| OCR Text |
Show ™ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE O PINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com Friday, September 30, 2005 UCard benefits are worthless Why should we listen to someone fromBYU? Editor: ~ ^ This is in response to the letter by Bart Gatreti on Sept. 28 ("War protestors' arguments invalid; protesting unpatriotic"). Gatrell's thoughts would matter if they were based in fact or had any validity—but they are not and do not. Gatrell, I feel I must remind you that U students chose not to attend a "school" that decries and abhors individual thought. You, however, have chosen to work at one, and this alone invalidates your argument. Unless I am mistaken, to gain employment at BYU-Idaho, you were required to sign a statement of "academic freedom" that states, essentially, that at no time will you allow your work, in or out of the classroom, to deviate from the ultra-conservative status quo of your "institution." To me, the fact that you work at a BYU campus makes your commentary about independent thought and protest laughable. Secondly, though I disagree with most of what Rocky Anderson says publicly, I wholeheartedly believe in his right to say it. I feel strongly about the rights of the concerned private citizen to protest what is commonly considered a tyrannical and corrupt administration. For all of your "historical" memory, you seem pretty willing to disregard the reasons the founding fathers founded this country in the first place—to provide the public a forum to decry tyrannical control by an inept leader. You, Gatreli, are the one that is doing your brother a disservice, not these protestors that are rallying to bring him home! All the students that went to protest this "war" want is for your niece not to go another birthday without her daddy! What is possibly unpatriotic about that? Perhaps, Gatreli, it is time to stop blindly following the leaders as they lead us into slaughter. Perhaps it is time to get your priorities straight. C.Hill Sophomore, English/Theatre Staff THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW Finding the Urban Meyer of UCarct U Card officials and the Associated Students of the University of Utah leaders are confident that the UCard benefits program will catch on any year now. However, unless they start trying to fit the program to our student demographic, instead of the other way around, it will remain one of the many substandard programs offered by the university. The Associated Students of the University of Utah's UCard Board is trying to follow a trend similar to that of Indiana University's student card program. It claims that the U can replicate the success that IU found, which included an increase in student spending of more than $2.7 million in a seven-year period. Unfortunately, the logic behind comparing the U to Indiana is woefully flawed because Indiana is not a commuter campus. Copying what Indiana did will never work. At IU, it was basically guaranteed that if a local laundromat offered a discount, students there would take advantage of it. U students, however, live all over the valley. Therefore a discount at Stonewash Laundromat, for example, wouldn't do a lot of good for a student who lives in Kaysville or Sandy. Similarly, businesses aren't inclined to offer a discount for using the UCard because they don't know where the U demographic is located. Which restaurant or movie theater owner could guarantee that a high percentage of U students will patronize his or , her establishment? No wonder the number of off- r'. campus locations that accept the UCard is so low. .. • This is not to say that the UCard program will never succeed or that it can never offer significant . benefits to the school or its students. However, the program needs to be tailored specifically to U students' needs. What the UCard program needs to do , is find the Urban Meyer factor. What is the magical incentive that will turn the UCard program from mediocre to successful? To answer this question, leaders at ASUU need to think about what the average U student really wants . and needs. It's a safe bet that, although not every U student would take advantage of a discount offered at a particular restaurant or vending machine, every student on this campus would gladly put money into a UCard account if it could get them discounts at a gas station. Furthermore, students would be more inclined to put money into a UCard account if they knew r ., transaction fees were going to benefit the student ?, body hi some visible way. C%-At the moment, profits from UCard sales wind U]S> : in mysterious accounts controlled by ASUU. • •;• Ultimately, the UCard program has a lot of potential—but until the program starts meeting U students' needs, it won't catch on. ' ,.; * 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 defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, religion, creed, gender, appearance or sexual orientation will be edited or will not be published. • • * ! 1 Editor: Patrick Muir's article about the UCard left me feeling very con3; fused ("UCard saves students money at the bookstore," Sept. 27). First of all, the fact that students get 5 percent off purchases at the bookstore is most likely old news to most people since we all bought our books about a month ago. Thanks •I1 -i, for the update, Patrick. Why is The Chronicle doing a three part series informing people about the UCard program—a program that has not been and probably will not be successful? Why is The Chronicle trying to help keep this dying program afloat? Since my first year at the U, the UCard has been advertised as a convenient way to spend money on and off campus. How is it convenient? As far as I am aware, every cash register on campus also is equipped to accept credit and debit cards. Why should I add the UCard to the already abundant purchasing options already available to me? My credit card works just fine. Does the UCard help me build credit? Does the UCard let me buy now, pay later? If somebody steals my wallet, and my UCard has money on it, can I cancel the card like I would with a credit card? Can I make online purchases? Is the UCard even accepted ; as a form of payment outside the university neighborhood? You get a few discounts here and there. Does that really make it worth the trouble it is to put money on the card? So far, the bookstore - ~ discount has been the only one that even grabbed my attention, but the thought of putting $250 dollars on that card does not appeal to me, and I don't think that it appeals to many other students. People have said that the UCard raises funds for the university and that, if successful, this program could help pay our student fees. It seems to me that this is a more indirect and inconvenient way of paying for our student fees. We end up footing the bill either way. If the system is not successful, why waste money trying to maintain it? Just let us use our credit/debit