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Show 4 Tuesday April 22, 2014 OPINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com Smokers should take 'noxious cloud' away from the doors Gmer ► 4ri To CIAS% 3usgr -nom Sihrats as imr ua ►s.• 1 %41T ARASH TADJIKI/The Daily Utah Chronicle ANDREW SZUHAY T Columnist here is something happening on campus that seems to be spreading rampantly anywhere and everywhere. Smoking is a part of daily life here on campus, and whether one partakes of it or not, it will likely be encountered at some point during the day. But smoking itself is not the issue. Some smokers have taken it upon themselves to adopt a rebellious spirit and smoke wherever they see fit, including right smack next to doors. It was once just one or two lone mavericks, too cool to smoke away from the school (or any other building, for that matter). But now it seems to be a fad among smokers, and one needs only to travel to the Peterson Heritage Center for an evening dinner to see that it is indeed the case. The problem here, folks, is that the amount of people who smoke next to building entrances is just too high. In the flow of foot traffic, one might have come across a few of these fine individuals socializing with others who enjoy a quick smoke, unaware that their carcinogenic clouds tend to get caught in the jet stream that perpetually moves through the doorway and goes straight into the lungs of the unsuspecting innocents eating or studying within. Perhaps the reader has had the great privilege, upon exiting the Heritage Center or the Marriott Library, of accidentally bump- LETTER TO THE EDITOR `A name no one can take from us' Editor, I minored in journalism at Utah years ago. We were taught that if you say too much, no one will pay attention to you. But there is so much more to say. I have come to believe that only when there is an understanding of a culture can anyone even try to understand. I think this is true for most Native Americans, but I can at least speak for the Ute nation. As children, we are warned over and over to remain silent until hearing all the facts. That tradition tends to make native people very slow to speak. As part of that culture it was my work to find out who was objecting to the Ute name at the U. I called chiefs, councilmen and other leaders to see where this was coming from before I spoke out. I found no one at all. But they all thought somebody must be, so they went along. I then asked them to ask around. They did. Together we found no one at all, but all were ready to try and please whoever was. We have come to believe that the idea that we are offended has come from people who don't know us — outsiders! So why write and speak up? It is my partwhite heritage that might let me. Therefore, the councilmen have now asked me to speak for them since they are not comfortable doing it themselves. Media shyness is a true native trait, believe me. I want only to deal with truth and let that speak. When the early settlers came here, the English speakers wrote down this place as `Uta: But to make the pronunciation correct, the 'all' had to be added. Thus with `Ut' meaning mountains, pronounced `Ute' to make the U long and the 'e' silent, and `a' as place (pronounced 'all') we have our home — Utah — meaning "the mountain place." So if this state wants to be named in our language, then do we get rid of that too because fools think others are offended? And as long as it is OK to use the native name of Utah, then why not continue to use the native names? Nobody knows where people became 'Utahns: As long as we are staying with native respect, what do you call someone from the mountains in the native form? Yeah — you are a Ute, and the only way to say it right is to add the 'e' on the end to make the U vowel long. So anyone living in Utah is a Ute, and not a Utahn, because in the native language you just called yourself a "mountain place" and not a person. As long as this state wants to call itself Utah, then the rest is automatic. Everyone is a Ute. And students, athletes, faculty or anyone else who attends the U is a `Ute,' like it or not. Any other name is an insult to native people. Outsiders again, out of place in their uneducated ways. It is the same mistake in North and South Dakota. There is no such place! The native people living there are not Sioux. Nobody knows where that spelling came from either — it is pronounced `soo: The people are Kotas, which translated into English means 'people.' Because the French came there long ago, the 'la' for 'the' got added to make LaKota. When asked what the name of the land was, they got 'Soo' — which is the word for the plains or 'flat place.' So what did the invaders do? Called the place `the people' — pronouncing that wrong into Dakota, then wrongly naming the people 'flat place' which now they are — Sioux. What a total insult! There is great pride in one state having it right among native people in America. That is Utah. And we the people who live here are Utes, period! Change that, and maybe we will all get together in the courts and force the name "Utah" to be dropped. And while we are at it, get rid of the DaKotas too! Then rename the place Soo, which is the right native word for the plains. The location of our land is also much larger than state boundaries. The Ute nation includes Shoshonis, Nez Perce, Bannocks and more. Some kept part of the land in the name. We are Paiutes, Goshutes and just Utes. It tells where we come from. My Southern Ute headquarters is in Ignacio, Colo. No bother. We still identify with the U as our own because it has our name. And we are still all Utes even if we live in Colorado. How about