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Show •HI] 4 OPINION Not done yet Friday, January 25, 2008 • ecause Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday—meaning no school or work—I had a little time to ponder how far we've come. It is nice to think that racial issues BEN are behind BAILEY us. lam grateful I don't live in the time of Jim Crow laws. I am also grateful that I live in a time and a place where I feel very comfortable associating with other races—and don't feel that I am being looked down on for doing so. It was also nice to see all the commemorative speeches given on Dr. King's behalf. I was also able to reflect on progress that has yet to be made. For instance, the recent protest by white separatists against the celebration of King. The question remains— when are we going to give it a rest? Part of the protest was spurred by the attack in Jena, La, against a white male by six of his classmates who were all black. Five of these boys were first accused of attempted murder. After protests that the charges were racially influenced, the charges were decreased. The protesters felt that white people were being treated unfairly in the case, and so, protested the decision as well as the holiday. B The irony is just too much to handle here. White separatists are protesting a man who had the same ideal they claim to have. That ideal is fairness. Anyone who has read one of King's speeches would understand that what he wanted was equality. The equality that white separatists claim they want is much different from the equality King envisioned. This is because for them white men and black men are not equal. I just wish they would recognize that, whether or not the charge being lessened was a fair decision, protesting the holiday of a man who wanted equality doesn't help their cause. Another ironic thing about the case was how few locals were actually present. The protesters were outsiders who mostly likely picked the spot because it is such a charged area. Locals have felt that they have been put in a negative and racist light because of the case and were not pleased with the protest held in their city. It feels as though it isn't so much a protest of civil injustice as much as it is a case of wanting pity. As a white male, I can't speak for what it is like to be in the racial minority, but I can speak for what it is like to be in the racial majority. life really is pretty good, and I am afforded a lot of opportunity. I don't feel I have any room for a pity party because I am white. It seems to me that protests like these originate with people who want all the attention and not with those who want to share it. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Pizza, Jan. 23,2008) News Fellow Greek Rovy Member posted 1/23/08 @ 1:30 PM MST I am a member of a fraternity and have been going down to Pi Kappa Alpha for years. Never in my time has a situation like this occurred while there. In no way does this skew my judgment that the members of Pi Kappa Alpha are honorable gentlemen that I would proudly have in my fraternity. I do, however, believe that Katie Baker was drunker than she claimed to be and is clearing lying when stating she did not provoke the man. TS posted 1/23/08 @ 9:01 AM MST Whether or not a racial comment was made doesn't allow for a LITTLE BOY to hit someone! Especially a female!! I don't believe for a moment that NO ONE at that party doesn't know the identity of this domestic abuse violator. One of you, grow some balls and turn in this guy. What if it was your mom, sister, girlfriend, cousin, or fiancee? NOTHING gives this brute the right to punch and cause the fractures and pain he did. He must feel like a great big man for hitting a woman. ^ ' • • • / • % : ' • www.dailyutahchronicle.com AWTHAT TO66* HAP ? WITH •£'• ' ' ' • • • . ' \ - - • i - v.p"(.v''."•••• PHILLIP CANNON/fttDefy Vich Qin&tfe LETTER TO THE EDITOR Teens need guidance about sex asditor: In "Setting an example: Spears goes from -Zoey IOI' to. Sex Ed IOI" (Jan. 8), Dani Kauerz discusses the need for comprehensive sex education for teenagers. Kauerz's column comes at a time when there is an urgent need for a public discussion on teenagers and sexuality. To ensure that the focus of these debates is relevant and realistic, young people should have a voice in this conversation. Although most parents want to believe their kids are consistently on their best behavior, engaging in abstinence without question and doubt, Utah is far from guiltless in the world of rising teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. According to the Utah Department of Health's Center for Health Data, there were 2,464 births to unmarried mothers ages 15-19 in 2006. Additionally,'there were more than 1,660 reported cases 6f chlamydia for teens between the ages of 15 and 19, and 145 reported cases of gonorrhea for the same age group. The column does a great job of discussing the need for adults to ensure that children have access to valid, factual information about sex tion rather than relying o n p produced by friends and the media. Kauerz brings to light the dire need for more wide-ranging sex education in schools in order to help prevent many of the unfortunate consequences of a seemingly ineffective abstinence-only policy. Although many are lucky enough to gain the basic facts about safe sex practices through personal interactions in schools and personal desires to seek out information, too many students find themselves lost in the confusing world of condoms, STIs, ' and the pill. . -: Fortunately, Kauerz is not alonein ; recognizing these needs. * Teen Lobby Day on Fejj Utah State Capitol a great opporrunirvi^^Bag^ts to gain valuable poli|iliai*experience $ \ andpfirticipattfnathe democratic ; • process by speaking about an issue, that concerns them. , -• Teenagers can travel to the state. J capitol and share stories with legisla-% tors about how Utah's silence around issues of sexuality affects them, their schools, their family, and their; friends. t The topics may be as wideie. ranging as sexual orientation, teen pregnancy and adoption, will'. \ hopefully provide our lawmakers with a better understanding complex issue. For more information on Teen Lobby Day, contact Joey Richards at 801-524-1710. Jasna Filipovic ' .;, C-Senior in the Economics and ,.;!