Editor:

Thank you for the special attention your fine news agency gave me this last week. Your portrayal of my personality and beliefs was, I think, a fair representation - good, bad and ugly. Further, I would like to congratulate Zach Thomas on his piece on my capacity to operate a motor vehicle. I have no doubt that the journalism community will reward Mr. Thomas with an esteemed position. It takes a lot of class to do that kind of journalism.

Actually, I wanted to ask you if you would investigate some questions I had that had never been answered regarding Julie Rice and Ben Driggs.

According to the bylaws, "our" President Ben Driggs appointed the ASA Director, Julie Rice. I am curious. Did Julie Rice resign her position as ASA Director when she decided to run for president? Wasn't Ben Driggs the ASA Director in the Trujillo administration? Now, you'll have to excuse my ignorance here, I am only a transfer from a small community college, but wasn't Trujillo the ASA Director before he became president?

When I visited the chapters, the feeling I got was that much of the Greek community doesn't feel informed or included in our student government. I thought this was ironic since ASUA boasts a lot of Greek involvement. Did anyone in the Driggs administration or in the Rice campaign inform the chapters about what was inside the ASUA budget? Or what was going on with the state budget on higher education? Did the Driggs administration or the Rice campaign inform the Greek community why the cost of education is rising but the value of a degree is falling? I understand much of the Greek community is dependent on this degrading and frustrating institution known to us as financial aid. Did Driggs communicate his opinion to the Greek community on financial aid reform? What is Rice's opinion on these issues? Has she communicated them publicly to Greeks or the greater UA student body? What affiliation does senatorial candidate Maile Weigele have to Julie Rice?

Personally, I think a lot of Greeks, like the rest of the student body, feel left out of ASUA politics. I find that rather ironic since ASUA is supposed to represent us. My impression is that "our elected" president and his staff view integrity as a banner they clothe themselves with in public and a banner they wipe various parts of their body with in private. Well, until they can prove otherwise, I don't want Julie Rice or Ben Driggs to represent me anymore.

Jim Bretney
former ASUA presidential candidate