ASUA, President Roosevelt have very little in common

The ASUA leadership in Wednesday's Wildcat had the audacity to compare itself to the Roosevelt administration by way of its "Cat Chat" - a reference to FDR's fireside chats. The analogy is laughable.

Over the past month, I've attempted to reach several ASUA leaders about a serious problem: traffic safety around the UA. Unfortunately, these leaders have evidently been too busy chatting to take action in response to my concerns.

Speedway and other streets around the UA present serious traffic hazards. For instance, not all of the traffic signals on Speedway near the university have turning arrows. As a result, drivers turning at these intersections speed through red lights, endangering pedestrians. Also, many streets surrounding the UA lack signs or flashing lights that could alert motorists to student foot traffic.

These concerns are not trivial. Witness the ASU community, which mourned Jessica Woodin's tragic, gruesome death two years ago. Woodin died, her body cut in half, after being struck by a drunk driver as she crossed Apache Boulevard, a street bordering the south side of ASU's main campus. After the accident, Tempe installed new safety lights and traffic signs, and heavily targeted speeders around ASU.

Considering the UA's large population and the heavy traffic around it, the UA should take similar steps. Even one death is too high a price for neglecting inexpensive, simple protective measures.

The difference between FDR's administration and the ASUA leadership is that FDR emphasized active service to constituents - evidenced by its innovative communication and novel thinking. I suggest that the traffic hazards around the UA require FDR-style action, not just chat.

Dillon Fishman
second-year law student

Unionization would not help university professors

Wednesday's "Issue of the Week" featured five constructive opinions and one real puzzler.

I don't understand why Kendrick Wilson thinks that unionization of the faculty will stop the "brain drain." Academic positions are highly individual, and while the tenure system as it currently stands isn't perfect, replacing a merit-based system with the algorithmic or so-called "equitable" ones that result from collective bargaining doesn't seem appropriate in this case. I intend to pursue an academic career; unionization would deter me from seeking a position, and I don't doubt that others feel the same.

Did Kendrick Wilson intend this to be a serious proposal? It's so out in left field that it seems as though he's either mechanically echoing obsolete ideologies, engaging in a sort of Dadaist theater, or perhaps both. Perhaps he should write a full column explaining his proposal to those of us who don't understand.

Ben Kalafut
optical sciences graduate student

Present abortion procedure infanticide, not a choice

In response to Ms. James' passionate argument against President Bush's "stripping of your rights:" Most people in the United States, and most importantly in the United States Congress, believe that outlawing the specific procedure in the recent legislation concerning late-term abortion was morally necessary and right. Rather than seeing the procedure as aborting a fetus, they view it as infanticide, something certainly under the umbrella of being a "confrontation to violence." It has been shown that medical technology and ability have been able to keep infants alive at the early stages of the third trimester, which leads most to believe that in fact these choices for you are in fact children at that stage in their developmental process. The more evenly divided body of Congress, the Senate, passed the bill 64-34, and in fact bipartisan majorities had passed a similar bill twice before. You most certainly may appeal to your cause by using emotional rhetoric and demonizing President Bush, but he certainly does not stand alone on this fight concerning abortion. I would also add that your argument that men have no right to comment on the issue since they can't become pregnant is faulty at its core since last time I checked men are usually an integral part in the baby-making process. Finally, the arguments I have put forth come from someone who is a staunch pro-choice advocate under the time frame in which 90 percent of all abortions take place - in the first trimester - but to me it seems faulty to declare it a choice when medical technology has allowed it to be a child.

Ryan Wicks
EEB and history junior

Benefits of tanning beds outweigh numerous risks

I am a UA alumnus and I occasionally check the Wildcat to keep up with the news. I recently read an article that focused on the dangers of tanning. This article was extremely one-sided and a lot of the facts that were listed by Ms. Schmidt seemed exaggerated. Yes, over-exposure to the sun can lead to dangerous health problems. But most of the damage done to a person's skin is caused by sunburns by the longer wave UVA rays, rather than shorter UVB rays. Nowadays, tanning beds more frequently have UVB rays and some beds have almost no UVA rays at all.

In recent years, tanning beds have been found to have more and more benefits for a person's health. The Mayo Clinic recently did a study on Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. Not enough exposure to sunlight (especially during the winter season) can lead to severe depression, headaches, fatigue, weight gain and sleeping problems. Understandably, this is probably not as common in Arizona as much as some of the northern and eastern regions in the United States, but tanning has other benefits as well. Doctors will sometimes recommend tanning to their patients that suffer from skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, as tanning will help clear these up.

Dr. Michael Holick of the Boston University Medical Center has recently done extensive research on light exposure and the beneficial Vitamin D that comes with it. Dr. Holick claims that most of the population suffers from Vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteomalacia. In certain studies, Vitamin D has been connected with the prevention of breast, colon and prostate cancers. Dr. Holick believes that the benefits of regular sun exposure received in a non burning fashion outweigh any risk.

Tanning beds are usually helpful in a preventative way. They enable a person to tan in a controlled environment, rather than risk a burn by sun exposure. By tanning in a moderate fashion, a person can develop a light, healthy tan, which will prevent dangerous burning by the sun.

Maya White
UA alumnus