•":' • Gender Studies Departments • • . ; • • " ' • ; ' . • , • " - ' • • : • : " • - ' • ; * * " • ' - • " " • - Wt- J...2— .-.,. „ Textbook tax cut won't be enouahi J ust as John Hancock thought carefully and deliberately before placing his ornate signature on the Declaration of Independence, students today should also carefully consider the proposals put to them before signing. ASUU President Spencer Pearson has recently built student support with his proposal to eliminate the sales tax on textbooks. This is being touted as an easy way to save students money. His administration has even urged students to sign a petition in favor of this measure. However, this is a flawed proposition that is too modest in scope. Pearson, his legislative allies and the editorial board of The Daily Utah Chronicle are misguided in their support for this proposal. The foundation of the argument in favor of the measure is fundamentally flawed. It is based on the irrational assumption that all of the benefits of the tax reduction will go to students. That is simply wrong. Basic economics indicates that if the sales tax on textbooks is eliminated, many groups will compete to collect a share of this newly released money. The first group is'comprised of university students. They are decentralized and unorganized, without a unified political voice. In addition, students are socially and economically segmented, which further reduces the group's market % ' 1 power. Because of these factors, there is little prospect of students acting together to bargain for their own collective benefit against more powerful and organized competitors such as the bookstore and textbook publishers. Both the publishers and the bookstore have a huge advantage over students because they have-a substantial amount of monopoly power, and thus, control over prices. As for profit businesses, they also have deep pockets and well-entrenched marketing departments to study how much students are willing and able to pay for textbooks before seeking out alternative sources. With the tax gone, both the bookstore and the publishers will easily be able to raise their prices to compensate for the initial cost reduction, thereby allowing them to increase their profits. These price increases will add to the already out-of-control textbook inflation instead of resolving it. Is it any wonder that although 17 states have passed legislation identical to that which Pearson is proposing, textbook inflation continues to escalate? The elimination of tax and other price constraints has amplified inflationary pressures, not reduced them. That means that only the most minimal benefits will be available for students. After a few years, even MATTEO JENSEN those savings will have evaporated as textbook prices continue to soar. Does that mean there is no hope for containing textbook costs? Of course not. However, achieving that goal will involve making bold changes and require courageous leadership. It is time for the U to apply a model that is nearly universal in the business world to resolve this issue and propel the university into the 21st century. That is the software model Today's companies, large and small, negotiate software licensing agreements on a per-user basis. Universities must do the same with textbooks—essentially moving all • books online—to lower costs and make them more adaptable to the changing needs of the information economy. Some will say that it is impossible for a university to adopt that model because of the nature of academia. However, public universities, such as the U, are subsidiaries of a larger state corporation. We have a CEO (U President Michael Young), a board of directors (Board of Trustees) and shareholders (the citizens of the state of Utah). The U is, in fact, very much in line with standard corporate structure. It needs to better serve its students (the customers) and shareholders to remain competitive in this growing industry. Instead of eliminating the sales tax on textbooks, the student body leadership must advocate that the funds generated from this tax be redirected to build the underlying infrastructure that will make the software - model viable for the university. With a few years of investment, the U will be able to build substantial architecture and recoup the initial investment for its shareholders while providing better service to students. For the publishing industry, adopting this new model would greatly reduce overhead costs, eliminate overproduction, and increase industry flexibility. The software model also has many advantages for the U and other schools that choose early adoption. First, these schools will jump ahead of the learning curve in making the inevitable leap from printed textbooks to software. The U could then increase its academic standing by attracting greater numbers of high quality students alongside substantial amounts of investment. v.t) Second, all students would have^; the same texts available to them. |'; No one. would need to wait for theirtextbook to arrive from interme- " '•> diary sellers, and no out-of-date "*3 copies would need to be purchased.i! This should make teaching much .TjJ easier for faculty. ^ Third, eUminating the print mod- ; el would be a bold statement on .the:! environment. There would be no \i wasteful use of paper and no need...!} for endless running of the presses !! for slightly updated versions. Reyiv* sions could easily and quickly be .;:* made as new information became -:j available. This would be especially « beneficial in the dynamic fields of - ?i study such as medicine, genetics pi and physics. * Sj Finally, it would save students* i£j backs. No longer do we need to ^jjj walk around like overburdened pack animals. Using a software model, «^i a computer would be the only tool^i necessary. '^| Pearson wants you to sign the pe:;i tition in favor of his flawed proposal al. Before you do, question whetherj Hancock would have defiantly f-j placed his signature on so modest a'r proposal. ' *;rt ; • -'^' I think not. Bold ideas are neces-' * sary to bring about a revolution. Th5.J world is going online. It is time for ^ universities to catch up, and quickly, ij letters@chrqnicle.utah.edu i • • r -^ |
