TPD offers invaluable services to community

Yesterday's article by Melissa Wirkus, "Students discuss police raids at forum, not neighbor relations," shows the type of ignorance coming from those students who have major issues with the police, especially about the police raids at drinking parties. There is no doubt that members of the police force have done some stupid things, like abusing their authority. However, the police are of great service to each and every community they protect and serve. However, when I hear someone complain about the police, like those students at Tuesday night's forum, I never hear anything good said about what the police have done to make a difference in the community. Nothing! Not even a, "Thank you, UAPD, for arresting those who dropped a dry-ice bomb from a dorm." Not even a thank-you to the police for responding swiftly to emergency calls about some nut who went off the deep end at the Nursing College back in October 2002.

Personally, I do not think the police should be slapping handcuffs on those who drink underage. I feel the handcuffs should be used on those who commit violent crimes, like rape and murder. However, no matter how much I or anyone else disagrees with how law enforcement handles any situation, nothing is going to change because someone complains about how the police are handling things. That's the way it is.

Besides, raiding parties that violate any aspect of the law is part of the job the police must perform, especially when it comes to underage drinking. Warnings were given out via the media last year to those who were looking to drink alcohol underage. Those who got caught will be arrested. Nobody is at fault for those arrested for underage drinking except those caught drinking underage. It's common sense - if one doesn't want to get into trouble with the law, one should not put oneself in a position to get in trouble for breaking the law. Anyone who gets caught breaking the law will face the consequences of their own actions.

Donald Wilson
sociology senior

Tuition hike will keep local students out of UA

I think it is ridiculous that another increase in tuition is even being considered so soon - the justification being that we need to reach what other universities are charging for tuition. By increasing the tuition so rapidly, we are eliminating the chances of many local students to attend. Unfortunately, Tucson's salaries are not increasing at the rate of the tuition hikes. I think Likins should think more about the students and less about competing with other universities in hiking tuition. Not all the students' parents in Tucson earn the salary he does.

Ofelia Lopez
Tucsonan

Unlikely candidates stay in to present message

In his Feb. 4 commentary, Aaron Okin states that a rational Democratic presidential candidate should drop out of the primary race when he falls behind in the polls. Why? So what if the only reason he remains in the race is to bring attention to his ideas? The views of the minority deserve attention equal to the views of the mainstream.

Okin says, "That so many people have donated their efforts, money and, most tragically, their votes to campaigns like these is quite disheartening." These people have not wasted their votes. Voters who support the unpopular candidates do so because they want their views to be heard. Candidates like Kucinich and Sharpton serve an essential function: to bring the views of the minority into the mainstream.

It is true that these voters reject the realities of the "functioning system." If every voter in the United States voted for a mainstream candidate, progress would never be realized. The electoral system is not an example of a democratic system, but of a republic. If the president of the United States were indeed elected by democratic means, we wouldn't have the idiot we have running this country now. To change things, people need to vote according to their beliefs. If not, nothing can change.

Mark Mencel
chemistry graduate student

TPD, UAPD don't have their priorities straight

I've heard some pretty dumb comments in my life, and TPD Lt. Mike Pryor's statement, "if we can reduce the number of underage drinkers, we can have more officers fighting crime" ranks up there with the dumbest. It's clear TPD (and UAPD) are more interested in appearances (citing large numbers of underage drinkers) than results (reducing crime).

Scott Plapp
UA alumnus

Rec congestion could be fixed by alumni funds

Last week, the Wildcat ran an article titled, "Students flock to Rec Center to stay fit." Aside from the astoundingly insightful revelation provided in the headline, the article had a disappointing lack of substance. I was most dissatisfied with the gross understatement of the true state of affairs at the Rec. In the last few years, the lines outside the weight room have grown explosively both in length and duration. When one finally does gain access to the Promised Land, it is bursting at the seams with other athletes, making an efficient workout all but impossible. To make matters worse, several factors will aggravate the overcrowding in the future. First, in the short-term, the Rec will be offering discounted gym memberships midway through the semester to increase enrollment. Second, the gradual expansion of the university's general enrollment, which will bring more students to the UA and the Rec, will worsen the trend in the long term. Finally, add to this the Rec's accelerated ad campaign and an increasingly health-conscious culture, and it becomes obvious that the current facility will soon be pathetically inadequate.

It would have been nice if, amidst all the construction and money spending, some administrator had taken note of this problem and made an effort to right it. Maybe instead of autocratically delineating millions of dollars to clog up the Mall while building a grassy mound, the administration could have fielded suggestions from the student body on necessary or desirable additions to the campus. If it had taken the time to inventory existing facilities and their capabilities, I'm confident they would have found a better way to spend that $4,850,000. For instance, I would have liked to see the construction of another Rec Center, to ease the congestion on the existing facility. I don't think any of our munificent alumni would withhold their funds from such a worthy project. After all, the "Alumni Memorial Rec Center" would undoubtedly outlast the notoriously short-lived UA grass, and the alumni could rest assured that the Rec would be appreciated for many years to come.

Dean Lhospital
sophomore majoring in English