Privette applauded for following instinct

To The Editor:
I am writing to applaud SGA Vice President Amanda Privette’s commitment to leadership, despite the controversy over her actions regarding the recent free speech bill. Although I agree that the testimonials should be included in the bill, I believe that Vice President Privette followed her instincts as an SGA leader. She had simply taken the time to reflect upon a seemingly unclear policy of the rules for submitting bills, in order to ensure that the bill was entirely appropriate for submission.
Sens. Ian Mance and Paul Funderburk certainly have cause to be frustrated with the delay of their bill, but reasonable apprehensions must be respected. I do not believe that Privette’s approach to the situation in any way constituted a failure of her duties, as the “Our Perspective” editorial in last Tuesday’s (Jan. 29) The Appalachian asserted. Privette followed her conscience, which is the cornerstone of sound governance.
Patrick Ashe Curry
ASU Box 12221
Sophomore
ASU College Republicans

Discount card excuses fall short

To The Editor:
In the article, “Business report drop in discount card use,” the topic of the discount card is addressed. This is the second article that The Appalachian has written and it seems that the people making the discount card this year dropped the ball. Last year’s card had all the businesses on it, this year we all got to read a touching letter about the luxuries of life. In the article Marsha Moore quotes as saying that use of the discount card is less because: “the economy is down as a whole this year.”
Come on! A student has less money, so they decide not to get a discount, but instead spend more money on something they want to buy – that makes no sense. It seems clear to me that the card is lacking at best, with a picture a letter, and no redeeming qualities.
Amanda Marsh
ASU Box 07436

Administration looks out for number one

To The Editor:
Article 7, Chapter 126 of the N.C. General Statutes makes all university salaries public. A review of the 2001-02 budget, BD 119, reveals that the combined salaries of Vice Chancellor [for Student Development] Greg Blimling and Chancellor [Francis] T. Borkowski, alone, are equal to the average yearly salaries of 20 of the lowest paid staff workers, many whose inadequate compensation forces them and their families to live below the federal poverty line.
One questions the sincerity of the recent decision to implement pay raises for the lowest paid workers, as the plan came years after they suffered through a poverty-level wage, and only after the administration squandered tens of millions of the student’s dollars on non-essential construction.
The latest proposed $150 tuition hike was a rush job, first conceived on MLK Day [Jan. 21] and presented to SGA just a week later, when Blimling admitted the allocation of funds had yet to be worked out, despite his demands for an immediate tuition hike.
I doubt there is a single (non-administrative) person on this campus who doesn’t sympathize with staff’s current situation. And I think that most students would be okay with paying the money, so long as it is going to the low-paid workers, exclusively. That, itself, is not the problem.
The problem is that we have an administration that takes very good care of itself, financially; spends exorbitant amounts of money on non-necessity projects (i.e., another gym); and neglects to pay a living wage to some of its hardest working employees.
I’ll pay the $150, but with the understanding the university will reevaluate its priorities and begin to place people before profit.
Ian Mance
ASU Box 11755
ianmance@hotmail.com

Smoking can lead to impotence in men

To The Editor:
Judging from the enormous smoke clouds that are encountered by Mr. (Chris) Bohle (in a Jan. 31 column), myself and many others on this campus on a daily basis, it must be apparent to a portion of the student body that many of the male students who produce the clouds of smoke are suffering from erectile dysfunction. Medical research has shown that cigarette smoking doubles the likelihood of moderate or complete erectile dysfunction in men, and that 40 percent of impotent men are smokers.
While I believe that every man has the right to choose impotence, I have no urge to become impotent myself. I do not believe I should be forced to inhale second-hand cigarette smoke on a daily basis. If students want to light up a cigarette, they should do so away from building entrances. The university administration should take a long, hard look at the health dangers of second-hand smoke on this campus and firmly implement policies to help prevent erectile dysfunction among ASU students, staff and faculty.
Dr. Chad Raymond
Dept. of Political Science/
Criminal Justice
262-6350