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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
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'Out of Water' still not amusing

403: net laughs from Police Beat this year. 0: net laughs from "Out of Water" this year. I think Mr. Irish should start pursuing other endeavors.

Elizabeth Coppinger
undeclared sophomore

Wal-Mart employs thousands of 'happy' senior citizens

In Dan Post's column "Quit shopping at Wal-Mart," he indicates that the average employee at Wal-Mart only makes $13,861 per year. However, he failed to mention that a large number of Wal-Mart employees are working part time, and a large portion of those workers are senior citizens.

Maybe instead of accusing Wal-Mart of doing things illegally, you could go into the store and see the happy faces of the senior citizens who have the opportunity to do something to earn a few extra bucks.

Brian Anderson
pre-business junior

ASUA president's remarks 'disturbing and perplexing'

I think that it is great that the optical science graduate students stood up for themselves and voted not to be represented by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. However, I found the statements of ASUA President Cade Bernsen (that the vote "didn't change anything" and that ASUA "will continue to speak for all optical sciences students") both disturbing and perplexing.

The lack of respect for the wishes of the optical science graduate students is disturbing, given the vote's 79-to-1 margin. And it is perplexing that ASUA would demand to represent this group under these conditions. It seems that Mr. Bernsen does not understand how representation works. Surely, ASUA can no longer credibly speak on behalf of optical science graduate students, regardless of what ASUA says about its own mandate.

Paul Thorn
philosophy graduate student

'True vegetarians' frustrated with impostors

As a vegan and animal rights advocate, I found Scott Patterson's "Confessions of a vegetarian" column very thought provoking and interesting. It is very frustrating for true vegetarians to deal with the misconception that one can be a vegetarian while eating fish, chicken or any other "white" meat.

Every vegetarian I know has encountered someone who says, "Oh, I'm a vegetarian too, I just eat fish." I think it's simply ignorance or a misunderstanding on the part of some people who have learned an incorrect meaning of the word vegetarian. Obviously, it means someone who eats no animal flesh whatsoever; nothing with a face, or that had a mother, so to speak.

I was, however, a bit confused as to whom your anger is directed toward: actual vegetarians or the people who mistakenly call themselves vegetarians? I really hope you're not angry at vegetarians; we have enough to deal with.

In any case, as for your idea of "becoming vegetarian out of protest," I have to say that the only hypocrisy you will reveal is your own. You are not spiting anyone but yourself by "biting into a double quarter-pounder" while calling yourself a vegetarian. Why not seek to educate those who are ignorant in a peaceful way, which does not have the end result of cow flesh being consumed and your arteries being clogged?

Since you seem to take an interest in vegetarianism, (even if only in a satirical way) I urge you to give it a try, for your health, the animals and the environment. 

Edita Birnkrant
New York

ASU football team sports egos but no class

The UA may not be a top-20 party school or sports powerhouse in the academic arena of overinflated egos and big salaries like ASU, but the UA has two things its rival to the north can never dream to have: class and sportsmanship.

Every year at this time I read The Arizona Republic up in Phoenix at my parents' home in Chandler. Every year we all laugh at the blatant bias that the local newspaper shows against the UA and for ASU, regardless of how successful or dismal either football teams' season really was. It's absolutely nauseating to read the editorials about the UA and ASU, knowing the histories of both teams.

ASU has tooted its own horn for years about how great a sports program it has, but it has never lived up to its own self-inflated legendary aura. Sure, they went to the Rose Bowl one year, but they also lost that game and not only embarrassed themselves but all of Arizona by playing poorly due to excessive partying the night before.

The UA may not have been to a Rose Bowl in Pasadena yet, but they did play in and won the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe one year. The UA won the Fiesta Bowl and did it with class and great sportsmanship, qualities that were both absent on the ASU side of the field in Friday's game.

ASU "showed its true colors" when the team opened up its leftover Halloween bag of dirty tricks in the locker room at halftime and deliberately and maliciously injured UA's key players in the second half of the game.

