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Show CHRONICLE UTAH DAILY THE luiii.iib i nil Hi nil T r ti miinwmi n 6 QSiQQ OQWo.O QMMi T H E CHRONICLE'S V ! ' Many of Ut ah been red in t he face about their lack of a voice in how the U is run.. Whether the issue is diversity or child care, increased tuition or a lack of appropriate financial aid, many students feel powerless to effect change due to a state government that is less than supportive of higher education and an administration that sometimes seems distant. But today, students will be given an excellent opportunity to take action into their own hands and at least verbalize their concerns to the people making deci- E W "TbTAUX kick pi MtV sions, From noon to - - higher-educ- ation, - versity Union, President . Bernard Machm will attend, acid he will be joined by Utah gubernatorial candidate Bill OrUm, 2nd Congressional District candidates Derek Smith and Jim Matheson and U.S. Senate candidate Scott Howell Because the fa rum 'will allow students, faculty and staff s ' unique opportumty to voice their concerns and to pet immediate feedback, The Daily Utah Chronicle.. 'encourages .those members of the university cons- - , U . - TH HSA BOTT J J ("TTAU.W C-- . P IV HAM. N .J ToTAU-- uoTT -- r4l M NtcS HCAft. . Jfsjjj j J (""ToTTAU-- M ' 7) on higher-educatio- p.m., the Associated Students of the University of Utah is hostir.g a forum in the BallA. room of the Ray Olpm Uni- . PI munity who have been upset about tuition increases, diversity issues and any other issue to attend. Also, because many of the participants axe candidates for public office, the forum provides voters the chance to see how the candidates feel about higher edu-- . cation. One of the reasons ASUU organized the forum stems from a hope that students, faculty and n staff will elect " friendly legislators and other political leaders. But unless students take the initiative to learn about; the candidates and their positions ASUU's efforts and a golden opportunity .will be wasted. ASUU should be commended for organizing an event that, if attended, wilt be' extremely worthwhile in educating politicians and voters . higher-educati- , " i"nirinrTirrmi 'mum 'i'!i7TriTl,'!)ffi Speak Your Minds, Today They May Listen students at the in - adrain-.isirator- s, in higher-educatio- n issues. LETTER TO . . ' r graphic: policy and men! or so convenabout an election loves policy, Everyone tional wisdom says. After all, the differences between the parties are so great: one is socially and fiscally liberal and while the other is very conservative on both counts. This is indeed a difference. Nobody seems to have noticed, however, that this set of combinations addresses only half of the population. What about those, like and believe very strongmyself, who are very ly in the separation between church and state, yet who at the same time are beginning to feel as though we live under the taxes of a socialist union without enjoying any of the guarantees? pro-choi- ' vonicle Editorial Board. Editorial Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daliy Utah The forum created on the Opinion of the ,ithor. are the opinions columns and letters to the editor strictly tolerance and respect. Material time at same while the cn is based one d.snding debate, vigorous Page of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual defamatory to an individual or group because will be not or edited will be published orientation THE EDITOR third parties today. aren't any differently aligned Unfortunately, they are a new set we need What extreme. more they're just of third parties one socially liberal but fiscally conservative and the other socially conservative while fiscally Yes, we do have recognizable ' . 1 A Purpose Behin d the Apathy There has been a lot of concern this election cycle about the youth vote. Where is it? Why don't the young people of America give a damnE especially in our universities, once hotbeds of political activity? I'd like to suggest that there are two basic reasons for the apathy seen today amongst the 18 to 28 age demo- forum, - a Editor: There are rarely more convenient ways for you to voice your opinions and get answers to your questions than , today's - Surely you will cat Junch today. Why not bs.bg it to the ballroom, eat your sandwich, and then finish off an administrator or politician for dessert? This is the chance many of votx have been waiting fordon't tet U pass you by. ... Vfylii'iiii'ii'ifl uPhf'i!' e ce '',. liberal. Students of politics might say that these combinations are impossible today that it would take supernatural forces to make these policy alignments work in practice. Maybe. But I don't think so. I really don't think it would be all that tough. After all, everyone knows that nothing that happens in Washington these days seems possible or even plausible, and yet there Washington stands, apparently held together by a little black magic with a wink and a nod for good measure. Here we run into problem number two: the men. Just why is it that so many of these "leaders" are get- - see APATHY, page 6 at to Do When Your Vote Mean Nothing State of Texas. You can put your money on all five MIKE WRIGHT Chronicle Opinion Columnist 1th all the media hype of the presidential race, you'd think that your vote for president on Nov. 7 V V is actually going to make a difference. I've overheard several private debates among students And I trying to decide who will win their presidential vote. so students so see actively to many must say, it's good involved in presidential politics. But, as you ponder the outcome of your votes for president, I only ask to remind you of one thing your presidential vote in the state of Utah does not mean a damn thing. That is, if you believe your vote is only good for EfctlOfl getting a certain candidate elected. Your vote for George W. Bush or At uore certainly does not mean a thing in Utah thanks to the existence of the Electoral College. The Electoral College is composed of presiden tial electors representing each state. The electors that comcandidate with pose the college vote for president, and the the majority, of those votes wins the presidency. The electors chosen by Utahns ideally cast the vote that best represents Utah's choice for president. Considering the overwhelming majority of Republicans in this state, that choice is the good ol Guvenah from the Mi? of Utah's electoral votes going towards the election of George W. Bush, no matter how you vote. So, why bother voting for president if Utah's votes are going to Bush either way? There is still a way to make a difference in the presidential election with your vote, and that way is to vote for the Green Party's Ralph Nader. As many have pointed out in the opinion section, Nader's voice has been virtually silenced. Thanks to the efforts of the University of Utah Student Green Party, many U students have learned about Nader's involuntary silence in the media. One of the ways to help end the silence is to vote for ' Nader. A vote for Nader will mean one very important thing. If Nader garners 5 percent of the popular vote in this election, the federal government will be required to provide the Green Party with $12 million in matching funds for the 2004 election. This means that in four years the American people will have access to more than just two increasingly similar viewpoints on how'our government should be run. Matching funds, which enable the Green Party to run a more powerful campaign, giving Greens more of a voice in the public forum. Of course, the matching funds by no means guarantee that the Green Party will be as prominent as either the Democratic or Republican parties anytime soon. But they certainly couldn't hurt. Have you noticed the lack of options available among the presidential candidates? The media would have you believe CHRONICLE OPINION EDITOR RALPH NADER see VOTE.'page 6 SCOTT LEWIS LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU 581-704- 1 |