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Show A8 opinion/ MONDAY-AUGUST 22*2005 Joe's letter/ thoughts The complexity of chivary Dear Editor, Welcome to the new Opinions page! My name is Joe Vogel (yes, the Joe Vogel who created an uproar last year for inviting a filmmaker guilty of being fat, unshaven, and unobjective and survived to tell the story). As a brief introduction, I'm a senior, I'm an English major, and I consider myself neither conservative nor liberal (more on that later). I also believe BYU football has a chance to go undefeated this year (bold, I know, but watch and see). Anyway, barring any unforeseen recall, lawsuit,, lucrative bribe, or death threat— • -or maybe in spite of all these things—I'll be the editor for this page throughout the year. I'll also try to discipline myself to write this column at least every other week. I know, I know-you want to congratulate me on its brilliant name (Joe's Thoughts)what can I say, it came in a flash of inspiration and immediately blew away the corny, play-on-word competition. I have great dreams for this page—dreams of awakening students from mindless apathy, of showing that there is more to think about than the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, of opening minds to new ideas, new thoughts, new perspectives, of eliminating the requirement of Math 1050...(hey, I'm just saying if we're trying to be like BYU...). With these noble goals in mind, however, just getting people to read the page will suffice to start. Responses would be even better. If you have something to say about anything you read ,(which I'm sure you will), if you feel like strangling the person who wrote it for their ignorance and bias, take the non-violent approach and write a letter. Actually, it's even easier than that—just email it to me at uvscopinions@hotmail.com. As a matter of clarification, I won't personally agree with everything put on the page. I will however, try to keep things balanced. This partially depends on you, the readers, though. If you feel the page is too "liberal," write in something "conservative." If you fee] the page is too "crappy and boring," write me something "not crappy and boring." You get the point. Well, it's good to be back, isn't it? Walking down the Hall of Flags again, seeing all the freshmen with their fresh-ripped jeans and orange tans (hey, it was cool in high school, and that was just last year), seeing the Nooners walk out of the gym in all their white-fleshed, sweaty glory, and professors in their rolled up jeans and PF Flyers. Best of all we get our syllabi (no, that's not a math term). So enjoy the first week. And if nothing else, take heart in looking forward to this column next week, when I'll be writing about "What I learned over the summer from CNN." You'll be amazed. I recently read an article on the sexist insinuations resulting from chivalrous acts, written by John Ditzler. Well Jonny, I hope you are already married. From the perspective of a woman, chivalry is a little more complex than opening a door or paying for a value meal at Wendy's. John, this door opening thing is not because you think that women can't, it is a sign of respect and being courteous. We, as women, have no problem and are quite capable of opening our own doors. What do you think that we do when you are not around? The action is not an act of chivalry, it is the attitude and intention behind the act that is chivalrous. The dictionary defines chivalry as "gallantry toward women" or "polite attentiveness to women." Chivalry was a code implemented by knights; it was a code of morals and ideals of the way women should be treated. John, they did not go around complaining about opening a door or paying for a meal. Their actions were chivalrous, in that they did it with no regard of themselves. John, your title was "Sometimes Chivalry is Sexist," but then you argue in extremes. How is chivalry sometimes sexist? Is it because nobody opens the door for you? Today women are not expecting you, as men, to spread your coat over a puddle as we cross, or even expect "coddling" as you called it. Bottom line is that YOU, my dear John, are lazy. By claiming Title 9 for dating, you get out of simple acts of etiquette. What would your mother think? Chantel Crosby Entertaining misguided opinion Dear Editor, In the August 1 edition of the College Times John Ditzler wrote an entertainingly misguided opinion on chivalry. For the most part it seemed to be an attempt to get a rise out of the sleepy, conservative community of UVSC. At other times it appeared that John was masking his concern for his own pocketbook by taking the principled stance on how sexist the practice of chivalry really was. Still, my main concern about his article was the inaccuracies. He wrote that chivalry was a "reminder of a day when women did not enjoy the same full rights as today." That it came from a time "when women were not allowed educations, were denied the right to vote, seek employment, or own property." It is true chivalry came from a time women had fewer rights—but so did men. The average woman was not allowed an education (there were exceptions). But the average man was denied an education, too. Women could not vote, but they were in the same boat as men for Europe was in a Feudal state which is not much of a Democracy. Women could seek employment - true they were limited in what they could do - but the blanket statement that they could not seek employment is simply false. In some places women could own property. In my humble opinion it would be wise to do a little research before sticking your foot into your mouth. Matthew Scott Richardson Provo Chivalry makes a man attractive Dear Editor, This is a response to an article titled, "Is chivalry sometimes sexist?" I happen to think that chivalry in a man is very attractive. I never feel like a "weak mousy woman" when my date opens the door for me or helps me out of a car. I feel cared for and respected. As far as who pays for the date, I think it's always nice when the guy offers, but sometimes couples should consider splitting the cost, "You can pay for dinner, but I'm paying for dessert." But why do dates need to cost money? There are so many things you can do that do not require any money at all. Anyone with even the slightest creativity can think of at least one date that does not require money. Honestly, all we really want is to have fun! REALISTIC women don't need roses and a fancy candlelit dinner to have a good time; we just need a nice guy! Amanda Seymour Elementary Education major Orem LETTERS TO THE EDITOR * E-Mail tetters to uvscopinions@hotmail.com " The NetXNews room is located on campus in SC220, * All letters become property of NetXNews and may be edited lor content, specifically clarity, length or other concerns at the discretion of the Opinions Editor. * Letters between 50-250 words are encouraged and those letters marked by their succinctness are more likely to be published. * Letters must be accompanied by full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes (contact information will not be published). Occupation, title or major is optional. Opinions Desk (801)863-8617 our per/pective The good, the bad, and the woeful of the new UVSC So here we are, back on campus for Fall 2005, and we thought it would be good to take this space to examine some new aspects—the good, the bad, and the woeful— of the latest edition of UVSC. Since we are a positive newspaper, and believe wholeheartedly in positivity, let's start with the positive. The #1 new thing everyone has surely noticed on campus is the beautiful new baseball field. Where last year there were cranes, dust and construction workers, there is now what has to be considered one of the finest baseball stadiums in the state. "If you build it, they will come," said the prophetic voice in Field of Dreams, and boy was it right. An average of 2100 people a night have come to see the Orem Owlz (almost a thousand more than BYU gets), and thousands of others have driven by, and been amazed at the majestic, light-enshrined, crowd-packed, mountainframed scene. UVSC couldn't ask for better publicity. There it is, right off the freeway and probably the busiest exit in Utah County, in all its nostalgic, American-past time glory. If you haven't been to a game yet, check one out. They're still playing until mid-September. The second good thing about the new UVSC also has to do with sports. In case you missed it, former Utah Valley State basketball star Ronnie Price was signed by the Sacramento Kings to a two-year guaranteed contract. Head Coach Rick Adelman-was very impressed with the 6'2" guard, and it seems likely he could earn playing time this year as backup point guard behind allstar Mike Bibby. Once again, as UVSC is making the difficult transition into Division 1 athletics, and will soon become a fullfledged university, Price's entrance into the NBA is yet another excellent opportunity to earn national recognition and respect. Congratulations to Ronnie Price for leading the way and opening doors for athletes to come. Finally, for the positive, UVSC looks ready to add yet another minor to its growing list of progfams-this one in Religious Studies. What makes this especially signifi- cant is that surprisingly, Utah Valley State, is currently the only college in Utah with a Religious Studies program. Sound strange? Well, it is, but it's true. There is a distinction, of course, between religious worship (as in, institute, church, or devotional-style classes), and study. UVSC is paving the way in the serious study of religion in a state considered the perfect laboratory for its research and exploration. And now for the bad. Have you noticed the sudden drop in scholarships available at UVSC? Well, if you're a freshman, probably not, because they're all coming your way. For continuing students, however, they have seemingly disappeared. Students with high GPAs, who have contributed a great deal to UVSC are being forced, in some cases, elsewhere for their final year or two to avoid high and unnecessary tuition costs. Does administration not see the ridiculousness of this decision? Sure, you want to attract new, quality students, but what about maintaining the ones you have? If someone loses their scholarship and transfers to BYU, guess who gets credit for their graduation? And guess where the alumni checks are most likely going? Centralizing scholarships also seems to be a poor decision. GPA (especially high school GPA) hardly determines a student's academic ability and potential. What taking away most departmental scholarships does, in reality, is take away scholarships from some of the best students at UVSC, and instead throws them at unproven freshmen, who can simply take their year or two of free education and leave. UVSC needs to seriously rethink what it's doing with scholarships. Finally, the woeful: UV Link. Remember the days when you could register and see your classes in perfectly organized blocks, on one easily printable page. It was as pretty as a Stephen Covey planner. Those days are gone. UV Link, people keep preaching, is ultimately going to be much better than OnAccess, but that day has yet to arrive. Right now, not only is it not as user-friendly, it's downright awful. If registration is low this fall, I blame it on UV Link. Student Soap Box The misconceived debate over community values The present completely misnamed debate o ver"community values vs. academic freedom" has really left me wondering what "values of the community" should be taught here at Utah Valley State. Should we teach LDS values? The majority of the local community claims to be LDS. This seems to be what the community is asking for. But does the community really hold LDS values? Christ said "by their fruits shall ye know them" so I came up with a few topics that might more closely reflect community values. Instead of inviting an overweight filmmaker with a flare for fabrication to speak to throngs of Philosophy and English literature students, that money could have been spent on a speaker more in line with community values. A lawyer could have been hired to give a lecture on bankruptcy entitled, "Chapter 8, your latter out of the hole you dug yourself," Bankruptcy is of course not an LDS value-after all, the LDS prophet has instructed the members of the church to only go into debt for Visit us online at www.netxnews.net school and home. Bankruptcy is, however, a local value. The state of Utah has been in the top 5 states for bankruptcy since the year 2000, and has been the #1 state a few times. Is this one of the "values" the community wants taught? Instead of Queer Theory, an English literature class, the English department could have more closely matched community values by offering a class titled, "Stop Her Sassing You: Back of the Hand Etiquette," or "'No' means 'just this once.'" Or my personal favorite: "Spare the Fist, Spoil the Four-year-old." ' Domestic abuse is by no means a value of the LDS church; the LDS prophet has said any man who abuses his wife or children is unworthy to hold the priesthood (therefore unworthy of heaven). It is, however, a local value. Utah has the highest rates of spousal and child abuse in all the Rocky Mountain States. Utah Valley leads the state in domestic abuse. Are these the values the community wants taught? "But wait!" you say. "It's not fair to say that a few bad eggs represent the values of an entire community!" You're right, and previous sarcasm aside, it's not fair. Nor is it fair for the community to judge all the students of this institution because a professor claims Mosiah is justification for communism (as though asking the hard working and productive to care for the poor and lazy is the same thing as using the enforcement power of the government to steal from the hardworking and productive). As I said earlier, the community has the right to complain and withhold financial support, but those rights apply to us too. We can complain that we are being labeled for the actions of others; we can become indignant at being told we don't live up to values we agree with; and if we become offended enough we can take our diplomas and earning potential to another state where our productivity will benefit others. -Andrew Tracy Send story Ideas to* frfccopinfons@hotmail.com |