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Letters to the Editor

To the editor,

I guess I am missing the appeal of the current UA fundraiser, "Lame for a Game". This event is supposed to promote awareness of the abilities and potentials of the physically challenged, right? Also, in doing so, this is supposed to decrease the amount of intolerance and discrimination aimed at this group of individuals. So, why are its participants being referred to as "Lame"? This is ridiculous! I am just wondering if anyone else thinks that this is unbelievable.

April Burch

Ph.D. candidate

Veterinary science and microbiology

Restructuring takes time

To the editor,

Thank you for your editorial on ASUA restructuring. This is a project that Senator Quintero and I have been working on all year. However, I detected a hint of dissatisfaction in your article about the pace at which we are moving things along and amazement that we "didn't ... think of this last semester." Senate restructuring is a big deal. I'm completely in favor of changing the representation so that the undergraduates on campus are better represented, but not all of the senate feels that changing the structure is necessary to improve representation on campus.

Other senators disagree on the best way to implement this plan, as evidenced by the large number of proposals before the student body. It's taking a long time because everyone feels that their opinions should be heard at every step of the process, and input is not an element that I would wish to skip.

Every one of us is attempting to live up to the promises we made a year ago (made fresh in our minds by the recent elections) about being more responsive and accountable to the student body, and surveying is one way to do this. And, in fact, we did take a survey of about 200 students last semester. This survey is merely an expansion of last semester's project.

Jumping into such a significant constitutional change without the proper research would be foolish, and I would rather err on the side of caution than do something to permanently damage the structure of ASUA. However, students should know that they don't need to fill out a survey to get their opinions heard. If anyone feels strongly about this issue, I recommend that they contact Senator Quintero or myself at 621-6635. We would be happy to discuss this or any issue with members of the university community.

Julie Burkhart

ASUA Senator

Business college class sizes

To the editor,

Last month, the students who were preparing to apply to the Eller College of Business and Public Administration were told of the new "cohort" class system which will be instituted next semester. The program, which greatly limits the student's ability to pick and choose his or her own classes and increases the majority of the classes we will be taking next semester to about 200 people, was brought about as a result of the decreasing business faculty size and increasing business student population. Rather than taking the logical route and changing the requirements for application and acceptance to the Eller College in an attempt to decrease the class sizes, the minds that be somehow came to the conclusion that continuing the general education's class tradition of having professors that don't even know you by name is the best way to go. I do not agree. I feel the quality of education that will result from this is going to end up being an absolute joke, and the idea that the people behind this new program can't see that this will happen makes me realize just how out of touch with the actual class room experience these people really are. I came here to the UA to get a business degree. I still am going to do that. But I am afraid that as a result of the these new changes, I will not be getting the best education possible, and that is something that I am not going to be alone in thinking. Perhaps the decision makers should realize what exactly the purpose of a university is. It is not to fit as many people into a classroom as possible. It is not to make sure that people's feelings don't get hurt because they do not have the drive to meet more strict requirements. The purpose of a university is to provide the best education possible to the students that deserve it. They should try to remember that.

Christopher Satchell

Accounting and finance sophomore