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Show THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, MACHEN aspire to be doctors? What about the average person of color who is ignored by his or her teacher because the instructor isn't sure if that student speaks English, and intimidates the U's high school recruiters simply by being, brown, black, yellow or red? It's the same student who is an artist, perhaps a poet; some are esteemed mathematicians like their ancestors, what about them? I want to know how much Machen and his administration value diversity in the student body they seem to think it is essential in the faculty and staff. I think diversity is important on continued from page 6 The administrators and members of the Academic Senate who requested information seemed to use their questions as more of a power piay to make the administration look good and show that the projects the U has been undertaking are impressive. intent was to corner Machen on an important issue, as was the intent of a few others but he managed to talk around the topics and avoid getting down into the content of the problems the U faces. It was along these same lines that Machen reaffirmed his commitment to diversity. He assumed we already knew what he was talking about. The most difficult problem facing the U is diversity within the student body, Machen said. Only a small percentage of students of color in Utah's high schools took the ACT, a necessary step to be admitted to the U, essentially laying the blame on Utah's public school system. I want to know why he didn't mention the U's shortcomings in actively recruiting diverse students. He did mention the success of the Health Professions Academy that targets students of color. The program brings them to campus, and encourages them to seek a higher education in the medical field. What about those of us who don't My all levels. We need teachers and professors of diverse backgrounds to be able to share their different experiences. It could be an experience of privilege, perhaps Eurocentrism. On the uling for the new and "improved" university identification cards. If there are 27,000 students attending the University of Utah, and if 20,000 of them are Sophomores Juniors, .Seniors and Graduate students (all unable to renew their cards before Aug. 29) and if there are only 90 hours (as advertised on the posters) of scheduled time to accommodate all of these people, then the flow of students through this office must be a little more than 222 people per hour. If there are four cameras and four employees working the camerasdata entry (forgive our cynicism but we doubt such efforts have been made), then each person is allotted a little mere than one minute to be processed. Of course, printers fail and networks crash but we will assume that no such errors occur. Perhaps we have been a part of this univer: sity too long but we doubt the university is able to pull off such military-like efficiency. If the experience of the general student population is anything like that of the faculty, then students should expect to spend much longer than the advertised 20 minutes getting your card. We hope we are wrong, but history is on our side. We have read the card's Web Page. Of all the frequently asked questions, "Why do we need a new card?" was never addressed. So it has a smart chip, so what? Now when you lose your card you lose a lot more than just a card, you lose all the benefits and money attached to the card. Of course, you can already have accounts at the library and the union but with the new card you can buy a Coke. The circularity of the logic of those that proclaim "now you don't need to carry money because this works just like money" would be funny if it were not so prevalent. Now when you leave your card to get a towel at the HFER building you won't just be leaving your picture but also all of the cash you have put on the your card. COPY SHANE MCCAMMON Chronicle Editor in Chief, rhink " inconvenient PIN number or anything. Obviously, we are not attacking the honest, hard working employees at the HPER building, but it is just an example of how including so much information and money on the card exposes every student that uses the "smart" part of the smart card to more risk. Increased risk is ok as long as everyone understands the new situ' ation. Nor does the Web Site indicate how the new cards are being paid for. Student fees? Does it really cost $20 to replace the card? If so, 27,000 new ID cads cost about $540,000. Maybe hiring some instead and continuing to use our "dumb" cards would be preferable. If it doesn't cost $20 to generate a new card, then why is the university charging a fee to replace a lost or stolen card? If the university is not paying for the cards then who is? Data collected from these cards can be used by marketers and we hope the university will be well compensated for this information. On a more insidious (paranoid) level, they can now provide this information to insurance companies (Did you workout today? What did you eat today?). Of course the university would never be a party to such tactics