Football team needs wins, not ethics

This is in response to Tom Knauer's column about Mike Stoops being too easy on players that have been arrested.

Our football team has been terrible. We need to turn the corner. If you want to see model citizens that suck at football, transfer to Duke or Harvard.

If you want our team to get better, let Stoops run the show.

The most dominant team in college football over the last 20 or more years has been the Miami Hurricanes. They're there to play football, not to sing in the choir. Bennie Blades, Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Najeh Davenport, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Jamaal Green, Jerome McDougle, Willie Williams ... all have been arrested for everything from possessing marijuana (Sapp) to being charged with murder (Lewis).

They were or are all stars in Miami and were or are stars in the NFL.

I'm not saying we should glorify and praise their arrests, but let's remember the real reason athletes get scholarships: to help the school's teams win.

Rob Monteleone
media arts junior

'Hazardous' bicyclists do dangerous maneuvers

I agree that bicyclists are a hazard on this campus. I've had two near misses in my car with bicyclists who seem to feel they can ride in the street but don't have to obey traffic signals. Twice in one week have bicyclists gone right through a stop sign and come within 6 inches of being hit by my car.

Let's see UAPD crack down on bicyclists following the rules of the road, because I don't need a new hood ornament.

Dan Parmelee
management information systems sophomore

Homeless deserve our compassion, tolerance

This letter is in response to Rene Lomeli's recent letter expressing her concern about homeless people using the Main Library. I would like to express how disgusted I was when I read this letter. I couldn't tell if Ms. Lomeli thought she was being humorous, but I don't understand how someone could genuinely be this uncompassionate.

Have you ever considered that homeless people don't have addresses to receive mail, or telephones to make calls? Access to e-mail may provide them with a way to stay in touch with the people they love. I am sure many homeless people, or "bums" as you call them, are there only to search the Internet, but isn't the UA library a public library? Does it really bother you that much? The library is a big place with options of where to study, so why not just move?

I am really disappointed in you as a human being, and I hope that you can realize the ignorance in your comments and make some effort to understand the circumstances that people live in. In this day and age, access to information is a key part of our daily lives; who are we to deny access to others based on their housing status?

If their alcohol use is what bothers you, are you as incensed with our fellow students that come to the library in between drinks to get some work done? Or is that OK, because they have apartments to return to? I sincerely hope your work in molecular and cellular biology places you in a lab and far away from people. We're all here to learn, and honey, I think you have a long way to go.

Celia Reynolds sociology junior

Lack of 'Juicy pants' big issue on campus

I recently read two letters to the editor describing the pros and cons regarding the use of women's "big" sunglasses. While I agree that this fashion trend (and its entailing positive and negative consequences) is an intriguing and philosophically challenging topic that merits further exploration, I believe that there is a far more important subject worthy of discussion - the lack of women's Juicy brand pants on campus.

This semester, based on my own initial observations, I noted that the use of Juicy brand pants has sharply declined. Remember the tight, sexy pants that the women of the UA would wear that had that special, magical word "Juicy" emblazoned on the back? What happened? Where have all the Juicy pants gone? Are they no longer socially or economically viable? These are the questions of troubled times.

This occurrence is perhaps the single most disturbing trend of 2005. Not only may the death of Juicy pants bear a heavy psychological burden upon the men and women of the UA, but it also may drastically affect our economy. While consumers are now choosing between "big" and "not-big sunglasses," I only hope for the sake of the men and women working for Juicy that consumers continue to purchase their product.

People should not be afraid to share their gifts with the world (in this case, shapely figures). Women should purchase more Juicy pants; not only would it help the economy, but it would also improve the scenery at the UA. Bring back the Rocket Dogs, too.

Alan Eder
senior majoring in Spanish