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Letters to the Editor

Math tutoring a necessity

To the editor,

I am writing because I recently heard some troubling news. Apparently the lower division mathematics tutoring may not be offered by the math department any longer. I was told that this decision was made by the administration because they need the space. Let's get reasonable here, people. I know we are a research university, so what's the big deal about actually educating anyway? Well, the big deal is there are people here who are struggling with their classes, and all it takes in most cases is a little boost from those of us who can help them. In my opinion, the more people we help become A students the better. Just because a lot of people get A's does not necessarily mean that the grading is too lax, but maybe the teaching is effective. We're all here to learn, not to be told we can't be helped and that if we don't understand something we should just give up.

Tristan Smith

Mathematics senior

Museum has long tradition

To the editor,

Phil Villarreal's point on April 17 about Arizona State Museum (ASM) sounding like it belongs on the campus of that other university in Tempe is well taken. Indeed the name is a bit misleading but through a happy accident of history, ASM is firmly and proudly rooted at the University of Arizona.

ASM is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest. It is also one of the oldest research units at the UA. The museum was established in 1893 by Arizona's Territorial Legislature and was put on the campus of the only existing university at the time - the University of Arizona (est.1885). Then the museum's name was Arizona Territorial Museum. When Arizona became a state in 1912 the name changed to Arizona State Museum. It is the state's official museum and a state institution in its own right. We issue permits for archaeological activity on state trust lands and are the official repository for the objects that are excavated. Over the past 107 years this museum has earned a world-class reputation in anthropological research, artifact curation, and public education.

Many aspects of the collections are unparalleled by any other anthropology museum in the world. As a matter of fact, 20,000 of our whole vessels were recently recognized by the White House Millennium Project and designated as an Official Project of Save America's treasures. This is an enormous honor for the museum and for the university. I invite Mr. Villarreal and all members of the UA community to visit the museum and view highlights from the collection, currently on display in the north building.

I hope you will all join me in taking pride in our state museum.

George J. Gumerman

Arizona State Museum Director

Recycling hoax

To the editor,

Having been a "recycler" all my life,* I am very interested in Tucson's/Pima County's being environmentally responsible.

A $140,000 yearly return on a $1.6 million program is a start, but is hardly economically viable. (I realize, of course, that reuse of materials is market-driven.)

It is the symbolism that is important.

However, consider this hoax being perpetrated on Pima County residents who recycle their used materials at the Catalina transfer station or the Tangerine landfill: Paper, plastic, glass, and cardboard, diligently separated by environmentally concerned citizens, are all being put into the Tangerine Road landfill! (Apparently, only metal and aluminum are being recycled, and the tires are being disposed of.)

Furthermore, there is no staffing at the Catalina transfer station collection booth on weekends, and there is no sticker system to identify Pima County residents from Pinal County residents - Oracle, etc.

The Board of Supervisors only learned of this deception last week

Starting as an 8-year-old child, I collected milk pods for flotation devices for downed airmen and sailors during World War II, and we also picked up every piece of tin foil, steel, iron, paper, cardboard, and glass for the war effort.

Samuel Winchester Morey

Tucsonan