Editor, The Nov. 17 letter by UNM student Corey S. Davis suggests that Joy Harjo "found it unbearable to work in an environment that promotes personal freedom." The "personal freedom" Davis refers to is the freedom for tenured faculty to act unprofessionally, to participate in unhealthy and unethical faculty-student interactions and to endanger students' well-being.
Editor, It was really disappointing to read the article about Joy Harjo leaving the Creative Writing program at UNM because of one individual's behavior. Harjo said this person's behavior is problematic to the extent that the department "has been deeply compromised," and the best instructors are leaving or are in the process of leaving.
Considering the economic and political challenges facing the United States and the world today, and given the lessons learned in foreign assistance since it began after World War II with the Marshall Plan, now is the time that the Peace Corps should amend the role that its volunteers play in international development.
Editor, There is a lot of talk at UNM about making the school more environmentally responsible. A new degree is even being offered in sustainability studies. In keeping with this trend, the University and the state government should also consider making UNM more fiscally responsible.
Editor, I'd like to say good riddance to Rocky Long because, let's face it, paying a coach $750,000 is a joke. That money could be used for academic purposes and hiring and maintaining student employees as well as faculty. That money could be used for lab equipment and other more important things on campus as well.
Editor, After 11 years of mixed success, Rocky Long has stepped down. Yes, he had some success. Yes, the team has improved since he became coach. But I am glad to see him go. Rocky got a raise, but instead of improving team performance, the team got worse.
Editor, I am getting tired of reading all of these letters, mostly written by males, condemning the legalization of abortion. The thing is, even if abortion became illegal, it would not stop. It would merely take us back to the bad old days when you had to resort to a back-alley butcher to rid yourself of an unwanted pregnancy.
Editor, In Benjamin Sanchez's column, "Abortion a modern-day injustice," he claims abortion is analogous to slavery. This is absolutely irrational. He is accurate in saying slavery denied black people their "fundamental human rights," but there is no basis for a reasonable comparison between that and the fetus in the womb of a woman.
Editor, Rocky Long, our former football coach, made $750,000 a year. As a proud UNM instructor, counting the grading time, the course preparation time, the time for teaching, student conference time, committee time and service time - I am paid about 15 cents a month, and there's a freeze on my pennies.
Editor, I take great exception to the homophobia expressed in a recent letter to the Daily Lobo, "A society of Schraders would lack government, infrastructure," on Nov. 13 by UNM student Andres Saenz. While Saenz may find others who sympathize with him for attacking Don Schrader's decisions regarding taxes, personal medical coverage and income (to say nothing of his constant near-nudity), Saenz jettisons any goodwill his points may have earned him by opening his letter with, "Don Schrader is an overtly gay man who contributes nothing to our society.
Editor, On Nov. 3, President David Schmidly announced he created a committee to help make the campus smoke- or tobacco-free. The committee had its first meeting last week, and the next meeting will be held Dec. 19 and 20 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The meeting on Dec.
Editor, I'd like to point out a couple of things I feel were glossed over in the Daily Lobo article about the increase in pink card fees. First, this is not an across-the-board change for all pink cards. It only applies to pink cards that change credit hour totals.
Editor, I would like to remind your readers and staff of those who have been most affected by Joy Harjo's resignation and the interdepartmental rift that has been occurring for more than a year now: the creative writing students. Students, after all, are the reason an educational institution exists, right? And most everyone still involved - except for the students - cannot remember this.
Editor, Please, Jillian Downer, tell us how society is better because we have unfettered abortion. I ask that you not use slogans, mantras or the other distracting straw-man words that ignore the true issue: Abortion means killing a baby. Downer, your letter in the Nov.
Editor, To me, UNM is a place that is supposed to foster an enlightened and tolerant society. If so, Andres Saenz has missed that part of his education. Why is he so narrow-minded, intolerant and hostile toward gay men? I don't know Saenz, but when he wrote that Don Schrader is "an overtly gay man," I don't think he meant it as a compliment to Schrader or any other gay man.
Editor, President David Schmidly's proposed smoking ban for the UNM campus is another poor decision in the continued vilification of smokers nationwide. Ever since the report released by the EPA in 1992, anti-smoking activists have been trying to ban smoking and limit smokers' rights under the guise of public health.
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