and we are sure that all of this information will be safe and secure, just as safe and secure as our Social Security Numbers have been in the past. Announcing that the "old" cards (didn't we have to get a hew one last year?) will be useless on Sept. 14, is pushy and typical of a group of people who will not have to stand in line with us. When will the university understand that one day we will graduate (hopefully) and one day we will be working and one day they will cry for donations from us? Such solicitations will fall on dead ears if they continue to treat us like irrelevant, ignorant bovines. He arrives, with a security guard, arid enters the home, After, doing a quick scaxCne harm is found, there's a warm blueberry pie cooling in the win': key-beari- tioning with his family ia California esrlier this month, his apartment was entered by a U police officer and a security guard investigating a 931 call that may or may not have been made. Upon returning from California, Thompson dis.vered that sensitive legal documents he had stored in his home were missing. He pointed a finger at the UUPD, filing a criminal complaint And in a bumbling, stammering e internal investigaBarney tion, the UUPD has come out with egg on its face and in a lot of serious trouble. It rums out ihere was never s 911 ;. call placed from Thompson's like the UUPD apartment, Fife-lik- . dow ii!s and everything appears claimed. happy and safe J&jyberry vrzy. But, as much as our political The call originated from an apartment nine quads away from .Thompson', but the resident of that apartment says there is no way he or anybody in his family leaders and even police officials want us to believe, this aia't Americas. I'm glad that Machen addressed Now it is accessible to all, no I saw this once on the Griffith Show." A call corses to dispatch that there is 'a $m emergency and an officer is assigned to go check it stories of the disgruntled Native American instructor who wants the history of herhis people to be of primary focus when studying the Convenience Lost With Headaches of New IDs Editor: Please forgive our pessimism but we are concerned about the sched- UUFD Mistakes Are Disturbing other hand one could listen to the important campus issues in his speech to the Academic Senate. Administrators need that awareness. It's time for them to take it a step further and act. Machen and his administrators ne.ed to take action. He talked a good talk now let's see the walk. May-berr- y. - Gary Thompson, 2 senior in the University of UiiJt's communication department, was accused of sexual assault last year for aileged- ly fondling a girl the daughter of a Utah Highway ' . . Patrolman. ' A student behavior committee reviewed the case and found no misconduct or at least no rtus conduct that warranted disciplinary action; s Thompson was also 'offered a plea bargain frcsti ths district attorney a deal that would have, become official ibis week, putting Thompson on probation for six called ptt. Right how, nobody knows why was Thompson's apartment entered. It was either a stupid on the part of the UUPD or it was an orchestrated attempt to derail Thompson's plea bargain. . ! " . Bfl while Thompson was vaca The truth will eventually ccme but until then, some senous questions have to' be asked regarding the UUPD, Imagine if you just had a heart attack. You're home aione and as you feci yourself losing consciousness, you grab the phone, dial 911 and pass out' And imagine if the 911 dispatcher accidentally sends &'police offi " outs " cer to the wrong address like Fred Esplir university spokesman, says might have happened. The officer makes a quick walk-aboof the wrong apartment and leaves as you lay gasping on your kitchen ut floor. Mistakes like the ones the UUPD ciilois happened cannot be made. If Linda Tripp can tap your phone line with equipment bought at Radio Shack, then the 911 emergency system and the. UUPD had damn well better be able to trace your line correctly and send an officer or emergency personnel to the correct apartment. Now imagine if the UUPD is blowing smoke and really did enter Thompson's apartment for other reasons, say to take a sensi- tive legal document. How safe do you feel knowing police officers on this campus can conceivably enter your apartment and violate your privacy? Had it not been for two neighbors who told Thompson they had seen the officer and security guard enter the home, he wouldn't have ever found out about strangers walking around h!s apartment Regardless of "what really happened, regardless of the motivations the UUPD might or might not have had, there was definitely an egregious mistake committed by our police department either a potentially fatal rmscommunlca-tkoccurred or an apartment was entered illegally. I don't know about you, but I don't think either is acceptable and the UUPD needs to be held accountable. ; m new-professo- j i ' . See you in line. PHILLIP DRINKAUS Mechanical Engineering. Senior, ERIC CAMPBELL Senior, Architecture 2000 7 Sept. 2, 8, 9,15,16 at 7:3.0 p.m.. RESERVED AND GRASS SEATING TIX AVAILABLE AT: OR AT ALL SMITH'S TIX LOCATIONS .... |