Editor, I read with interest "India's growth could be costly" by Santhosh Chandrashekar, published in the Daily Lobo on Aug. 20. The column primarily focused on the impact of India's growth on India itself. But the growth of India (and China) will impact all countries practicing free trade.
Editor, Completing a college degree can be a daunting challenge, especially for people of color and first-generation students who have few, if any, role models in their families and communities. This situation can be exacerbated by a university where 78 percent of the tenure-track faculty are white.
Editor, On a recent evening I went for a run around Johnson Field. After $720,000 was spent on buying and installing new lights, I expect them to be turned on. It was dark and raining fairly hard, but the lights were not turned on. I finished my laps anyway and began the return trip home.
Editor, In their letters published Thursday, Jay Nelson and Andres Saenz proved my point that personal bias is behind their opposition to the endowed chair in Roman Catholic studies at UNM. Nelson said he opposes the chair because he was abused. Saenz opposes it because he claims the church was to blame for the voices in his head and his depression.
Editor, Changes need to happen within fraternities, but they need to be more fundamental than having a live-in adviser or making sensitivity training mandatory for fraternity members. The root of the recent problems with fraternities is numbers. There is a small recruitment pool of students at UNM who are interested in joining fraternities.
Editor, After several years of writing to and being published in the Daily Lobo, I noticed that my postings are no longer being put up. I graduated from the University a year ago. I am a diehard advocate of free speech and will fight for the biggest pillar of our free society, which is rightfully found in college newspapers.
Editor, I just read the letter "Bookstore strives to make books more affordable" published in Wednesday's Daily Lobo. I found the title itself to be unbelievable. For college students, it all comes down to the price of textbooks. When I first came to UNM in 2002, I bought all my books at the Bookstore.
Editor, What subject should I study and what field of work do I want to enter into? What do I value, and what goals do I want to accomplish? How do I grow as a person? These questions can be summed up into one question: What is my vocation? The great Polish linguist, philosopher and theologian Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II, wrote on the subject of vocation in his book Love and Responsibility.
Editor, The article "Bookstore may not offer best bargains" in Tuesday's Daily Lobo fails to give an accurate description of textbook pricing and options. The reality is that college students have more textbook options available today then ever before. Publishers have responded to cost concerns by expanding options for lower-cost texts, including electronic books, loose-leaf editions, black-and-white editions, abbreviated texts, textbooks by the chapter and customized editions.
The discussion of whether or not UNM should include a chair of Catholic studies is not a question of church and state -- it is a question of whether or not we believe in educating our students of the world around us. It seems perfectly reasonable to have an academic representation of a predominant religious tradition in our University.
Editor, New Mexico calls itself the Land of Enchantment, but if Gov. Richardson, our legisla- tors and environmental regu- lators do not take a stand, we may well become known as the Land of Hazardous Waste and Polluted Water. Uranium min- ing companies are clamoring to begin again operations in New Mexico.
Editor, For what my own personal opin- ion may be worth to your readers, I too am opposed to having a chair in Roman Catholic studies at the University. Being a Mexico native, I was a loyal Catholic for many years. During those years, I was always depressed, heard strange voices in my head and had autism.
Editor, Bigotry, as one dictionary defines it, is "stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own." I find it amusing that such a term that so aptly describes the Roman Catholic viewpoint throughout history should be applied to me.
The University administration needs to take more responsibility for the actions of the three fraternities placed on emergency suspension within the span of a week. UNM suspended Phi Delta Theta, Kappa Sigma and Sigma Alpha Epsilon for incidents ranging from alcohol violations to rape allegations that happened in and around the chapter houses on campus.
Editor, Recent letters to the editor regarding the announcement of creating a chair position of Catholic studies clearly demonstrate religious biases. Why is it when a Western religion is recognized in a public setting, it is chastised? I detect a sense of fear that the courses will be over-spiritualized and under-objectified.
Editor, I recently told someone that I refused to be labeled either a conservative or a liberal because I was intent on observing what was really going on in the world, and that I wanted to decide what was real for me. The same person then told me the best way I could learn what is really going on in the world was to listen to Rush Limbaugh, because his reporting of the news was accurate and unbiased.
Editor, I want to mention that Accessibility Services in Mesa Vista Hall has a student book exchange going on. Students can log on to As2.unm.edu/phpbe for details. This book exchange program is a free service that allows you to check used book prices from Amazon.
Editor, The presidential debates have been addressing many issues that have been ignored, brushed over or considered unimportant by the mass media and general public. A great change is about to occur, not only within our nation, but around the world. This requires a good understanding of all current situations.
Editor, I just wanted to clarify some of the facts regarding the Bookstore's buyback program to eliminate any confusion. Buyback begins when faculty members give the Bookstore their textbook orders for the next semester. Once we get those orders, we are able to put them on the buyback list.
Editor, This letter is in response to the proposed ballot initiative that will end the winner-takes-all apportionment of California's large number of Electoral College votes. The framers of the U.S. Constitution created the Electoral College as a result of a compromise for the presidential election process.
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