Undergrad biology team dedicated to UA students

Patrick Leach (Feb. 19 "Mailbag") says he feels bitter toward the UA and cites his experience over five years as a TA in introductory biology. He states, "I saw most UA undergraduates receiving substandard treatment as well."

I have been associated directly with undergraduate biology for 20 years here, originally as a computer support person and more recently as a part of a team that develops online curriculum and adjunct material for various biology classes, most especially the introductory courses. I cannot think of a more dedicated, caring and professional group of people than the professors, TAs and staff who work in support of these courses. Over the years, we have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort to improve and enrich the experience of our students. We treat our students with complete respect, and make every effort to accommodate their needs. The professors have been exceptional in their devotion to office hours, group study sessions and review sessions, establishing tutoring programs, developing web-based curriculum aids and, in general, giving their all to these supposedly mistreated undergrads. The feedback we receive from students supports these assertions. Of course, not everyone feels that way. In courses as large as intro biology, there are bound to be some who feel their particular needs are not being met. It is certainly not for lack of concern, effort or teaching ability.

I am proud to be associated with the University of Arizona, The department of molecular and cellular biology and undergraduate biology in general. And while Mr. Leach is surely entitled to his opinions, I feel he does a disservice to all of us who work to make the UA the very best university it can be for our students.

Ken Williams
molecular and cellular biology principal systems analyst

If students want smaller classes, tuition goes up

I feel a need to respond to Patrick Leach's letter ("Let's improve student life, not alumni life") in yesterday's paper.

Whether you like it or not, the university must provide for the alumni. A major portion of the fundraising comes from these people. I believe I have read that 18 percent of the billion dollars the university hopes to raise by next year will come from alumni donations. That adds up to $30 million per year. People want to have a feeling that their help is appreciated. This "monument" may be a small price to pay for these contributions.

As far as being treated like gold at the University of San Francisco: you should have been. USF tuition is $23,686 per year. That is $185 per credit hour! In-state tuition at the UA is just over $20 per credit hour, and out-of-state is just over $85. I think that the UA does a great job of providing higher education for those of us who could not afford to go to a school where we could be treated like gold. By the way, that golden education at USF was attained in classrooms with a 1-6.33 faculty to student ratio. Your bitter experience at the UA was in classrooms with a 1-22.5 ratio. It would be wonderful to have more faculty and smaller classes, but that comes at a price - tuition increases.

As for those tuition increases - USF tuition went from $18,860 for the 2000-01 school year to $23,686 in 2003-04. That's 25.5 percent in just three years compared to a national average of 23.9 percent over the past five years. You should have been treated like gold for that kind of money. I imagine that the UA could provide exactly what you want for $23,686 per year. It wouldn't even need to add faculty. The student body would shrink to the 3,800 that USF has, since no one would be able to afford the tuition.

Patrick: Wake up and realize what a deal you have here.

Bill Novosel
UA alumnus

Girls really need to give 'nice guys' a chance

Tuesday, the Wildcat posted a letter from a female reader who took offense to Tim Belshe's "Battle of the Sexes" article. I would like to point out, however, that Sara Warzecka's article on men was much more insulting. She assumes that all men are egomaniacal, unromantic, sports-obsessed morons who walk around thinking they're "hot shit." It seems that Ms. Warzecka should spend a little more time meeting a different variety of guys, because I can assure you that not all of us sit around grunting and watching football. I can guarantee there are more than enough guys out there who can be sensitive, romantic and even (gasp!) care about you as a person. So I say cheers to Tim Belshe for showing how girls never give us "nice guys" a chance.

Nicholas Hornung
journalism freshman

More 'crazies' needed at UA games, not alums

This is in regard to Brian Danker and his selfish remarks. He says that students should stop complaining about a student section and provides one selfish reason - that students shouldn't have seats because they don't have the money and alumni deserve them because they do. I am an alumnus too, and I would have liked to go to more games in my time at the UA, but as I watch these games from my television set these days, I scream for our fans to stand up and cheer. I'm tired of watching practically every other team in the Top 25 have massive student sections, to the point where you can't even hear Dicky V. speak. The average age of attendance at UA games has got to be in the mid-50s, compared to normal colleges, where the majority of students sit in the first 10 to 15 rows and they get crazy. We need the crazies to come out at these games. We need students cheering at the tops of their lungs and jumping throughout the entire game. We need to adopt a system like Duke University, where students earn points for each sporting event they attend in order to get basketball tickets. Honestly, it hurts to watch Salim nail a 3 and see maybe 10 people standing in the first 10 rows. Students, you need a leader. You need someone to gather a huge group of students (like 5,000 or more) together to protest for however long it takes until you get your student section. It can happen as long as you make a stand!

Aaron Vill
UA alumnus

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer

In response to the "Battle of the Sexes" column, it is clearly evident what should happen. Tim Belshe and Sara Warzecka should become an item. Mr. Belshe is extremely bitter toward the female sex, (probably because he is sexually frustrated) and Ms. Warzecka is quite bitter towards the male sex (probably for the same reason as Mr. Belshe). So the simple solution would be for them to, as they say, "hook up." Then, in the next issue of the Wildcat, they might write about something interesting instead of using the school newspaper as an outlet for the fact that they are both sexually deprived. As Ms. Warzecka might say, "Tim you just gotta find someone to work that thin, 2-inch penis of yours." Hey Ms. Warzecka, maybe you are that someone.

John Malek Ahmadi
sociology junior