ASUA representatives out of touch, wasting our time

I am writing in response to the letter of grievance by Tara Taylor, et. al. printed under the heading "Tradition above students' right to know."

Apparently Ms. Taylor and associates believe that the Daily Wildcat should not print any stories that aren't in keeping with the "sacred traditions" of the student body; namely, the tradition that Wilbur the Wildcat's identity should be kept secret at all costs.

I think there are plenty of students that would agree with me when I say that I couldn't care less who dresses up as Wilbur the Wildcat.

I mean, I read the article and I still don't know who it is. I only know a small percentage of the roughly 33,000 students at U of A, and the student who so shockingly revealed that he was Wilbur is not among them.

I love our mascot as much as the next guy, but who wears the costume is just not all that important to me. It's not as if students are going around saying "damn, I can't believe that Wilbur is really so-and-so!" I really doubt that even the members of the associations listed in Ms. Taylor's letter could be so caught up in such a trivial tradition that they are genuinely upset at learning Wilbur's secret identity.

What really bugs me about the letter of grievance is the suggestion that this tradition is something sacred to the student body and students in general and that, as such, the Daily Wildcat has some obligation to uphold it, even if that means not printing an otherwise newsworthy story.

Sadly, it shows how out of touch with the actual student body ASUA representatives often become and the types of issues they are willing to waste their time addressing.

TJ Finn
Philosophy senior