Med Tech program vital to Tucson community

I have been reading the numerous articles that have been written addressing the Medical Technology program getting the ax at the UA. Frankly, I am appalled that in a community the size of Tucson, a program that has so much impact on this community is being considered for elimination. I was especially amused at the provost's comments. How can a program survive when it is apparent that the governing force behind this program doesn't have a clear understanding of what a medical technologist does?

In the 25 years I have been a medical technologist, I have seen medical technology programs cut from the universities in the many areas where I have lived. "So what?" you say. Well, that "so what" has meant that many hospitals have had to close down laboratories and use "STAT" facilities because they no longer have the qualified individuals to provide the gold standard in laboratory care. This means that the hospitals have had to close surgery wings and emergency rooms because, in case of trauma or bleeding patients, they had no way of providing blood and critical data because they did not have a laboratory available with qualified professionals. The patients are put at major risk and expense because they have had to be transferred to another facility with full laboratory services. The cutting of a program so essential to the public is an outrage. The university needs to applaud the dedicated staff and place the program into the limelight so the public is aware of such an outstanding field of study. The program has always stood behind that big blue "A" by providing outstanding, qualified medical technologists. It is the Arizona Board of Regents' turn now to stand behind this much-needed program. I only wish that the university I graduated from had done the same for the program I was associated with. It was cut in 1995.

Mary J. Leslie
medical technologist

Decision to close Med Tech program wrong

I would like to make a comment about the article written by Sara Warzecka about the Medical Technology program.

I am a recent graduate of the Medical Technology program, and thus, I feel strongly about the decision of the administration to close it. Obviously, the people behind this decision (as well as the person who wrote this article) do not understand the important role of medical technologists in the medical field. However, I do not want to waste my time in having to list each one of them since I'm sure that they have heard what they are so many times before. But unfortunately, these school officials chose to ignore them instead. I don't even want to imagine what the future of the health care system would be like without medical technologists to fill in the positions of present med techs who are retiring soon. Without competent people to help diagnose diseases, detect malignancies and evaluate patient prognoses, the physicians are pretty much helpless.

Moreover, I would also like to point out that being a medical technologist is not a dead-end job. It is only to one who does not have the will to progress. A med tech can work not only in a clinical laboratory, but also in other settings, such as nuclear medicine, research laboratory, biotechnology, pharmaceutical companies, genetics labs, fertility clinics, education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the list goes on. It is a major that covers a wide range of fields. Thus, it is not a dead-end job.

Keep in mind that for every patient who survives cancer, or every time a baby's life is saved from hemolytic disease of the newborn, or the spread of a highly infectious disease is prevented, a medical technologist or a team of them were behind the test results that the doctor needed to solve each case. We save lives. We do it every single day.

Colleen Vasquez
medical technologist, UA alumna

Zona Zoo needs to move grandma off McKale floor

I would personally like to thank Shane Bacon for his column on our "tradition-less" UA. He brought up an excellent point about us needing a student section. Let's face it, the so-called Zona Zoo is a joke, a pathetic attempt to persuade the student body that we matter to this university and its athletics. We are basically treated as garbage and are thrown behind the baskets to make room for old people and their wallets (I'm sorry, alumni). I am absolutely disgusted when I go to games and see rich old ladies reading Better Home. If the officials at this university need their money so badly, I am willing to pay a $50 fee to "rent" a student section rather than pay for that ridiculous activity fee. On top of that I will still pay another $300 to $400 for student tickets to be a part of a Zona Zoo that would be feared by visiting teams. It is time to move grandma and grandpa off the floor and bring this university back to the students!

Robert Rader
civil engineering sophomore

Rant on women is wrong way to win the ladies over

I would just like to express my utter amazement that columnist Tim Belshe, co-author of "The Battle of the Sexes" column in Thursday's paper, is indeed single. Let me pose this rhetorical question to my fellow women: Ladies, how have we let this one slip through our grasps for so long? Any woman would obviously be more than lucky to land herself a man like Mr. Belshe, what with his overwhelming sensitivity, charm, and above all else, his apparent understanding of the female population.

All I can say is that it's a damn shame that he finally blew our cover ... that we have in fact been "milking the whole menstruation thing" this whole time. Mr. Belshe, have you ever had menstrual cramps? In that case, I suggest that you keep this theory to yourself, especially in the presence of women experiencing PMS.

I also know from experience that the social unacceptability of staring at women has not stopped many men from continuing to do so, and I assure you that this is not what builds better self-esteem in women. At any rate, Mr. Belshe, I have complete confidence that your most recent article expressing your infinite wisdom on us girls is sure to improve your status with the ladies. My advice is just to sit back and enjoy your well-deserved infamy.

Krisi Geier
undeclared freshman