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Show Cfcrailclt It" m Education cute further blot Legislature's image Chronicle Editorial and colleges with minimal funding for badly needed programs. One of the most beneficial programs to stumost public figures have image dents, Urgent Student Support (USS), was cut much are new clothes, they buy by $1,367,800. USS takes the annual percentage friendlier to the public, or even donate to a increase in tuition that each student pays at each college and gives it back to individual charity or two. When the Utah State Legislature has an image institutions. That money is then used to fund problem, it makes the situation worse by screw- financial aid services, academic counseling and ing over higher education and other programs libraries. The Legislature also cut student Financial receiving public funding which have been even lawmakers. this All Aid from $668,900 to $302,800. repeatedly ignored by funds. has of Utah a And what can Utahns expect from all this though surplus For the 1994-9- 5 year, higher education scrimping and saving? Cuts in sales and properreceived 15.4 percent of the total state budget in ty taxes. new monies. This is a significant decrease from While the idea of paying less taxes is appeal17.5 percent, which higher education received ing, cutting taxes now could have serious conin 1993. Even though the state now has add- sequences in the long run, especially if higher itional funding to make up for where it's education continues to be ignored. Without the additional funding, institutions scrimped in past years because of lack of funds, the Legislature has left state funded universities of higher education will have to continue rais Mhen ing tuition, which could lead to repercussions for students who must work to pay for college. As the University of Utah is a campus full ofl students, many of them attend because they have to work full U. time the part non-tradition- al time. Tuition increases mean many students will have to work more hours to take as many classes. In turn, it will take longer for these stu dents to graduate, leading to overpopulation of an already overpopulated campus. As USS has been cut, students can also expect fewer student services, services badly needed on a campus where many students feel more like numbers than individuals. If the Legislature really wants to change its image, why not fund programs that need it instead of cutting taxes to boost legislators' chances for reelection? It makes everything legislators do seem selfishly motivated. But, then again, maybe that's the public image they want. The Chronicle is an independent student newspaper. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of the Editorial Board Letters Farnsworth's point true COULD BE VtoRSE... TRYING To SELL UIS i J Editor: am responding to Ruth Ann Farnsworth's March 1 article, "Sedentary life lends truth to 'fat American' stereotype." Thank you, Ruth Ann Farnsworth! Your perceptive article undeniably lends truth to the lack of physical activity we face as Americans. I once had the luxury of having my own transportation to the U. and to my place of work, and it was very convenient, though very costly (they are common allies). Now that my faithful transportation modes have gone the ways of the world married person, I and I have recently become a have little choice but to be one of the lucky UTA utilizers. Amazingly enough, I have found this to be a wise and mostly gratifying decision. I have found some good friends, learned more about Salt Lake City as I've searched for bus stops, and even found out how patient I can actually become (and believe me when J say that I've found my limits!). Most of all, I have saved grundles of greenbacks and time that I used to spend driving myself. It's granted that public transportation has it's disadvantages and isn't always convenient, but I cannot say enough good about it. Good things come to those who sacrifice just a little to ride the UTA buses, whether its a bit of time or a walk down the block. It's there, why not use it? I Tonya DeVries senior business DOUG GIBSON Mass media, politicians ignore importance of religions the Super analysis, and ratings generated by For alUhetherehype, is a weekend event more popular to Americans than any football game. It's church. More Americans travel from home weekly to worship and strengthen beliefs than watch sports. Yet a glance at contemporary media would incorrectly lead most to dismiss religion as trifling in our society. " Studies consistently show the vast majority of reporters or dealmakers within the entertainment industry attach little significance to organized religion or church attenwith dance. The results are mediums frequently consumers. Example: The Washington Post reported that evangelical Christians were poor, uneducated and easy to lead. The statement, conveyed to millions, was so untrue that the Post's ombudsmen chastised the editors for the stereotypical assump"big-time- out-of-tou- tion. Regarding entertainment, film criticauthor Michael Medved, in his book, Hollywood Versus America, details the naivete" filmmakers show toward their audiences. In the films Regarding Henry, Dying Young and The Doctor, Medved points out that characters, despite facing ailments, never pursue an interest in God or religion. In Doc Hollywood, a comedy set in a small town, rural life features one notable exception there is no church, nor does anyone express interest in religion. How real is that? The Culture of Disbelief, a fascinating new book by Yale law professor Stephen Carter, argues that a spiritual vacuum is robbing Americans of developing meaning in their lives. Carter, a liberal, is frustrated that so many dismiss religion as an alternative within public debate. Carter reminds us that the Founders intended the separation of church and state to serve as "an effort to protect religion from the state, not the state from religion." The origin of positive social change in this nation civil rights, labor reform, children's interests, religious tolerance, etc. stemmed from values taught in the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran and other religious texts. Yet these books are consciously cast aside and sadly, ...positive social change in this nation... stemmed from values taught in the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran and other religious texts. Chronicle Editorial Columnist often mocked by many who draft public policy. Michael Lerner, editor of the liberal Jewish magazine Tikkun, offered similar sentiments when he proposed that Americans embrace a "Politics of Meaning," designed to improve the and feelings of worth within individuals. Lerner's suggestions include employment committees concerned with relieving worker stress and promoting through recognition that all employees, regardlessof status or salary, need to be promoted as equal parts of a united team. self-estee- m Hillary Rodham Clinton embraced Lerner's theories. Speaking in Austin, Texas, she described "a sleeping sickness of the soul" within society and stressed the need to discover that lives are "part of some greater effort, that we are connected to one another." Lerner and Rodham Clinton's desire to improve society is commendable, yet they stress a commurntariangovernment and policy solution as the key toward increasing individual productivity. William Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues, correctly says the path toward finding a society envisioned by Ms. Rodham Clinton exists vrithin the wide diversity of religions and beliefs stressing compassionate behavior. Republicans should heed Carter's advice. The 1992 GOP convention, Carter asserts, alienated voters because the speakers often linked God's approval to secular ends they were trying to promote as policy. Issues of morality often will divide persons of varying political persuasions. Regarding political disputes that divide good people let those dilemmas be interpreted within the congregation where each person chooses to worship, and not devalued through use as a "litmus test" of what defines a moral person. Call it the Light of Christ or the human conscience, religious people, agnostics, atheists those with policies diametrically apart share instinctive beliefs of what is right. These include the right of every child to be cherished, the obligation to support the needy within our community, the duty to aid those unjustly treated at home or abroad and the right of hard working persons to receive just salaries, self-wor- th |