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Show 6 OPINION Thursday, July 26,2007 www.doilyutahchronicle.com Choosing a major involves balancing career, interests 7\ b£ Wtf&Ag yOu guy ty Your future is worth the time investment N PHIL CANNON/foftw/y Utah awai THE C H R O N I C L E ' S VIEW Rights before regulations A new ordinance enacted by the Salt Lake City Council In reacting to these may harm more people than it helps. . zealous protesters, the -' The ordinarice,*which attempts'* _ to protect U animal researchers, City Council has made it js so poorly defined, that, while^ ^ keeping obnoxious animal-rights'' ** impossible for everyone protestors off sidewalks in front to use First Amendment of faculty and staff's homes, it also keeps anyone from protestrights. ing anything within ioo feet of any residence. That's just too broad for anyone's good. protesters, the City Council has The animal-rights activists made it impossible for everyone aren't doing anyone any favors. to use First Amendment rights. Their tactics evoke defensive reThe ordinance is upsetting to actions and have caused some to many and has spurred a lawsuit— fear for their safety. For their own rightfully so. The poorly taipart, the researchers don*t delored confinements it places on serve to feel threatened in theneveryone make it nearly imposhomes, nor do their neighbors. sible to peaceably assemble on The group should have been a sidewalk—a public forum that more considerate to other protes- falls under the highest protection tors because their actions have of the Constitution. affected people who are unaffiliWhile the U.S. Supreme Court ated with their cause and also has allowed some restrictions of wish to practice free speech in free speech, the allowances have front of a residence. been made in cases only where In reacting to these zealous time, place and manner restric- tions are met—which is debatable in this instance. In a city that has already seen a fair share of First Amendment controversy, the City Council should have been able to come up with something more narrowly tailored than what it passed. The City Council should have taken note of the decision resulting from the Main Street Plaza controversy. While not all parties were completely satisfied, the resolution enabled protesters to assemble around Temple Square in free speech zones while the public has space to walk between destinations. The solution to the picketing problem is not as simple as banning all protests within ioo feet of a residence. While it is probable that no one will be completely satisfied in the end, it is our hope that after further consideration the City Council will model the ordinance in a way that protects the residents of Salt Lake City while protecting their First Amendment rights. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Signed editorials, 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. AH letters to the editor will now be published online at www.daityutahchronicle.com. Letters that the editor deems best represent those received will be printed in the newspaper. . • , .- ••;•/.: ot long ago, I decided I needed to do something about choosing a major—not just a subject to study and graduate in, but also one that would lead me to a career. I determined the best way to do this was through process of MELISSA elimination— going through SCHACK each major and considering each career that area would lead to. I refuse to have a degree I won't use. A fair number of people graduate from college but don't go into a career related to their degree. It's maddening to think of spending so much time and money to have only a piece of paper, as opposed to having a direction to point yourself in. College is supposed to prepare you for a career and for life, but with most of the facts and figures forgotten, some might as well have gone straight to the career. This is why it's so important to choose the right major so it can be applied. It seems to me that when getting out of high school, students have learned to just choose a major, even if they aren't sure the major will take them where they want to be in life. The process of choosing a major came to me when enrolled in a class called multicultural education, which requires students to volunteer as a student teacher for 20 hours during the semester. Essentially, the class showed us what a job within the major would be like. It helped me understand how much I couldn't stand the barriers put on learning in public schools. One major choice down, and two to go. Reading the online descriptions of classes the U offers can also help you choose a major that fits ' your career goals. In searching the descriptions, I came across a class that explores the professions of one of my majors of interest. More classes should be designed to teach students like this and should be a prerequisite to each major in order to show students exactly where that area of study will lead them. Of course, changing majors is always possible, but it can be very time-consuming and wasteful. When a student is interested in a subject, it's usually because the professor is good or the curriculum is interesting. However, an interesting class or professor doesn't usually outline how jobs relating to a student's major are in the real world. To find a profession where your passions lie, you have to break down the walls of the classroom and get out to the real world. Some classes don't have such requirements, but there are jobs, internships, volunteer work or personal interviewing opportunities that can really save a lot of time in school. If I had discovered this six years ago when I first got out of high school, maybe I would have graduated by now. > •.