By John C. Barentine
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 16, 1998

Scrap CatCard, start over

To the Editor:

Thanks for your generous coverage of last Friday's forum on the CatCard debacle hosted by the UA administration ("Campus voices CatCard concerns," Apr. 13).

There were certainly many apologies offered, numerous promises made and a slight hint of solutions that day but, with respect to Dr. Likins, it was, as one speaker put it, nothing more than "damage control." The administrative representatives had done their homework, but their performance was weak and at best deserves only a "D" for effort. It was clear that they did not expect the vehement response they received from the overflow crowd assembled.

Let's face it - the CatCard project is damaged beyond control. The few steps taken thus far to hold back the tide of problems is tantamount to wrapping gauze around a mortal wound. The administration of this university should do the only responsible thing there is to do at this point: scrap the CatCard entirely and replace it with a more well-thought-out successor. The next time around perhaps Ms. Taylor and her staff will consult a little more closely with the UA's expert (and generously paid) legal team in order to prevent further violations of federal law.

If this community truly cares about its privacy, security and civil liberties, the pressure it presents can surely topple this house of cards thrust upon us by those who would sacrifice those issues for "convenience." Their brand of convenience has only created headaches for many of us, with no end in sight. It is time for this university to do what is right and what its stakeholders demand.

John C. Barentine
physics senior