Editor, I've just finished my first year as a micro-lender. I lend money to business entrepreneurs in Third World countries, and I'm making a real difference in the world. For years, I asked how I could contribute, but I've also been dismayed by the lack of oversight.
Editor, I feel television is having a big impact on our culture and society. The violence on television is increasing at such an alarming rate that I am concerned for children who watch it. Every time I sit down and watch television with my 5-year-old sister, I am alarmed at the content being shown.
Editor, Gay adoptions are discriminated against. This needs to stop. There's no reason for it. People are adopting all over the U.S., but not all of them are treated with the same respect. With some, the adoptions run smoothly and quickly, while others run into roadblocks and setbacks.
Editor, I begin by saying the Catholic Church is fading away. We must all admit there is a problem with the way it's headed. First of all, the Catholic Church is one of the largest churches. According to common belief, it is opposed to three things: science, birth control and gay marriage.
Editor, I think Monday's front page headline completely missed the importance and significance of the GPSA meeting. As someone in attendance, I can say what I saw warranted a completely different story and certainly a different headline. In my mind, what should have been the story was all but 10 of the 60 graduate students in an overflowing room supported a president who is being recalled by the initiative of a few.
Dear Dr. Peg, What is TMJ? What causes it? What can be done about it?
Editor, College is often promoted as a chance to shine as an individual. However, when the University itself tends to promote an action by following the lead of others, one cannot help but be discouraged. There have been a few such actions over the years, but with the proposal of a campuswide smoking ban, I am afraid UNM has reached a new level of the illogical.
Editor, Why do some people see increased participation as a problem? More participation leads to more competition for funds. Certain individuals have a comparative advantage over others applying for the three GPSA grant awards. These individuals understand the process, know what to include in an application and what style of writing works best.
Editor, I want to compliment Nahzeha Hussien for speaking out in Monday's Daily Lobo about the lack of vegetarian options at UNM. As Hussien mentions, vegetarian options are more popular than ever, particularly among college students, for reasons ranging from health and environmental concerns to the cruelty to animals involved in raising and killing them for food.
Editor, The Ronald McDonald House Charities has done amazing work by helping ill children recover since 1974. It has helped thousands of children get through their illnesses by footing their medical bills and giving their families a place to stay while their children are at the hospital.
Editor, As a member in good standing among the indigenous Chicano community in Albuquerque, as a veteran and as a respected visual artist and poet, I write to you to express my horror at the insidious tactics being used by the National Guard to recruit young people.
Editor, The University has tried to implement a smoking ban on campus but failed. The issue is yet to be revisited. Students, staff and organizations on campus should support a proposal for designated smoking areas in an effort to keep everybody happy while moving toward a smoke-free campus.
Editor, I am writing about lack of vegetarian food options at the SUB. Every day, many students venture through the University in search of food and nourishment. The place many like to come to eat, study and mingle is the SUB. Although there are many restaurants with multiple options to choose from, I find it difficult to eat there sometimes because of the lack of vegetarian options.
Editor, As a student, I know most of us do not have a lot of extra cash lying around, but we still manage to buy holiday gifts for family and friends. I would like to encourage people to think about alternative forms of giving this year. Most of us really don't need anymore stuff, and there are a lot of organizations that help families locally, nationally and internationally that lack basic amenities such as food and clean water.
Recent disagreement within GPSA comes down to one thing: money. The accusations that I have mishandled graduate student fees are unfounded. The recent arguments in GPSA have been focused on the perceived "exorbitant" student fees each student pays in order to hire a three-quarter-time staff person. The exuberant fee in question here is $2, something that most, if not all, graduate students would call spare change in relation to what each student paid in student fees this year.
I've stayed out of the GPSA's internal politics, but I would like to address some of the issues raised by and in response to the effort to recall GPSA President Joseph Garcia.
Editor, I'm writing in response to a statement made by Mayor Martin Chavez concerning Rep. Tom Udall, which was published in The New York Times. In the article, Chavez refers to Udall as being the "fair-haired boy" of Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, and Sen.
Editor, Somehow, there's the idea that "good Americans" become silent, obedient followers so America can lead. That by looking inside and not outside, going to our little gerbil-wheel jobs on the ant farm, at the university and in the lab, we somehow put our best foot forward, outside.
Editor, We have serious problems with two of the structures on Main Campus - Ortega Hall and the Humanities Building, also known as Onate Hall. For starters, they're hideous. Blocky, rough masses of concrete that try to capture some of the pueblo-revival style UNM is known for, yet lack all the grace and dignity of Zimmerman Library just across the plaza.
Editor, I was extremely disappointed to see an ad in the Daily Lobo for a meeting hosted by Peer Mentoring for Graduate Students of Color on Tuesday. I was even more disappointed in the topic "Are We Minorities?" for a critical roundtable. In today's world of ethnic and racial sensitivity, it is hard to believe that a state-funded university tolerates an organization that openly limits itself to persons of color.
Solutions by The State News