that? NucWemia Mia Member, Ute Indian Tribe Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@chronicle.utah.edu . Letters should be fewer than 350 words and must include the writer's name. Letters from students should also include the writer's major and year in school. Letters from U faculty and staff should include department and title. Letters from alumni should include the year the writer graduated. All other letters must include the sender's name and city of residence. All letters become property of The Daily Utah Chronicle and may be edited for style, length and content. ing one of these mobile smokestacks who decided to have a quick, foggy sojourn by the door handle. The sight of someone smoking that close to a heavy door in a busy entrance evokes a blindfolded Looney Tunes character, who, aware the worst is coming, lights one up and enjoys the smoky pleasures one last time. All hyperbole aside, this is a serious problem that poses health and even legal concerns. A number of second-hand chemicals assault the lungs of everyone who uses these entrances, which are daily besieged by this inconsiderate act. Beyond that, it is noteworthy to consider the legal repercussions. According to TobaccoFreeUtah.org, under the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act, persons are prohibited from smoking within 25 feet of an entrance, open window or any other source of air for the building. Therefore, outside of being just plain rude, these people are actually in contempt of a state law designed to keep the indoors free of their chemical warfare. The price of breaking this law? A fine up to $100 may be issued. I don't know why people feel the need to grace our campus' doorways with their exhaust, but it is extremely irresponsible and inconsiderate toward those who simply wish to enter and exit buildings unmolested by a noxious cloud of death. This is the cold, blunt truth of the matter. This is not a declaration of war on smoking, nor should it spark a vendetta against it. By all means, smoke until your heart is content. After all, it is a luxury in which many people have chosen to indulge for hundreds of years. But please, be considerate of others when doing so, and obey the laws designed to promote the health of the people. There is no need to practically stand in the doorway when smoking — not everyone enjoys a cigarette. letters@chronicle.utah.edu U.S. needs to become more inclusive Gender binary invalidates other identities ‘4000 1 011101 000 011101k 0 1 1 1 01 101000 01100101 00100000 0110010 iio®i 000 0111001 1110111 111010€ -111001T 01001000 01101110 00011101 01110100 0111 (Ai cie 1 • 11 M1 a!1 0110 011 011 "' - 401/001 00101 11r 11 eliPP e • 001 • 101 • 000 '000 0000 0010 00eeirioe 011100 010010011101 01100 GENDER IS' NOT BINARY LYNDSAY SCHURING/The Daily Utah Chronicle GEORGIE ZAMANTAKIS Columnist T o many Americans, sex and gender exist within a binary system — man and wornan. This idea of a binary is a lie, as any gender studies student, social justice advocate or gender-nonconforming individual will tell you. Outside of simple 'man and woman' exists a plethora of sexes and genders, including genderqueer, agender, third gender, fourth gender, hijra, two-spirit, intergender, intersex, bigender and demigender. People who identify outside of the binary face constant discrimination and invalidation. Seek out a passport, and you'll be asked if you are a man or woman. An application for a driver's license, university education or even a day at a go-kart track asks if you are a man or a woman. At birth, you are assigned man or woman by parents and doctors. People who are intersex know this better than anyone. If your genitals are too large (for women) or too small (for men), surgery is performed to assign a clear sex at birth — because waiting for you to figure out who you are would just be too difficult for parents, teachers and doctors. Recently in India, a victory for non-binary individuals was won as the Indian Supreme Court ruled in a decision to recognize third gender individuals on official documents as living, valid and equal human beings. According to the BBC, Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan said, "Recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue." And human rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi said, "Today I feel a proud citizen of India. This verdict has come as a great relief for all of us ... Today my sisters and I feel like real Indians, and we feel so proud because of the rights granted to us by the Supreme Court." Every day, individuals outside of the gender binary are faced with exclusions in housing, bathrooms and employment. To be recognized as who you are is an incredible feeling for those whose identities have constantly been invalidated. According to RT, Nepal, Australia, Germany and New Zealand all allow a third-gender identification similar to India's. Global Voices reported in November 2013 that "Hijras, a South Asian feminine gender identity ... will now be considered as a separate gender in Bangladesh." At the same time, The Guardian reported that Germany began to recognize intersex individuals in addition to men and women. Alongside the boxes "M" and "F," there should be "X." It is time the antiquated notion that humans can only be both men or women is dissolved. For years, this country has seen the courage in individuals as they have come out and embraced an identity outside of the binary. These same individuals fight daily for safety and recognition. How much longer will it take for "M" and "F" to be accompanied by a multitude of other letters recognizing the beautiful diversity of humanity? letters@chronicle.utah.edu |