OCR Text |
Show Views &Opinion Page 11 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, the street painting event was held, Monday night. I want to make it clear that this disgust was in no way influenced by the paintings themselves, which are beautiful and a great way to exhibit school spirit. Instead, I was appalled by what I saw in the immediate vicinity. A once spotless area representative of campus as a whole, now resembles a preschool classroom where the chil- From Page 11 dren were left unsupervised with finger paint. How did an event aimed at increasing school pride turn into a vandalism party? What possessed my peers to desecrate such a beautiful campus? I just wanted to let the parties involved in the painting escapade know that not only do your actions reflect poorly upon yourselves but also upon the student organi- zations you were painting for, as well as the student body, faculty and staff, and the university as a whole. What did the alumni think when they visited over the weekend and found a scene akin to a preschool art room where hand prints and spills littered the walkway, buildings and signs? Tyler Baird Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 Opposition for opposition's sake I found Liz Emery's article to be simply terrible. It was unsubstantiated, unclear in purpose, and designed to bring out the worst in both Mormon apologists and Mormon adversaries. It clearly shows a desire to start an argument, using inflammatory language, vagaries, and demonstrating the worst of yellow journalism. However, I will defend to the death her right to continue with such unsubstantiated, inflammatory, purposeless articles, because her right to freedom of speech and her right to freedom of the press are implicitly tied to my right to freedom of religion. I am secure enough in my faith to not need to fight about it. I hope for the day when individuals will no longer see the need to be contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Andrew Munguia Resources meager for drawing student feedback On the first floor of the Taggart Student Center, across from the smell of Taco Time Mexi-Fries, is a lemonade stand-type kiosk. Behind this booth is a white board displaying activities planned for the current week, written in partially ... I've seen many students who walk in a wide curve to avoid the booth." — Catherine Meidell faded dry-erase marker. A slew of assorted papers lie in stacks on the booth's countertop. Now, I know what this booth is, but do any of the other students know? I have been impressed by the consistency the ASUSU council has maintained in manning this information booth for the convenience of passing students. These leaders will drum their fingers behind the counter, serve their time and take off when their slot is filled. Every time I pass while walking From the soap box to The Statesman Office, I see this job is nothing short of monotonous. From my observations there are very few who actually stop and are not acquainted with the ASUSU council member in charge of the booth at that time. I've seen the booth serve its purpose best when those who sit behind it beckon students over. At the same time, I've seen many students who walk in a wide curve to avoid the booth and the ASUSU members who were trying to seek their input. During Day on the Quad, the ASUSU Student Advocate Jason Russell, and others who volunteered at his station, lured students in with free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. If students would offer their opinion on various campus operations, they were rewarded with food. It is always a wise tactic to involve food when bribing college students, and I'm sure this initiative yielded good results, but I'm also sure ASUSU does not have the funding to provide food every time its members wants to have meaningful dialogue with students. So, is there a better way? Surely, it is not possible to have a flashing sign on every corner telling students everything they need to know, egging them on to learn more about opportunities on campus. After growing up in Reno, Nev., with billboards lining the streets to my neighborhood, I'm not sure I would appreciate that, anyway. On the flip side, the current lemonade stand set up isn't exactly what the doctor ordered. I commend the council for actually utilizing this space, when last year it was for the most part abandoned. It's nice to see some follow-through after hearing candidates rant on and on about working for the students, during elections. It would be beneficial, though, to work for the students in a space that is noticeable and inviting. Otherwise, sitting at the lemonade stand could remain fairly lonely. — Catherine Meidell is a senior majoring in English and print journalism. She is the editor in chief of The Utah Statesman. The "soap box" column features Statesman staff members' views of USU. She can be contacted at catherine. meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu . Wednesday October 5, 2011 3:00 p.m. 4- 7:00 p.m. TSCI3allroom Visit web site fora list of employers attending wwwusu.edukareer (435) 797-7777 LIZZEN UP, From Page 10 Feel the reward of supporting a paycheck such as extra deep-cleaning projects or even wash dishes when business is too slow to justify paying a dishwasher to clock in. This is, in my opinion, the most unethical part of the whole situation. If deep cleaning needs to be done in any other industry, specialists are called in, or regular employees are paid at least minimum wage; anyone who's ever worked in the food industry can testify that some of the most disgusting deep cleaning that exists on the planet originates in restaurants. Because serving, like most hourly jobs, is an employment-at-will contract, an employer can fire an employee for any reason — including not doing manual labor for $2.13 an hour during downtime. This guarantees restaurants the ability to exploit servers. The bottom line is there is no legitimate justification for restaurants paying servers and other front-of-house staff less than minimum wage. Once, someone told me if paid minimum wage, servers would lose all incentive to serve well. This is false in a number of ways — if they are paid minimum wage, they still have incentive to be a good server and earn good tips; they have incentive to work hard so they can keep their job; and they'll feel much more rewarded as an employee who knows they'll make money regardless of the pace of the shift. In addition, the restaurant itself will be rewarded with more loyal employees who know their workplace has their best interests in mind. Unfortunately, the laws dictating tip-earner wages won't be changing anytime soon, so please be courteous when you go out to eat. I've heard college students say they couldn't afford to tip their server, so they didn't. If you can't afford to tip your server, you can't afford to eat out. Always factor in the cost of a tip into your total expenses, and unless the service is absolutely terrible, or there was a dead bug in your food, there's no reason to tip less than 20 percent. Your server will be happy to provide excellent service should you ever come in again, and you'll get that warm, fuzzy feeling in your generous heart knowing you did the right thing. Or maybe you won't; after all, it's only my opinion. Speaking of which, I contacted The Statesman about writing an opinion column because I'm opinionated, and I enjoy expressing my opinions. I've gotten several you'll get that warm, fuzzy feeling in your generous heart knowing you did the right thing." " Presented by The Department of Theatre Arts — Liz Emery responses to my pieces stating that I'm engaging in poor journalism by presenting biased arguments and not citing sources. To clarify, let me state the facts: I am not a journalist. I'm an opinion writer, and opinions are — by definition — biased. Because I have a word limit, I don't use my space to cite sources, although I'm happy to give them to anyone who asks; and because it's an opinion column, I am not obligated to do so. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding or controversy. — Liz Emery is a senior majoring in English. Her column appears every Wednesday. Comments can be sent to her at liz. emery@aggiemail.usu.edu . So, something on your mind? You can always write a letter to the editor. Time to shine. Co to www.utahstatesman.com for a submission box. Sept.. 22-24,26—Oct.. 1 I 7:30 PM Black Box Theatre I FAC 224 I USU Campus Tickets: $13 General Admission 1 Free for USU Students arts.usu.edu 1 435.797.8022 1 CCA Box Office Chase Fine Arts Center 139-B, M—F, 9-5 1 USU Campus UtahStateUn ive rs ity |