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Show Monday, March 7,2005 Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Natalie Clemens VIEWPOINT Phone: 626-7121 (TAUAPA OPT5 QUT OP V.S,(Al55lL£ \jJlUb0 IT AU>fj£ IT-' IT'5 ASHOOTINO Students AWOL from campus life What do these names have in common? Bill Murray, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Farley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jeremy Piven, George Wendt, John Candy and Tim Meadows. Give up? Each of these actors got their start in a touring improvisational comedy group known as "Second City." This troupe continues to feed actors such as those listed above to the popular late night shows such as Saturday Night Live and Mad TV. Tickets to see the group begin at $25, and in Chicago, you might wait months to land a pair. At Weber State University, students could score tickets for the "steep" price of $1, and get seats right up front! Out of approximately 18,000 students, only about a hundred took the chance to be entertained by this talented group. A great opportunity was missed by many. The question is: Where was everyone? WSU is often referred to as a commuter campus. Students often live in off-campus housing, or at home with their parents, and this fact is used as an excuse for poor turnout at many WSU events. Perhaps these students miss activities due to the commute to the school from neighboring cities, or perhaps they are too busy watching "The OC" or playing XBox. The truth is, most commuting students live less than 20 miles away from WSU, and the excuse of distance is weak at best. In addition to the large number of commuting students, more than 40 percent of the student body are nontraditional students. These students make an appearance often only at an event specifically sponsored by the nontraditional students. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for students at WSU is their employment. Only 10 percent of the enrolled student body is unemployed, and this might be the biggest reason student involvement is often lacking. Whatever the reason, missing out on the fun activities (and even the lame ones) robs students of college experiences that could become favorite memories of student life. A lot of effort is often employed in providing fun activities for students to take advantage of. Stop using excuses to avoid these events; check the Calendar page of The Signpost or the online campus calendar available on WSU's Web site. Get involved; it's easy! All you have to do is attend. - The Signpost Editorial Board _<- ^ ^ # weDerataie university- "Signpost Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Sports Editor Copy Editor Features Editor Entertainment Editor Business Editor Photo Editor Graphics Editor Online Editor Advertising Manager Office Manager Advisior Distribution Publisher Signpost Fax Natalie Clemens Maria Villasenor Heather Hunt-Wood Jon Nelson William Hampton Roy Pyatt Becky Palmer Candice Dallin Mo Williams Samuel T. Piatt Nick Litster Devon Crus Georgia Edwards Allison Hess William Hampton Dr. Randy Scott 626-7121 626-7614 626-7655 626-7983 626-7659 626-7621 626-7105 626-7624 626-6358 626-7661 626-6358 626-6359 626-7974 626-7499 626-7974 626-6464 626-7401 The Signpost is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the semester. Subscription is $9 a semester. The first copy of The Signpost is free, each additional copy is $.50. • The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees partially fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. • The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include name, address, telephone number and the writer's signature. Anonymous letters will not be printed. • The Signpost reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Bring letters to the editorial office in SUB 267, mail to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408-2110. Attn: Editor in Chief, email theslgnpost@weber.edu Letters to the Editor Student government not about tuition waiver As I walked through the halls of the Social Science Building this week I saw an advertisement forstudent government: "In Student Government Money Really Does." I am assuming the end statement would be "grow on trees." I am disappointed to see that running for student government has been reduced to a monetary issue. Getting your tuition paid for by being a student representative is a perk, not the purpose for getting involved. I ran last year for social science senator because I felt that there were issues in the college that were not being adequately addressed by the university, not for the tuition waiver. I understood that the waiver was in place as a payment for the large time commitment that is associated with that position. Nowhere in this year's -advertisement has this been the focus. I would hope that those students currently in student government are not there for the money, rather for the purpose of helping their fellow students. I would encourage all those considering running this year to do it not for the money, but for the purpose of getting involved, representing your fellow students, and making Weber State a better place. It is scary when universitylevel elections reflect those of national, all for the money. Perhaps we are just training future politicians. *"'" ' * - Rebecca Ciccone WSU student Constitution upheld even if city takes homes for Wal-Mart The persons who took part in the political activity on Presidents Day at 22nd and Wall Avenue are participants of political action concerned that our unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are being destroyed by the Redevelopment Agency, a secret form of government that is a destructive force of our American democratic society. I fully support the tremendous work and dedication and political action of Dorothy Littrell, except for her concern that if the U.S. Supreme Court does not rule in her favor, we no longer have the form of government as declared by the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The U.S. Supreme Court is the 'rule of the land,' whichever way the court decides to rule. Besides, if the average person does not vote on election day then certain groups will steer our democratic form of government toward their own agenda. - JakeTrujillo WSU alumnus '24' distinguishes Arabs, terrorists Regarding lack Shaheen's "Network TV demonizes American Arabs" article: I can't speak for most of the shows lack named, but I can speak for "24." Shaheen says, "Now, '24' is rehashing the same biased plot - American Muslims out to nuke our country." • The characters in question - Navi and Dina Araz, Habib Marwan, etc. - snuck into America five years prior to this season's events, and have been planning their attack for even longer than that. "24" is not saying "American Muslims are like this." "24" is saying "Terrorists are like this." And for the purposes of a fictional action/drama show about a guy who fights terrorists, I don't think that's an unreasonable storyline or an indication of racism. "24" has not, many way, implied that your average everyday Arab American is a threat But the show is about stopping terrorism, and like it or not, there are Arab terrorists in the world. There are also American terrorists, European terrorists, and Mexican terrorists, all of whom have been villains over the various seasons of "24." Terrorists come in all flavors, and "24" reflects that. Sometimes lack Bauer, the show's protagonist, battles Mexican drug lords, other times American oil contractors, and yes, sometimes Arab terrorists who sneak into America to nuke us. But I have yet to see "24" suggest that Arab terrorists who sneak into America are accurate reflections of Arab Americans. - Christopher Becker WSU student |