Why was I in class Monday?

I woke up Monday and got ready for class much like any other Monday. However, as you know, it was not any normal Monday; it was Presidents' Day. The last time I checked, Presidents' Day is still observed by the federal and state governments all across this country, but somehow it just skipped over our little Tucson. This not only disrespects our current administration, but all of those who have served before it. I strongly urge our school administration to push for Presidents' Day off next year, or at least a new school president who will make the change. First, no flags in the classroom, now no Presidents Day, what's next, Mr. Likins?

Alexander Cook
undeclared freshman

Difficult to be ASUA candidate

In response to Anthony Ávila's Thursday article on the ASUA elections, it is true that some candidates for senate are not putting in much effort, but there are a few of us that are putting in a considerable amount of time and energy into this campaign. As candidates, we need to motivate each other through competition to offer the best of ourselves to the student body.

It was said that it would be a waste of time to start shaking hands and passing out flyers at this point by one candidate, but with the number of students on this campus, candidates should take full advantage of all the time given to make their case.

While we, as candidates, are making the effort to reach students we can't do it alone. The student body needs to take an active role in the election process as well. The candidates have limited resources in the amount of time and funds we can put towards the election, and it would be impossible to talk to every student and to see that everyone is informed on the issues. Students should be looking to see who is running and what they stand for. This is the only way we can have an informed student body and a competitive election season.

Matthew Boepple
political science freshman

Students immature toward Smock

I would like to say that I am not a Christian, do not got to church and do not feel myself a religious man. This week Jed Smock has been on campus preaching to save people, or so he says. While I did not like some of what he said, or much really, I will say the most disturbing thing was the behavior of the "mature" UA students. We insulted him, made fun of him and cussed at him. When we were kids we were told, "if you don't like what somebody says, don't listen, walk away." Again another example of how we teach little kids only to forget it ourselves. We should all be very proud of ourselves.

Tom Deakin
engineering sophomore

Wildcat receives no tuition money

In Monday's online mailbag, alumnus Ove Mard perpetuated an all-too-common misconception regarding the Wildcat's funding. The Wildcat never saw a dime of Mard's tuition dollars, nor does it receive any money from current students' tuition. As an independent publication, it relies on advertising revenues in order to operate.

If Mard is so eager to dictate what appears on the Wildcat's pages, and so concerned about its finances, perhaps he/she should purchase ad space next time. The number for the advertising department is 621-1686.

Justin St. Germain
creative writing graduate student and former Wildcat sports editor

Professors need to teach, not opine

The article "Professors defend right to speak their minds" greatly romanticized the truth behind what Ward Churchill said. The University of Colorado professor has written that, "unquestionably, America has earned" the attack of Sept. 11, 2001. He calls the attack itself a result of "gallant sacrifices of the combat teams." That the "combat teams" killed only 3,000 Americans, he says, shows they were not "unreasonable or vindictive." He says that in order to even the score with America, Muslim terrorists "would, at a minimum, have to blow up about 300,000 more buildings and kill something on the order of 7.5 million people." And how could we forget his comparison of the victims in the Sept. 11 attacks to Adolf Eichmann. Yet Churchill remains confident that he is protected by tenure from being fired. College professors are the only people in America who assume they can't be fired for what they say. Just ask Bill Maher, who was fired from ABC strictly on the basis of his "speech." When tax dollars are being spent to pay a person to spew this hatred toward unwilling college students, the line must be drawn. It is precisely because Churchill is paid by the taxpayers that "free speech" is implicated at all. Let Mr. Churchill go to the Saturday Night Hippie Festival and talk all he wants, but don't make Americans pay for this guy when there are much more qualified professors who will actually do their job.

Jim Brody
electrical engineering junior