that his commentary in the Wildcat yesterday was very unwarranted. Those players do not ask for such intense media scrutiny; it is forced upon them. I do not believe that they actually took anything from the vending machine, and I do not believe that their lives are an absolute cakewalk either.

While you are struggling getting good grades in tough classes, they are right there with you. Unfortunately for them, they are forced to leave town for three days of class almost weekly. Try only being allowed to attend classes on Mondays and Tuesdays for the majority of a semester and then make a judgment on whether having tutors available to them is a good idea. And these tutors are not paid for with tuition money, but rather with the money that the athletic program raises for itself. While you are working your job, they are training, preparing and practicing for over 25 hours a week, all the while being under an immense amount of pressure to perform and succeed.

It is not like your situation, where you may mess up an order or give a customer the wrong change and life simply goes on, no big deal. Each and every day is the difference maker for these young men. One missed free throw or one untimely foul may be the difference between a win or loss, a championship or second place ring, happiness or depression. You said it yourself, few college players go on to play professionally, let me enlighten you: It is actually less than 1.5 percent of all college basketball players. You don't think these players have to be constantly aware of what awaits them after basketball? They will be competing with you for that same white-collar or blue-collar job; they will be your co-workers, or your bosses.

Just think for one moment: What would happen if you lived under the same microscope that they do; what would be said about you? What would be fabricated about you? What would be published about you? All without you being able to control any of it. I hope you are pleased about your column in the paper, but I also hope that you are aware that your thoughts do not represent the majority of true Wildcat fans out there.

Tim Cloninger
agriculture junior

Details of tuition use need to be available to students

Rachel Wilson's Tuesday letter makes an extremely valid and useful point: How are current (and proposed) revenues from tuition used, if at all, to pay for unrelated campus construction projects?

In the aftermath of its proposed tuition hikes, the Likins administration owes the student body and larger Tucson community an explanation.

Stu Williams
accounting graduate student

Drop Focused Excellence for corporate sponsorship

The easiest way to alleviate UA's budget problems is not through Focused Excellence, as President Pete Likins would like you to believe. No, the easiest way to raise money for our institution is to sell out. As a student, I would live in "Raytheon Hall" or attend class in the "Los Betos" building, rather than raise tuition yet again. I would happily attend a football game at "Home Depot Stadium," or fight through a mob of people to watch the basketball team play at "The Dirtbags Center." I would love to spend Saturdays sitting out by the pool at the "Sparkle Cleaners and Student Recreation Center." I'm sure that the fraternity houses on campus would gladly sell their naming rights to beer, cigarette, or steroid companies. Can you imagine watching an intramural game between the "Keystone" and "Pabst Blue Ribbon" chapters, or attending a bid night party at the "Roid Rage" House?

Instead of not advertising concerts and shows at Centennial Hall, let's not advertise these same shows at the "DM Federal Credit Union Theater." Rather than let students go to the library, let them go to the "Pepsi-Cola Student Advancement Center."

However, let us not leave any stone unturned. Why not let professors, or rather TAs, since they teach all the classes anyway, sell their name to companies as well. Who wouldn't want to take ECON 200 with Professor Jim Click, or take COMM 100 with Dr. Joe Christiani? Finally, let's exploit our student athletes even more than we already do, by forcing them to tattoo themselves with the names and logos of companies of the University's choosing.

I personally would love to see a post-game interview with Jason Gardner, and instead of seeing the familiar tattoo on his shoulder I would like to see a large "Cox" tattoo across his forehead. But let's not stop there. Why not just make the student-athletes change their names? Little kids could be heard screaming, "I love Bobby 'Gentle Ben's' Wade," or, "My favorite basketball player is Luke 'Grease Monkey' Walton." So I propose this to President Pete "Lucky Wishbone" Likins and the "Olive Garden and University of Arizona Board of Regents": Would you rather watch this institution lose more teachers and more classes and more would-be students, or would you rather change the name to the "University of Arizona Pei Wei Asian Diner"?

Kelly McFarland
marketing senior

Smokers at AHSC: Please move off south side ramp

After my usual morning asthma attack because of running into smokers while trying to get from the parking lot into work, I have decided to speak up. AHSC (the UMC hospital) was recently made into a non-smoking campus and they set up a designated smoking area between our wellness center and the main entrance, which is to the north of the main entrance. Since there is so much construction going on, most UA employees who park in Zone 1 have to use the ramp coming up the side of the parking garage to the south of the main entrance of the hospital.

For some reason now most of the smokers choose to go south and down the ramp and smoke all along the ramp, instead of north to the designated smoking area, I assume just so they can share the wonderful smoke with others. That ramp to the south is not only practically the only access from the Zone 1 parking, but it is the only truly handicap accessible entrance. You take a cold morning and a brisk walk in from the outer south forty parking, add an incline and four smokers evenly spaced so they don't have to breathe each others smoke and bam - you got a very painful asthma attack for people like me who have lung disease. The chest pains are very similar to a heart attack and it is like trying to breath through a straw with a clothespin over the end of it. I end up losing at least an hour each morning hacking, coughing, wheezing and even throwing up when I cough so hard as to trigger the gag reflex and you end up with a person who has trouble resisting the urge to kick smokers in the chest as hard as she can just so they can share in the fun and feel what it is like.

I hope this letter will persuade a few people to turn north when they leave the hospital to smoke and do it in the designated area that was thought out because most people could avoid it. Please for the love of God and Marlboro - turn north and go to the mezzanine to the north of the entrance when you want to step out of the hospital to smoke- this is really starting to hurt!

Roberta Lippse
psychiatry support systems analyst, AHSC

Tuition increase concerns prospective UA students

I attended the university in the Fall '99 semester and was a pre-medical technology major. While there, I was a fresh-faced freshman straight out of high school, and making the transition to the university life style was not an easy task. At the end of the semester, I chose to transfer to Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona, to get a better hold on college life.

For the past three years while here at Eastern, I have maintained contact with my adviser from the university and working on my general education requirements, which are designed for me to return to the university. In May, I will be graduating from Eastern with an associates in pre-medical science.

All my life it has been my dream to attend the University of Arizona. In my freshman year I had a small taste of that dream, though I was not quite ready for it. Now, I am ready. However, upon reading the January 14 Wildcat, I saw that my dream might not be able to come true. There listed, the School of Health Professions, the school in which my major is located, was up for consideration for elimination.

I understand that the university is having budget problems, and that the School of Health Professions has low student enrollment. However, I believe that the school is not just an asset to the university, but also an asset to the medical school at the university - since Medical Technology deals with medicine.

I also read how other schools and departments are up for consideration for elimination or merging. I feel that the eliminations would be wrong. All the departments and schools are assets to the University. Hundreds of students would be affected and possibly their dreams could be cut short of attaining a degree from the UA. If, however, my dream is cut short and the School of Health Professions is cut, Arizona State University does have a medical technology program.

I have made contact with an advisor at ASU, and she believes based on my progress here at Eastern, that I have a good chance of being admitted to ASU. Though that is a comfort to know, it is not the school I want to attend. All my life I have been a Wildcat, and now the thought of having to go to the one school I never wanted to go, is an absolute nightmare! I have written a letter to President Likins, but yet, I have not received word. All I ask is to let the voices of the current students, the past students, and future students have their voices heard.

Victoria B. Callicotte
Eastern Arizona student