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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle T JL 3 Wednesday, January THE CHRONICLE'S T AS "TteSoGD 'REFER A bikes seems to have broken up, the threat of bike theft remains. There are several steps students can take to protect themselves. Most importantly, they should lock their doors before leaving their cars. Trunks should be securely closed. Since many thieves smash windows of even locked car doors, anything of value-bo- oks, bags, CDs and stereos-sho- uld also be hidden or removed from cars. Students can also buy strong bike locks. Although a good lock is not a guarantee that a bike won't be stolen, it can deter would-b- e thieves who worry about the time and effort it takes to steal a bicycle. Students can also be careful about walking long distances on campus late at night. Try to stay in groups and avoid walking through dark areas if possible. Also, keep an eye out for intruders or other students who steal university computers and equipment 3c ( ) Keeping Campus ecure ct 2 0 0 VIEW WHATS knows coming to in Everyone the morningCon-is never easy. gested traffic, unreliable shuttles and scarce parking spots mean that by the time most students get out of their cars, the only thing on their minds is making it to class on time. But a recent wave of crime across campus suggests students ought to have another concern as they close their car doors: security. Although it can be easy to forget to lock your car doors, the consequences of not doing so are often serious. The University of Utah Police Department reported a frightening amount of theft on campus last semester, and this semester seems to be maintaining the trend. Last week, four cars were burglarized in' the West Village apartments. Campus police lso of reported several thefts a of and the disappearance Jeeps number of parking passes from vehicles. Bicycle theft has also.bje'n a major problem recently.' last semester saw a record number of bike thefts. Although the ring responsible for stealing the 15, 'I HHgx- t - I LETTER TO f I Ill.lf1if-if-- lllf THE EDITOR age Against Bookstore Machine , Studeh'ts and faculty have a duty to help each other avoid crime. Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the campus police. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Paqe is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material defamatory to an Individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual entation will be edited or will not be published. - ori- Editor: It seems that even though the university is in a budget crisis, business at the bookstore is booming. Here are some common problems students have with the bookstore: i. Don't require "new" books every few semesters. Even in fields of study wbere'knowledgl! increases rapidly through scientific discoveries, the fundamentals remain largely unchanged. ' My accounting class has a new textbook ($115) this semester what did the students use last semester? Has accounting changed so much since then that the previous text is obsolete? To the bookstore, departments and instructors: Please help us save a few dollars by using the same text longer. 2. When textbooks are bought back, students only get ' back a fraction of what was paid for it Yet, the bookstore marks up the prices again so purchasing a "used" book is almost as expensive as buying it new. 3. Workbooks and solution manuals have a "new" price and a "used" price listed on the shelves, but the bookstore doesn't buy back workbooks. They should it might be helpful to compare my solutions with another student who's already gone through the course. And I could save at least a couple dollars buying it used. 4. Textbook buyback occurs during finals week. What if I need to study from my text before I take my test? Then I can't try to sell back my book until later in the week, when quotas may have already been filled. School's hard enough and expensive enough already. Can't we get a break from the bookstore? BRADLEY PETERSON Junior, Business Management Athlete Code Pushes Academics, Not Racism SHANNON HARPER Chronicle Opinion L L Columnist college basketball blaze the courts and baseball Softball teams prepare for a new season, athletes suffer from poorly crafted academic eligibility requirements. Athletes, specifically those on men's basketball teams, rarely sec graduation day. But that may soon change. Come member universi August 2003, NCAA ties will adopt the organization's newly reformed initial eligibility requirements. The new standards have many university coaches up in arms, claiming the requirements discriminate against blacks. This ridiculous assumption ignores the benefits of the new standards, which will require athletes to maintain good grades in high school, work harder in college and pass courses. New standards will encourage athletes to benefit from a college education by requiring them to succeed acade- While Division-- I mically. formance. Last year, the U was the only college in Utah to make the U.S. News and World Report Honor Roll of College Sports rankings, which lists 20 athletic departments in the country with outstanding academic performance. Why did the U make the top 20? High academic standards for athletes and an impressive athlete support system that other universities fail to offer. The U supports the NCAA's new eligibility requirements. "We were very supportive of the new changes in NCAA rules and the tightening of academic standards. We have some rules at the University of Utah that are stricter than the NCAA," athletic director Chris Hill said. The NCAA's new requirements were implemented because of the atrocious academic performance of college men's basketball teams around the country. In addition, the NCAA wants to increase the number of minority athletes eligible for college sports and improve graduation rates. In order to do this, the organization extended the sliding scale so high school athletes who' scored poorly on the SAT or ACT but have high grades would be eligible for college athletics. Currently, athletes who score 820 on the SAT and have a 2.5 grade-poiaverage are always the new Under eligible. system, athletes who be eligible if they would low 620 as score as have a CPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, athletes would be required to take 14 core classes in high school, up from 13 under current standards. Once in college, athletes face tougher requirements to remain eligible for sports. Right now, they must pass 25 percent of degree credits to nt High academic expectations for athletes are aimed at balancing athletics and academics. Those who oppose the higher standards foster the negative perception that minority athletes do not have the intelligence required to graduate. Academically, the Ute athletes are an exception to the nationwide rule of substandard per CHRONICLE OPINION EDITOR JOHN MORLEY compete as juniors, 50 percent to compete as seniors. The seniors, and 75 percent as fifth-yenew plan would require athletes to pass 40 percent of their degree requirements before they begin as juniors, 60 percent before the senior year, and 80 percent before the fifth year. Athletes also have to pass six credits per term during the academic year instead of loading up their schedules during the summer. ar Those who oppose the higher standards foster the negative perception that minority athletes do not have the intelligence required to graduate. Coaches complain about the new standards, claiming that requiring high SAT scores discriminates against minority students who don't do as well on the test as whites minorities average 150 points lower on both the SAT's verbal and math sections. Jim Harrick, the men's basketball coach at the University of Georgia, told the Chronicle of Higher Education that the n NCAA is "legislating against individuals." However, the coaches' complaints have to be taken with a grain of salt. The old standard-Proposi- tion 48 was more lax than the new polcoaches complained about that as and the icy, well. The new requirements will also address African-America- LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU concerns about discrimination by providing students a way to work around bad test scores. High school athletes can achieve eligibility by working hard to get good grades. Coaches seem to be saying white athletes have the intelligence to successfully manage college athletics and classes, but blacks do not an absurd and sweeping generalization. According to a recent government study, blacks are more likely to attend college and just as likely to graduate as whites with similar levels of educational achievement before college! Kevin Lenno, the NCAA's vice president, said, "We all ought to be alarmed by those who say that African American athletes can't pass an extra class per term." Even more appalling, those who oppose the new requirements only mention black athletes when referring to those who won't be able to meet the requirements. They make no reference to whites or other minorities. Athletes can become eligible if they want to. Under the new guidelines, they only have to add one class each term, pass the majority of classes taken and maintain a GPA ranging from 1.8 to 2.0. Not too tough. Also, help is out there for athletes. The athletic department offers tutoring and stress management support. Every athlete will benefit from standards that promote a quality education. If high hopes for the pros don't become a reality, universities will have responsibly provided athletes with an alternative based on sound academic principles. Shannon welcomes feedback at sharpcrchronicle.utah.edu. Send letters to the editor to lettcrschronicle.utah.edu. 581-639- 7 |
