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Letters to the editor

Former candidate responds

To the editor,

I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Will Betush's letter that referenced me in Friday's paper. First, I ran two years ago not one. Second, my senate campaign gathered 525 votes, or roughly 16%. Will was again incorrect when he said I only received two. It's sad but true that people like me don't run for ASUA because we can't afford to. Its amazingly costly to run against people who can and will spend upwards of $200 to win that office. When I ran I spent $13 and I lost. Had I run last year and spent $200 that I don't have, I might have done better. However, I neither have that kind of money, nor would I waste it on litter that would end up on the ground.

My proposal to ASUA is to 1) outlaw the use of those little flyers which end up on the ground in a total waste of paper 2) eliminate the primaries so the election season would not be as long and students would not have to miss work 3) end stipends for ASUA officials 4) cut the spending limits down to $10 5) outlaw the use of banners, which are all ugly and a waste of paint 6) finally, stop taking money from the ASUA bookstore and tell them to give us lower prices on text books so we can finally have a break.

That's all from me; I'm off to work off my debt.

Travis Klein

Economics junior

FAFSA questions fair

To the editor,

This letter is in response to the March 1 editorial expressing the view that the FAFSA drug question is unfair to students. I do agree with your first point, that students are people who make mistakes. However, I do not see any justification that just because "experimentation is a part of growing up" there should be no consequences. If allowing experimentation to go without consequences is to deem anything allowable. Imagine the following, "I always wanted to know what it was like to rape someone, now I know. And yes, I was just trying it out, it was my first time." That is a bit extreme, but so is handing over US tax dollars to drug users.

I use the term users because I am willing to bet that there are very few drug "tryers" out there who have only tried a drug once. I definitely would agree that if it was truly the first (and only) time such a student was busted that they should be allowed to a second chance, but still with consequences. One-time offenders are unlikely one-time users; thereby not just experimenting, not just one mistake-they were just unfortunate to have been caught.

I'm surprised that this publication is encouraging students to leave the box blank. Explicitly stating "Instead, students with drug convictions should leave the box blank" is very irresponsible. This is implicitly telling every person that reads the Wildcat that if they have been convicted on drug charges that if they leave it blank it will be overlooked. A prospective parent on campus could have picked up the paper and read into what was written. Replace the word drug with rape and the following sentence becomes very distasteful: "Growing up can be a trying and confusing time, and some people will inevitably turn to drugs for one of many reasons."

Patrick M. Walters

MIS senior

"Mock Spanish" misrepresented

To the editor,

It is no wonder that Wildcat readers would reject Jane Hill's discussion of "Mock Spanish," since the journalist who reported on Dr. Hill's presentation reported her conclusions but not her reasoning. As far as I understand, Hill argues that, when Anglos mix Spanish and English playfully, the mix is not random. Repeatedly, people insert Spanish terms when they refer to attitudes or practices that conform to dominant stereotypes about Mexicans: for example, that they lack emotional control, are obsessed with vengeance and sex, and are poor, lazy, and violent, among others. This is not harmless linguistic play. Such patterns of speech reinforce our sense that these stereotypes are real.

Instead of closing your mind to this idea, why not practice some personal ethnography? The next time that you are tempted to imitate an accent or to creatively mix languages, ask yourself, "Why now?" For example, do you ever mix in Spanish terms to refer to "high" things - prestige attributes, such as a refined aesthetic sensibility, or are you more likely to insert a Spanish term to refer to "low" things, like cojones?

I'm all in favor of mixing it up, even while violating the "rules" of Spanish grammar. But, if you truly want to mix things up, why not talk about art with Spanish terms and testicles with French ones?

Tracy Duvall

Arizona State Museum

Survey incomplete

To the editor,

At the request of our Governor, a survey entitled the "Governor's Survey on Excellence" was recently conducted. The results (reported on 3/3/00 in the Daily Wildcat) would have the reader believe that overall UA employees are happy in their jobs.

Interestingly, however, a key question was omitted from this survey (especially as regards UA staff). The question might have asked: "Do you think you receive fair wages for performing your job?" Of course, the inclusion of such a question would have changed the nature of the survey to that exploring job satisfaction. Indeed, the Wildcat's subliner "Governor's survey evaluates job satisfaction" indicates that it is natural to assume that, at least in part, this was the mission of the survey.

I wonder why such a question was omitted from the survey, and I wonder even more to what use the results of this incomplete and misleading survey will be put by the Governor and State Legislature.

Raphael Gruener

Physiology department

College of Medicine