cards. Scott Barnes Senior, Biotnedical Engineering Wal-Mart slashes community cohesion along with prices Sandy civic leaders need to listen to their community and halt T he Sandy community has been fighting the construction of a Wal-Mart on the grounds of the old gravel pit at approximately 1000 E. 9200 South. I'll admit, I tend to be biased against Wal-Mart—but I think this one in particular will hurt the Sandy economy and directly affect the lives of everyone, including the downtown population of Salt Lake City. That may seem like a lot of punch from a little, ugly warehouse. However, the purpose behind the new superstore—though developers won't admit to it—is to drive the Sandy mall out of business. Though this topic might not seem relevant for college students who may not even intend to stay in Utah after graduation, it is relevant in the sense that it represents a larger national trend. Our society is moving away from traditional commercial stores that have been with America since its inception. In exchange, we are gaining low prices, but losing our sense of community. This is an issue of principle. A city legislature should not be allowed to dictate zoning decisions over the heads of the local community. Elected or not, they are still accountable to the taxpayers. To simply push this issue through shows a lot of contempt on the part of elected officials. There are a lot of possible uses for the territory, not even necessarily commercial ones. The decision should be made, at least in part, by the people who will live next door to it. Zoning laws may seem boring, and even kind of pointless, but they still exist to help the community. Since the legislature is trying to change the districts, it certainly shouldn't have required a state Jeremy Millsap court order to force the issue to referendum—probably the Nov. 8 general election. It is possible that, if taken to the polls, the initiative to stop the WalMart development will fail. In this case, the issue should end there. No appeals and no more red tape—they would win, unfortunately. However, Wal-Mart developers should also accept the opinion of the community if the vote halts construction. Instead, they are intent on appeal- ing in the event that they lose. This will certainly tie up our courts and cost the city millions of dollars in court fees. It's not like Sandy has no other alternatives to Wal-Mart. In fact, who says they can't just-add more condominiums, or even houses? Hey, you might as well just turn the gravel pit into a giant parking lot. This is mostly a residential district, so why destroy the land value of people's homes? These people were forced to live next to a gravel pit for so many years—let's reward them with something a little better than a Wal-Mart. Housing constraints on the southern end of the valley are extensive, and instead of attempting to practice more effective development of the area, city planners pursue a reckless and overzealous development of South Mountain, greater Draper and South Jordan. VV al-Mart developers should also accept the opinion of the community if the vote halts construction. A park would do a lot to beautify the area and would be a welcome relief between the congestion of 700 East and 1300 East. It would also give the area a feeling of warmth that it desperately needs. In a society losing its sense of community, it would be nice to build something that would contribute to the community, not take away from it. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu Come, come ye saints—but protesters, please stay home Respect the spirit of General Conference and the beliefs of others W ith talk of protests and Rocky Anderson on everyone's lips, it can mean only one thing: General Conference Weekend! Get your pancakes, remote and scriptures, and pull up a recliner— this biannual Utah classic makes the Super Bowl seem...well, if not smaller, at least more secular. One thing's for sure: The only wardrobe malfunctions on Conference Sunday will be crooked ties or tacky blouses. Worldwide, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints gather together at stake centers (regional church centers) to receive instruction from their spiritual leaders via satellite feed. The purpose of this regular gathering for members, according to LDS scholar Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, is "to be built up in faith, testimony and desires of righteous- ness." However, even with this noble purpose and innocent intent, in early fall and late spring, protestors from all over Utah and the United States descend on Temple Square like a flock of seagulls on Mormon crickets. What are they protesting? After much heated debate, obnoxious/ childish/criminal behavior and lots and lots of good ol' yelling, it boils down to one thing: doctrine. "Mainstream" Christians do not . accept Mormonism as a form of Christianity, and therefore, to many of these mainstream groups, Mormons are in need of saving. To that argument, LDS Church members, myself included, simply point to the full title of the church and emphasize the words "Jesus Christ" featured boldly in the church's name. Frustratingly, this seemingly logi- Eric Vogeler cal argument is generally met with a shaking of heads and "they just don't get its." That this simple difference of belief could engender so much ill-will is almost laughable! Church-goers and honored guests heading to conference must pass by swells of angry, zealous men and women who ridicule cherished LDS beliefs and sacred objects. If this kind of protest (with ridi- cule as its goal) were to happen to any other upstanding group, religious or otherwise, the perpetrators would be labeled bigots, politicians would spur the fight to stop the "social atrocity" and the ACLU would get involved. Imagine if a group of people got together and marched on the local Buddhist temple, ridiculed Buddhist beliefs and practices, and molested visitors—all while the Dalai Lama was visiting. Would it be protected by the First Amendment? Yes. Would it be socially tolerated? Never! Still, this persecution comes as no surprise to Latter-day Saints, No other religion in the history of America has met with as much disdain, anger, hatred and violence as the LDS Church. As late as thirty years ago, it was legal to kill a Mormon on your property hi the state of Missouri. Driven from their initial 1 hat this simple difference of belief could engender so much illwill is almost laughable! foundations in the Midwest by violent mobs and governments alike, LDS pioneers were forced to make their way to Utah. Church members today see the kind of anger kindled on the steps of the Conference Center as just an extension of that initial, unexplainable hatred—the antithesis of what General Conference is about. Regardless of your religious affiliation, please remember, this weekend and always—build up, don't tear down. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu _ ': 1 '}' I ~ * "">" |
