ASUA trying to 'tax' students for more power

The new proposed student activity fee that students are expected to vote on is not only a scam, but is also a total attempt by lame-duck ASUA members to push a new "tax" down the throats of unsuspecting students. The new fee is projected to "generate an estimated $1.2 million to $1.4 million." But what people don't realize is that the ASUA budget already gobbles up more than $1 million per year. And where exactly does all that money go? What exactly does ASUA really do? Less then 10 percent of the student body votes in ASUA elections, and even fewer students ever attend an ASUA event or have any interaction with ASUA.

The money generated by the new fee will simply give a bunch of inexperienced ASUA insiders more power to waste student dollars on programs most students will never attend. The idea that the fee is going to be used to book big name bands is a charade. Instead, the money will simply flow "down the river" in typical ASUA form, probably being used to pay another dozen student salaries, so more student "leaders" can pretend actual work is being done.

Seth Frantzman
UA alumnus

Activity fee beneficial to all UA students

The last time I checked, the UA is a learning institution. Through student organizations, many of us are fortunate enough to receive hands-on experience and training in our chosen career fields. As the outgoing Director of National Concerts for UAB, I know how beneficial the student activity fee is for our campus. Each year we are faced with the responsibility of scheduling events on campus with a limited budget. The average student is not aware of all the costs involved with planning activities, especially concerts. I constantly hear requests from students for potentially great concerts, and many bands have shown interest in our campus. Unfortunately, we just don't have the funding to make these shows happen. As of right now, National Concerts has a zero-based budget, meaning that whatever we spend we have to make back through ticket sales. An activity fee can help subsidize the costs of a concert and lower the price of tickets or even make concerts free. The funding provided by the fee will allow us to bring more diverse concerts and make our campus a desirable location. Many schools across the country have activity fees that are 10 times as much as the fee the Collaboration Board is proposing. If the student body wants inexpensive, quality activities, then it must be willing to pay a little upfront for them. A $15 fee is not that much to pay if it can help bring our campus to life! I invite all students who want to have a say in what concerts come to campus to join our committee and share their opinions.

Rachel Keller
liberal studies senior

Diversity needed in classes for real world

Dan Norwood claims that the UA is doing students a disservice by segregating the study of racial, ethnic and gender-based issues into separate classes. However, the critical flaw in his case is the assumption that students have the opportunity to study work by, and the issues of, minority groups in their regular classes.

While some faculty members structure their courses to include the views of scholars from diverse backgrounds, this is not always the case. For example, there is an annual uproar in the state Legislature over the fact that our women's studies program discusses lesbian literature. When I last checked, lesbians were as much women as their heterosexual counterparts, so it is critical that any student studying women's literature be exposed to contributions made by lesbian authors.

What is more, many students complete degrees in fields where it is difficult to "diversify" the subject, such as math or engineering. However, these students will still work in a diverse workplace, and it is vital that they have an appreciation of the contributions made by all components of society. Engineering is a male-dominated field, but if women are to increase their representation in both the student body and the workplace, it is important that men do not graduate believing that they have a God-given right to dominate the field, and without an appreciation of the contributions of other groups.

In an ideal world, we would celebrate the diversity of cultures that surround us, affording equal respect at all times to all people regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, religious affiliation or ethnicity. Sadly, that is not how the world works, and until it does, the UA needs to ensure that its students are exposed to a wide variety of coursework so they are ready to enter the real world.

Nick Ray
UA alumnus

Higher education needed for future jobs

Patrick Leverty's ignorance could not provide a better illustration of the need for more government funding for higher education. Somehow Mr. Leverty has managed to graduate from the UA with neither a solid understanding of the direction of America's workforce nor with an understanding of global influences and America's interconnectedness to the rest of the world.

There has been a several decade-long trend in America toward a highly educated and skilled workforce, with jobs requiring a lower level of formal education largely moving to Mexico or overseas. If we are to take Mr. Leverty's assertions about the role of public money in education to support the American economy at face value, then it is clear that we need to continue to fund higher education to have the highly-skilled workforce our economy demands.

In addition, Mr. Leverty is obviously no expert on the scope of study that anthropology encompasses. While the applied anthropology in "urban environments" he mentions is a growing part of the field, there are indeed new pyramids to be dug up by archaeologists. Nor has every culture and society been studied so extensively that there is no need for further research. Our current foreign policy imbroglios are ample evidence of the continued need to study and understand societies around the world.

Mr. Leverty seems like he could benefit from some more education. I do, however, wish him the best of luck in acquiring that condo in Puerto Rico.

Jennifer Huff
anthropology senior