*• vvv.'/'/V Ietters@ LETTER TO THE EDITOR Mormons are like that, and it's nothing to be ashamed of Editor: Mitt Romney is a prototypical Mormon: industrious, conservative, zealously reUgious and family oriented. Most (not all) Mormons I know seem to fit that description, and there is certainly noticing wrong with that. Just as liberal parts of the media have done, in Lindsey Sine's article ("I'm nothing like Romney, I swear," July 23), she centers her arguments on three or four embarrassing things Romney has done. Understandably, the Mormons I know would want to separate themselves from the perceptions created by his stupidest behavior. Fortunately, Americans are too smart and tolerant td judge an entire religion based on reporting that is biased in what it chooses to emphasize. Give us some credit. Sine even seemed aware of this fact when she said, "That's stretching it a bit." She said that with regard to whether everyone would think we were racist animal-haters; I say that in regard to your entire article. Jordan Flake Las Vegas So many children, so little everything else Family size affects quality of life O n Tuesday, I put in for vacation hours at work and celebrated as any good pioneer would. I started out the day with fresh strawberry pancakes, quickly moved on to sitting in an air-conditioned theater, then drove my wagon to a friend's house near' Liberty Park for gunpowder in the sky. The streets were a mess. In every direction there were men finding real estate with blankets, teenagers in heat, and children running as if abandoned (they probably were). Personally, I don't remember the holidays being so...hectic. Once I was safely in my friend's driveway, I was surprised to see children running amok in his yard, as well. They tried to ride his dog like a horse. One gleefully hit me across the head with a Nerf rock- et—over and over again. I looked at the faces of the flustered mothers, looked at the fathers joking, watched as everyone calmed down for 15 minutes to gape with awe at the fireworks, and saw more than a few crying fits before the night was over. Is this what we are all striving for? Fifteen minutes of peace and 23 and three-quarter hours of hell? Last week, there was a story in the Salt Lake Tribune about a family of 15 who forgot about their twoyear-old child. In the morning rush, the mother took her other children, but left one behind crying in the backyard. Definitely not as funny as "Home Alone." Why does our society so embrace the idea of children? Utah has the highest number of children per family—and has since the tally began. NICHOLAS PAPPAS It's easy to recognize the precedent. Replenish the Earth; there are babies waiting to jump down from heaven! Each of us knows at least one family of nine or 10, or a mother who is perennially pregnant. Is this what people are looking for? Are women happy to be in a constant state of bearing? Is antidepressant use so high in this state because of it? It has to be bad for the back, doesn't it? There must be as many chiropractors per capita as babies where the pioneers finally settled. Economically and environmentally, we should all stop at two—two brothers, two sisters, or perhaps a brother and a sister. The pair would be enough to love, a companion for each to always have and two individuals to take your place on Earth when you die. Yet, we strive for more. We strive for crying children in theaters and weary mothers. We strive for income enough to make spaghetti mixed with corn or a nice meal purchased from the bishop's storehouse. Of course, there are exceptions. I have met my fair share of families where each child was brilliant. I've met musical families where every one of them could play an instrument. The difference is money and time. If you can support your children and give them enough attention, then I cannot begrudge your wish to continue to replenish. \ Still, in a world that gets smaller every day, where driving a car built for more than four is caus- ing considerable strain upon the very sphere our houses are built on, does it make sense to keep replenishing? In a nation based on wealth, where the gap between rich and poor will continue to grow as wide as a canyon, wouldn't it make sense to split your worldly possessions two ways instead of 10? The answer rests inside all of us. I can rant about loud theaters, obnoxious children with Nerf rockets or families so large they leave a child behind without knowing it. Deep down, though, we all do what makes us happy. We all do what helps us find meaning. I can't question that. ' Yet, perhaps next time you look to add meaning to your life, think about the quality of life you can provide—to the children and everyone else who has to deal with them. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu \ • — . —1 1 |