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Show Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 Page 11 =Free Speech Zone sews Utah State Universit • Lo • an. Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Student input needed in tuition decision Fifteen dollars a credit. It may not seem like much, but over four years it adds up to around $2,200 — not exactly a small chunk of change. The Caine College of the Arts is considering following the example of the Huntsman School of Business and requiring students to pay differential tuition — an additional charge on top of students' regular tuition and fees. The money would help create new majors in the colAn Editorial Opinion lege. It would also fund a new building on land the university recently purchased from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We understand the reasoning behind differential tuition. It allows colleges to recruit more qualified staff, update infrastructure and provide programs that help students secure jobs after graduation. All we want to know is when the line will be drawn. Are deans and administrators asking themselves if it's worth it for their students to pay hundreds — and in many cases, thousands — of dollars on top of tuition, books and student fees? Small differences in fees and fines are acceptable, but when two students on the same campus are taking extremely different hits to their bank accounts, something seems to be a little off. We commend the business school for the new programs they've been able to provide in the past five years. The SEED program, Entrepreneurship Center and a new one-year MBA degree are just a few of wonderful changes they've made. However, $67 a credit — the price business students taking upperdivision classes are paying this semester — is a steep price. Even though our business school tuition creeps closer to that of the U of U and BYU business schools, we still fall behind their programs. We're not doing a terrible job by any means, but students are pouring money into a program only to see slow results. In a town-hall-style meeting last week, arts administrators told students they were putting forth a fraction of what they would pay at a renowned school such as Juilliard. To us, this seems like a silly comparison. As good as our music program is, students are getting a fraction of the education they would at a worldfamous school. The college needs to stop spoon-feeding students rhetoric and create a truly open forum for them to express their feelings. In the end, whether the Caine College of the Arts implements differential tuition should not be left up to the men sitting at the top of the school. The students who spend hours in the theater, the practice room or the design studio should be the ones whose voices are heard. We encourage students to make their voice heard — no matter what side of the issue they're on. They have more power than they realize, it's just a matter of exercising it. Opinions on this page (columns, letters unless otherwise identified are not from Utah Statesman staff, but from a wide variety of members of the campus community who have strong opinions, just like you do! This is an open forum. Want to write something? Contact: statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu _„„ .NTNE STAR-LEX9ER 1-iENEMA Editor in Chief Steve Kent Copy Editor Eric Jungblut News Editor Allee Wilkinson News Senior Writer Tmera Bradley Our View Features Editor Natasha Bodily To BURY ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABucE IN A FILING CABINET. ForumLetters Author shouldn't speak at USU To the editor: Would USU book David Duke, the former president of the United Klans of America, to speak in the TSC Ballroom? Of course not, David Duke is a racist. Would USU invite Fred Phelps, head minister of the Westboro Baptist Church, to speak here? Of course not, Fred Phelps is a homophobe. Would USU invite Dick Masterson, a selfproclaimed chauvinist and author of "Men are Better Than Women," to speak here? Of course not; he is a misogynist. Then it begs the question: Why has USU invited Michael Kimmel, an anti-male ideologue, to speak here? Kimmel makes his living under the pretense of helping boys, which is ludicrous since he has nothing but contempt for them. To see this contempt, we need look no further than the book he is here to promote: "Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men." In the very introduction to the book, Kimmel states that at his son's Christening, he wished to say, "I wish that my son could have the courage of a woman." Can we imagine the outrage if his son had instead been a girl, and Kimmel had said, "I wish that my daughter could have the nourishing capacity of a man?" Early in the book's actual text, Kimmel states that penises should come with a warning saying, "Use of this device can cause violence and insanity." What if Kimmel suggested a similar warning for vaginas, such as "Use of this device can cause emotional reasoning, materialism and irrationality?" Males in Kimmel's book are, with little exception, painted as violent, brutish and unthinking. On the rare occasion that he does assign a positive attribute to a male, he conveys it in Nat'l View A look at what others are saying None of these people will be the next president of the United States: former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, a Republican now running for president on the Wind the clock back to November 6, 2008. Barack Obama made history by becomFrom ing the first AfricanOPtil the American to be elected gleft president, but the enthusiasm that encompassed the country was brought on by more than breaking down the racial barrier. For the first time in a generation, we had elected a champion of the people whose landslide victory had been built from the ground up, touching the hearts of nearly every American. Part of Obama's ability to connect with the American people comes from the fact that he is a living testament to the power of the American dream. Born in humble circumstances and raised in a single-parent home, he worked his way up through will and determination. He received an education, served his community and gave back by teaching, practicing law and representing his state before being elected to the presidency. His life reinforces the idea we all want to believe: Anyone can achieve great things, regardless of his or her background. Throughout his presidency, Obama has striven to do what is best for all Americans. He has particularly been an ardent defender of the middle and lower classes. If his political philosophy could be summed up, it would be an unwavering belief o ►See LEFT, Page 12 AColumn Divided Two students take two angles on one political issue such a manner as to suggest that even considering doing so should leave a bad taste in readers' mouths. Kimmel also contradicts himself in his rushed urge to demonize males. One aspect of Guyland that he criticizes is the suppression of emotional expression. While ignoring that this particular trait is an aspect of the self-sacrificing mindset is required of males in our culture, he then goes on to mention the very valid grievances that males have and dismisses them as angry white men who are bitter over having their "privilege" challenged. Personally, I don't think that not wanting to lose all your assets in a divorce, wanting to be judged based on your merits alone and wanting to be considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt doesn't come from a position of privilege. Those are all basic human rights, and for men in India and the West, they are rapidly disappearing. Phil Henderson is on the ballot in 48 states, Stein in 38, and Goode about 29. They also have ideas that differ from President Barack Obama's and Mitt Romney's. This is the reason readers have been asking me why there hasn't been more coverage of thirdparty candidates and why ►See MEDIA, Page 12 Most media pundits and even public opinion polls will tell you that Barack Obama can connect well with the average American. A lot of people can connect well with the president because of common American interests, like sports. The president has a gift for connecting with people, an attribute that undoubtedly aided his political ascension. On the surface, Mitt Romney might not look like the most relatable person. However, when you take a step back and look at the things that Romney has done for people throughout his life, you get a different impression of him than the one the media so regularly paints. I feel that I connect well with Romney, but admittedly, my overall impression of him is based on so many of the things that I have learned about his life that most people might not even know about him. A few of the things that show a lot of his true character to me include his charitable giving, church service and job compensation. He annually donates roughly 30 percent of his income to charity. He spent years in service to his church, including two as a young missionary in France and later as a bishop and stake president in the Boston area for ten years. He didn't take a salary as president and CEO of the 2002 ►See RIGHT, Page 12 Sports Editor Tavin Stucki Curtis Lundstrom Do papers overlook candidates? Libertarian Party ticket; Jill Stein, a Massachusetts physician running as the Green Party's nominee; and Virgil Goode, a former Republican congressman from Virginia running on the Constitution Party label. They don't have much money or name recognition, nor do they have big campaign organizations behind them. But Johnson Features Senior Writer April Ashland Sports Senior Writer Which candidate is more in touch with the people? Mike McPhie A*, A b ou tU S Photo Editor Delayne Locke Senior Photographer Curtis Ripplinger Web Editor Karli Brand Editorial Staff: Steve Kent Allee Evensen Delayne Locke Tavin Stucki Eric Jungblut Natasha Bodily Karli Brand About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). 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