Editor, I salute the UNM Humanist Society for holding a blood drive Tuesday. Supporting efforts such as donating blood falls loosely into what, as a Catholic, I would call a corporal act of mercy. While donating blood is not specifically enumerated, activities like visiting the sick and feeding the poor are expected to be performed by Catholics as part of our faith.
Last week, Iran ended its 13-day hostage-taking of British sailors when it finally agreed to send them back to Britain. During the ordeal, Iranian leaders acted as all other Islamic fundamentalists we've seen since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, parading their hostages in the global media, creating a facade that the hostages were not being harmed and making demands on the Western world. It's a picture we've become far too comfortable seeing.
Editor, I would like to address the issue brought up by Ann Kostecki's letter printed in Tuesday's Daily Lobo. I believe there has been some miscommunication about what our organization, the Student Action Network, is about, stemming from the article in the Daily Lobo on April 5.
Editor, In a speech given in New Hampshire in late 2006, Gov. Bill Richardson said, "One thing the Bush administration has never understood is that diplomacy and military power are not alternatives to one another, but rather complementary sources of strength.
Editor, This is in response to a letter on Tuesday from a disappointed student, uninterested in voting in the ASUNM elections today. Student apathy regarding ASUNM's lack of proper representation is understandable, but it is not acceptable. There is a reason ASUNM has been ineffective for so long.
Editor, The Student Fee Review Board is the most important body a student has the privilege to participate in. Ashley Fate and Louis Jeantete are both presidential candidates looking to lead the students at UNM, but do leaders abandon their responsibility when pressure presents itself? When the board finished the departmental hearings, deliberations were scheduled by all members, and the schedule of each member was needed before the date could be chosen.
Editor, I am writing to express my extreme disappointment in the actions of a current ASUNM senator and elections commissioner. According to the ASUNM Constitution - Article VII, Section 5B - two senators are assigned to the Elections Commission as voting members.
Editor, The past couple of weeks have seen the most accessible ASUNM election in the six years that I have attended this University. Thanks to multiple forums and the hard work of several of the candidates - notably those on the PAC slate - the students of UNM have had more opportunities to interact with their representatives than ever.
Editor, The article in Wednesday's Daily Lobo about the Student Fee Review Board proves the fears voiced by some ASUNM senators: "There is a certain bias for the ethnic centers." It is obvious they are the recipients of special treatment, and the proof is in the numbers.
Editor, Making community service a requirement has its obvious pros and cons. Even though the Service Action Network has the best intentions in mind, it may not be the way to go. While doing community service is something everyone should try, it should not be forced.
Editor, On Tuesday, the UNM Humanist Society and the Atheists and Freethinkers of New Mexico will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SUB Plaza in observance of Gift of Life Day. Gift of Life Day is the secular community's response to the National Day of Prayer on May 3.
Editor, I happened to read Henry Kennison's diary in the SUB as part of the New Orleans exhibit to commemorate Hurricane Katrina. In it, he mutilates the English language in a terrible manner, correlating verbs and nouns incorrectly. I prefer not to generalize, but this may imply that the state of Louisiana needs to undergo major educational reform.
Editor, Once again, the ASUNM elections are upon us, and soon, we will be forced to run the gauntlet between the SUB and Zimmerman Library. Every year, we're faced with this, and every year, it's the same thing - pretty girls handing out free candy and promises of change at UNM.
Editor, As a concerned student, I believe it is my duty to share with the student body the ways in which student fee money was allocated and spent, and how little students' needs and concerns were addressed in these decisions. In October, I was appointed to the Student Fee Review Board as a graduate student representative.
Editor, I would like to encourage all UNM undergraduates to vote in the ASUNM elections Wednesday. I would also encourage all UNM undergraduates to vote for the PAC candidates. Friday's edition of "Daily Lobo Asks You" illustrated a long-standing problem within the structure of ASUNM.
For all of you with vitriol to spew about ASUNM, here's your chance to ask potential presidents and vice presidents those hard-hitting questions you so badly want answered. For the first time in a long time, ASUNM's presidential and vice presidential candidates are opening themselves up to you, me and anybody else who wants to spend a mere hour and a half or less on the east side of the SUB or in its atrium today and Tuesday.
Editor, On Wednesday, you will have the opportunity to elect your new undergraduate student government leaders in the ASUNM elections. We want to educate you and convince you that your vote will not be wasted on our slate, KEY. KEY stands for opportunity, community and responsibility.
Editor, During my tenure here at UNM, I have served as a senator and vice president of ASUNM. As an ASUNM alumnus, I have seen a barrage of stories and letters to the editor in the past, and I hate to say they are becoming more and more negative. Lately, it seems it is almost a daily affair to hear something negative about the association.
Editor, In response to Kathleen Christison's letter on Wednesday, I ask the Daily Lobo staff to show more sensitivity in publishing articles with potentially erroneous information about individuals. Rather than address the substantive arguments of my opinion column, Christison focused her attack on me, suggesting my beliefs would be different "had (I) ever been to the West Bank.
Solutions by The State News
