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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle i Tuesday, February 11, 2003 c """"" THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW Moll- - Over R6E5 otf... 1 THE FEUD Fnitct Belong to the U On Friday, state Legislative Fiscal Analyst Boyd Garriott spoke to the Higher Education Subcommittee Appropriations saying that there is currently about $12 million that has been rolled over from unused grant money. He suggested that this $12 million dollars should be used to offset next year's anticipated $ii million dollar budget cuts. However, university presidents should not be forced to use the roll-ovmoney to cancel out legislative budget shortfalls. With higher education already in a dire situation, any extra money should be used as the schools' administrators see fit. After all, they know best where their schools need the most support. When a university is issued grant money, an additional 8 to 48 percent is also given to the institution to cover overhead costs. A lot of the time only some of the money is used. The remaining money is set aside for the next year to be appropriated as the president sees fit. Administrators are making it clear that the roll-ovmoney is on counted relieve to already er er . aU other financial stresses already affecting higher education. U administrators say that the school is going to use the money to support existing research and cover operational costs. Drawing on the unused grant money, therefore, would only deepen universities' fiscal crises. The money should not be viewed as free for legislative appropriation. Instead of taking the money, law makers should consider implementing a tax increase to help offset some of the financial burdens of higher education. The state makes a certain commitment to providing social services, including education. But now, in a suffering economy, those commitments can't be kept and legislators continue to look for quick fixes, like tapping into grant money. The whole point of funding higher education is to give all Utahns a chance to go to college, but at this rate only rich kids will get an education. As Governor Lcavitt said in his State of the State address, students are being priced out of higher education. It's time someone gives in. roll-ov- fK LETTER 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an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, gender, appearance or sexual entation will be edited or will not be published.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- joe TO THE Editor: After reading some colorful debates about the United States' conflict with Iraq, I thought I would list some crucial issues not addressed: Firstly, have we exhausted all possibilities? Between d Hollywood and the images of fireworks on CNN, do we know what war really is? War is NEVER noble, and should only be carried out when all other options have failed. Many innocent civilians will unavoidably die; most from the actions of U.S. troops. Secondly, how sure are we of our motives? Our presiand national security advisor have dent, oil with tics strong companies. When government officials get personal gain, we green-shade- vice-preside- nt mi EDITOR eexaming the War on Ira- er 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 Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material .. - must not be gullible towards everything they convey to us. Finally, will the war end terrorism? Consider this question seriously. War can disband governments, but not terrorism. The latter requires only a few dozen people. War will further fuel hate, making another attack more likely. Why don't we focus on the root of the problem: global inequality. Starvation and poverty fuel hate, not American ideals. That is a different topic, but war obviously is not the solution. My thanks go to the patient people who will take this into account before returning to their pro-wstance. i ar BENJAMIN YANG Junior, Electrical Engineering Columbia Coverage is a News Media D isaster JEREMY VOROS Chronicle Opinion Columnist In es reporting the crash of the Columbia Space last week, the media once again their propensity for the news. In an attempt to their to audiences' cathartic desires, the pander media could not resist working themselves into the proverbial frenzy we've come to expect. Make no mistake, the shuttle accident was certainly a tragic event. The space shuttle and the NASA space program, in general, have over-reporti- and over-dramatizi- become iconic they represent the United States' progress, pioneering spirit and quest for knowledge. So, of course the Columbia accident is newsworthy. But in reporting the disaster last week, the national and local news media showed little restraint injheir attempts to capitalize on the tragedy. p news coverOn Feb. 1, 1 woke up to All four major netage of the shuttle accident. works and the cable news stations were broadcasting nothing but shuttle coverage for most of the day. The reporting wore thin as the media quickly announced the few details available. But rather than limit news updates to new information, the news networks stretched the story out for all it was worth, using somber faces and slogan-like graphics to keep viewers hooked. the tragedy is that we took the bait. Maybe non-sto- On Jan. 29 three days before the Columbia disaster an American Blackhawk helicopter crashed in Afghanistan killing all four soldiers on board. The disparity in news coverage between these two events highlights the media's overriding superficial interest in highly and audiences' willingemotional catch-piecness to eat it up. The New York Times has published more than 160 pieces relating to the shuttle accident since it happened a week and a half ago. The front page of the Feb. 2 edition was almost entirely dedicated to the accident. Numerous front-pag- e stories about the astronauts, the space program, President Bush's reactions and new clues in the case have run. The Washington Post has run more than no news stories, opinion columns and editorials about the event. Even our own Salt Lake Tribune has published over 60 stories on the disaster, stopped referring to the astronauts as national heroes, victims of tragedy who sacrificed their life for the sake of their country. And that they are. But aren't the four soldiers who died in Afghanistan national heroes as well? Didn't they sacrifice their lives for not only our national pride but also our defense? As the nation prepares for a seemingly inevitable war with Iraq, the death of these four soldiers is of immediate importance. Their deaths remind us of the casualties we risk in war and the cost of freedom. In disaster last week, the national and local news media showed little including several front-pag- e pieces. The Shuttle disaster was the front-pag- e piece on the Feb. 3 edition of Newsweek. The maga- zine ran a 2,300 word story on the Columbia and another 2,800 words on portraits of the seven astronauts killed in the accident. Newsweek did not even mention the Black-haw- k that crashed in Afghanistan. The New York Times ran one story on the helicopter crash on page A10. Similarly, The Salt Lake Tribune ran only one story. Bush did not make a special statement to the nation on behalf of the killed soldiers. The television networks did not run p coverage of the crash. Since the shuttle accident, people have not non-sto- CHRONiCLE OPINION EDITOR JOHN MORLEY reporting the restraint in their attempts to capitalize on the tragedy. The space program does have a tradition of being newsworthy. We've all seen the movie Apollo 13. We all know how the nation united over the plight of three astronauts. But the world was a different place then. The Cold War fueled the space race. With Sputnik the Soviet Union beat us into space. Seeing the Apollo 13 mission succeed was an issue of national security. But now, 40 years later, the Cold War is over. The United States dominates space exploration. The shuttle program has had more than 140 successful missions. And these astronauts wanted to be on the shuttle. They knew the risks involved. Now our war is the war on terror. Just like the three Apollo astronauts who represented our nation in the Cold War, the four soldiers who died in Afghanistan represent our nation's vested interest in fighting terrorism. But American audiences and media outlets arc ignoring these grim stories that may discourage rather than inspire, that remind us of the high price our foreign policies can have. In March of 2002, seven soldiers were killed pursuing Al Qaeda guerrillas in Afghanistan. They were the first American casualties in the d war on terror. Newsweek ran one front-pag- e on its Web site. No piece coverage, no portraits. I'm not saying that the shuttle disaster is insignificant. I'm saying that consumers and our nation's media sources need to reevaluate their priorities. We should not value drama and falsified emotion over human life. The media's cathartic coverage of the Columbia disaster is a dishonor to the astronauts and soldiers who lost their lives representing our country. We may think that the space program is "cooler" or more "inspirational" than the plight of soldiers in the Middle East. But let's not forget that those soldiers have an American flag on their uniforms, too. Jeremy welcomes feedback at jvoroschroni-cle.utah.edSend letters to the editor to 1,100-wor- u. . LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU 501-639- 7 |