Is this the kind of sportsmanship Dirk Koetter teaches and instills in his ASU players? If I were an ASU alumnus, I would be ashamed to call myself a Sun Devil and take those "bragging rights" to the Insight.com Bowl game.

I'm glad I went to a university that teaches the important things in life like respect and honor. I couldn't be more proud of my Wildcat heritage.

Stephen M. Langois
UA alumnus

ASUA responsible for fixing problems with GPSC

In yesterday's Wildcat, the Opinions Board issued its views regarding the ongoing concerns of GPSC representatives with the state of graduate student representation at the UA. Since the Opinions Board seems to have done little research before publishing its opinions (and didn't speak to anyone from the GPSC), let me point out a few facts and opinions of my own.

The structure of student government at the UA is flawed in ways that occasionally result in the exclusion of graduate student representation. Quite simply, there is a limited but important range of venues in which the graduate student point of view is represented by undergraduates, or by undergraduate appointees, rather than by the elected representatives of graduate students.

The current system is one that is maintained and protected by the ASUA president and the ASUA Senate. If ASUA chose to fix the problem, it could. This is why there is "bad blood" between ASUA and GPSC.

Graduate students would be better served by a representative structure that fully incorporated graduate student representation. Such a change would make a difference to graduate students by giving us more opportunities to weigh in on all of the issues that affect the lives of grad students.

That being said, the goal of amplifying the voice of graduate students is only one of many that are of concern to the GPSC, as there are more instances where graduate student representation is included than excluded. Other issues with which the GPSC is currently engaged include the student health insurance plan, TA/RA remission, child care facilities, graduate student tuition and fees, and funding for graduate student professional development.

Amanda Brobbel
graduate student in English

Wildcat comic lacks 'God-given sense'

Mr. Irish's comic strip on Monday shows what lack of "Good God-given sense he has." Yes, he is right that Tuitama led us to 403 yards while Richard Kovalcheck led the team to only 32 yards. Could that be because Tuitama played the whole game until he got hurt in the final period? Let us not forget when Kovalcheck came in without several key members (Mike Bell, who had a kick-ass day, was on the sidelines). Also it should be pointed out Mr. Irish is vice president of a Facebook club called "Arizona football should move to Division I-AA.

Gabriel M. Bustamante
senior majoring in family studies and human development

Bush coverage lacked solid news story

When I began reading the top story in yesterday's Wildcat, I was rather confused. The top story is about a handful of students who are protesting against Bush? How is that news, compared to what Bush actually had to say in his visit to Tucson? Is the priority of the Wildcat to promote its perhaps liberal agenda, or is it to write solid news stories?

A story about the students who went out to protest is all fine and good, but it should not overshadow what the leader of the country has to say - regardless of what the paper thinks of it. Where's the focus?

Joshua Schlag
UA alumnus

Mascot debate detracting from real issues

Is the issue of American Indian mascots really the greatest detriment to American Indian tribes today? Nope. Not even close. While some are still very upset over American Indian mascots (found at the high school, college and professional levels) the rest of the American Indian population seems to have taken the mature "sticks and stones" approach.

Consider this: The Ute tribe has amicably agreed to allow the University of Utah to keep its Ute name and mascot. The Seminole tribe also amicably agreed to let Florida State University keep its Seminole name and mascot. In fact, at this point, the only school fully reprimanded for the use of an American Indian mascot is the University of Illinois, the Fighting Illini. Funny thing about that is that there is no such tribe as the Illini. It's a made-up word.

While I agree that the treatment of the American Indian by our government has been atrocious, the only way that we are to make progress is to put these trivial issues aside and focus on actual detriments to American Indian tribes (i.e., the great poverty afflicting many American Indian communities, or the new crystal meth epidemic in these communities). Can we get back to actual issues in this country instead of obsessing over political correctness?

Matthew Golab
biology freshman



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