On Oct. 30, 2003, Rep. Phil English of Pennsylvania introduced the Higher Education Affordability and Equity Act to Congress. This act, if passed into law, would help students afford undergraduate and graduate educations. On Oct. 20, graduate students across the country wrote letters to Congress in order for this bill to be passed.

In response to this the issue of the week is whether or not the HEAEA should be passed and, additionally, are students entitled to such benefits as proposed in this act? [Read article]

It's imperative that any voter realize what it is that state legislators actually do and how they compare to the rest of the country before deciding that their job is "important," and that they deserve more money.

Proposition 300 entails a 50 percent base salary increase for our state legislators from $24,000 to $36,000. Before your mouth drops at this paltry salary, which happens to be $7,000 below the average state salary, let me tell you what this number actually means. [Read article]

Students have right to free speech at UA

Aram S. Katz's Tuesday letter urged the administration to take the illegal and dangerous action of censoring free speech. I am continually amazed at the willingness of even informed individuals to sacrifice their free speech rights in an effort to suppress speech they disagree with.

The affirmative action bake sale and the Israel wall protest were both examples of constitutionally-protected free speech, which the University of Arizona, as a public university, cannot legally suppress. Southern Methodist University is a private university, so they have far greater latitude in dictating what is and is not permissible speech on campus; it is doubtful a similar action by the UA could withstand a legal challenge. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free speech advocacy group, has succeeded in countering administration attempts at censoring affirmative action bake sales at University of Colorado at Boulder, University of California at Irvine, and William and Mary. It is satire and protected speech. [Read article]