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Show ^=Your Opinion= MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2005 An open letter to the Utah County Legislative delegation Fundi • Joseph Vogel Vegor Pedersen Editor-in-Chief .,1 hope I am not imposing too much by writing you guys this letter, but llwas just hoping to take a minute Of your time. Seriously, if reading this is keeping you from other, more pressing issues, feel free to put this •side. • First of all I want to thank you guys for doing just a super job up jtiere in Salt Lake City representing all us folks down here in Utah County. We sure do appreciate all you do! ", Now I'll get ID the point imagine the country is a pretty big place, so I was kind of impressed by that. Second, we sure do love to pay tuition. In fact we pay a higher percentage of the cost of our education than any other school in the state. Cool huh? We also have a reputation for being really good at keeping class sizes small. That way we have more access to our wonderful instructors! Our professors don't mind teaching lots of classes, because I am certain they are bringing home big paychecks. When we aren't in class, most students have jobs all over Utah County. We work in call centers, and do phone surveys, and do technical support, and sell things to people over the phone. We love talking on the phone so much we practically do it for free! Now I have been hearing some rumors that you guys don't like us that of why I am The more I think about your decision ™ Tstuden! to punsih 24,000 students by not enm Utah valley dorsing their library plant the more it 5tate College, ** ' r perhaps you makes sense. Ifave heard of IK...gee I hope so. I want to tell you some things ffcout our school. ; ' First of all we are pretty big. In fact the other day I heard our president (a nice Swedish fellow by the liame of Sederburg) say we were the fS7th largest school in the country. I much. I am sure that isn't true. After all, we elected you to represent us. We are your friends and neighbors. Sometimes we sit next to you in church. I understand that you didn't like the idea of fighting for our new li- brary this year. I mean, we did kind of screw up and invite some guy you guys didn't like to talk to us. We're sorry. And I guess we shouldn't have had that phony gambling stuff at our AllNighter, Sure with the internet and indoor plumbing and what not, who needs some dusty old books? I mean besides the University of Utah who got their new library last year. Man, those guys at the U love their books! — we have it every year, and W e also have a reputation for be^thor^rh^nw ' n £ really good at keeping class sizes but i guess this small. That way we have more actime was just . « - too much. cess to our instructors. Our professors And i hear don't mjn<j teaching lots ofclasses, you didn't , , class think thatabout our home because I am certain they are bringing big paychecks. gay and lesbian literature was too cool. Now I also hear that you and your Again, I am really sorry. If it makes you feel any better, constituents aren't too fond that our most of our students don't like that president said he didn't want his stuff either. But they tolerate it be- school to be just like BYU. You'll cause, well...I guess because they have to forgive our Swedish friend. think college is going to have a little He comes from a state that separates bit of everything including some things like church and state and pubthings that not everyone is going to lic and private. I don't think he has learned the ropes here just yet. like. Speaking of your constituents, did Luckily the school instituted this whole "Freedom of Choice" thing a you know that someday we might while back. According to this policy, be your constituents too? Yep. Soon if you don't like certain things you we students ages 18 to 25 are go? don't have to do them. It has worked ing to ask for the right to vote, and wonders so far. I just wished they when we do who knows what kind would extend it to math classes. Just of crazy stuff we'll vote for. kidding-math is awesome! Finally I'd just like to once again You know, the more I think about thank you for watching out for our your decision to punish 24,000 stu- best interests. If I ever get the courdents by not endorsing their library age to drive up to Salt Lake City I plan, the more it makes sense. I might just stop by and see you. mean in today's fast paced world, Community Values . ; . Michael Palmer Contributing Opinion Writer y As a values-oriented student, and a member of The Community, I felt that President Sederburg's State of the College address was right on fArget (though significantly belated). Ifow long have we sat idly and allowed our values to deteriorate unijer false pretenses of 'academic intigrity' and 'academic credibility?" •iFor example, it was only the other dby when I mentioned to one professor of a literature class that it was inconsistent with the values of The Community to read someone with a ipame so absurd as 'Anzaldua' (who, for all we knew, might have been a homosexual), especially when most of the class was white. The professor could only stare at me blankly for a few minutes before finally saying something about the value of a spectral education. She obviously had the meaning of the word 'value' mixed up - not only did this propaganda not reflect the values of The Community, but teaching it was actually reverse discrimination - brainwashing us against our homogenous upbringing. Although we have a perfectly good example of how to pursue a more values-oriented pedagogy right down the road, we as Community members have for too long allowed ourselves to be pushed around by professors devoid of values - flown in daily from places like Massachu- viously displayed a grave case of misjudgment. Fortunately, outside pressures have finally exposed that statement, as ludicrous. The When*President Sederburg previously would b(] mentioned that he didn't want UVSC withhold funding to an already unto be another BYU, he obviously dis- der-funded school if it is going to upplayed a grave case of misjudgement. set The Community by, for instance, offering a Queer Litsetts, France, and Salt Lake City erature course. I have heard that with wholly subversive intent. not