Editor,
I find it very disconcerting that the Quality of Life initiative wasn't passed. If there's one aspect of New Mexico - especially UNM - that needs money, it's the fine arts.
If football or any other athletic program needs money, sponsors are quick to give it. If the sciences and engineering departments need money, the government grants them some because it can reap the profits. However, if the fine arts programs are in dire need of funding, which they always are, they're on their own.
When a bond issue is on the ballot to aid the College of Fine Arts and other art programs, the voters turn it down, believing that such a thing has no practical benefit. But this is untrue. I can't imagine a world without art, because art is what makes this planet we live on interesting. Art gives people the chance to see the world in ways that cannot be explained with theories, equations or any other rigid form that limits one's perceptions.
By voting against the Quality of Life initiative, the people of this county have done a grave disservice, refusing to aid the fine arts when they needed the help most.
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John Ralph
UNM student