only is that course required by When President Sederburg previ- everyone school-wide, but also that ously mentioned that he didn't want it talks exclusively about literature, UVSC to be another BYU, he ob- and may not even discuss the crip- ;--'"iih Guest Opinion Writer wjfs^r1 ASUVSC Vice-President of Academic***; Affairs Fall 2004 ^J-"'- UVSC is currently faced very important, but difficult sion: What does it ultimately valuer; more, funding (from both donors ahH the state) or academic freedom?'Or;, to put it more concretely: Is it worths letting students invite a controversial"!'' speaker or write a book considering^ all that it -might cost the school ipof«: litically and financially? ">iM The response to these questidnsk is complicated. On the one hand;*' nearly everyone acknowledges tfrativ UVSC is a rapidly growing institu-rv tion that, is in dire need of both state r> and private support to accommodated its evolution into a comprehensive:/.' and respectable four-year university.^ UVSC is currently the least funded college in the state (by far), and> albs those who care about it would lovev. to see it obtain the money necescri sary foMhe proposed Digital Leanwli ing Center, Fine Arts Building, ami/ many other-important things. sljti The question is, at what cost? Ii> soap ideal world, donors and legislatocso! would recognize that one speaker OTV. book on'event doesn't define an enfiu (ire institution. That diversity and de-io j bate can-be positive and constructive/? on a college campus. They wouldn't:?" attach strings to their support-they . would realize all of the great things-n UVSC is doingj and not worry about'.; one speaker or event they happen ta-i disagree with or see as offensive,.es-:,-}' pecially when said speaker or evenCc is entirely optional. They would*c •realize that even though they, hav&n Strongicortfactionsnand. perspectives , on things, others might see the world! J 9 little differently, and they would aMi \o\v not-just the majority, but minorien, ties also to enjoy representation, znrfi This ideal, however, is not the reality. The reality is that certain donors -5 nd legislators are still upset at the : pling potential:gay marriage coukfc; have on society.. ' .M!C After the announcement of thai Queer ^Theory- class I heard Seairf, Hannity offered to fly in free 'jotfi,, charge-and.talk : to the student bodi/{ in an effort to ensure balance. :'oy. 1 As,for "The (expletive) Modrot loguesj; I have noticed through) reading-;part of one excerpt that;itf? addition to having such a vulgaSnlikJ tie, many : of the topics talked aboutu are unpleasant and, thus, inappropri^i ate. ; ;j. .-lv< It is-'important that we keep Ouni (by 'Our'' I naturally refer to Tbei Community; that is: those who un'wderstand the potential dangers of] higher education when not tightly Restoration of the American dream: a justification for Co Jonathan Mayne Contributing Opinion Writer •J: Inspired by the recent State of 0ie Union Address and Presidential Inauguration and motivated by the Usual attacks on conservatism in ||ie classrooms and in our beloved school newspaper, I gladly offer tJVSC students a justification for ifieir beliefs so as to avoid indoctrination. Seeing a need for more diverse thought within the academic Setting, I hereby declare that it is not «fhly acceptable to be conservative, bjit that it is preferable. »•• Yes, you conservative "huddling glasses yearning to breathe free" there are valid capitalistic ideas; for every Karl Marx there is an Adam Smith. And despite recent attempts Id compare Jesus of Nazareth to Che Guevara, we remain smart enough to distinguish between deity and militant communist terrorists. In the meantime you can find joy in the frustration of your professors shown in the classroom and in the new cozy faculty corner in this 'student' run newspaper. Their liberal progressivism will continue the tax policy to a flat tax or even a nation-wide sales tax as opposed to the current and progressive payroll tax is not the status quo! The expansion of freedom and democracy to people who do not have it is not the status quo! attempting to de- Conservatism has answers for the fine conservatism . , ~. . . . as the ideology pfoblem of hopelessness in proposed that strives to re- changes that look to the future rather sist change or go backwards, an than the past or present idea that is ignorant in contemporary politics. Modern conservatives embrace change The minimizing of bureaucracy but strive to conserve only the ideals by eliminating existing government of justice, freedom, and hope (ideals sponsored programs is not the status worthy of preservation). quo! The conservative ideal of changing Conservatives and liberal pro- gressives like Cornel West can agree on the problems that challenge the American dream, a dream which may seem implausible to the poor in America that continually stay below the poverty level. West credits nihilism or extreme hopelessness as the reason for this perpetual culture of poverty. Such a lack of hope among the poor was caused by past liberal policies such as housing projects, which have placed all the poor in isolation in run-down homes where these victims of poverty can wallow together in their common void of hope and where life affirming and career building skills have been absent. One will not achieve one's dream in life if one is not equipped with the tools to seek after one's dream. Thankfully, conservatism has answers for the problem of hopeless- ness in proposed changes that loakiJ to the future rather than the past.ore p r e s e n t . •':•• . : i»nr> The radical proposals of schoolu vouchers for inner city children thato would allow them to attend the sameo institutions as a senator's son, alongvi side more faith based community programs that ;place an emphasreis' on education and careerism, woulp'o provide the necessary tools for them/ to feel empowered enough to seekn after the American dream. -no Gnce again such an idea is not theij status quo! • H> Contemporary liberalism abanf'i dons meritocracy (a system inn which wealth is earned primarily, by one's own work/merits). Progress sive thought says to Americans thatii they need not seek nor work towards!* a dream. Instead mediocrity wilbbeii fostered as shown in the well-inten&t |
