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| Professor’s lack of concern,
help |
Joy Marschall
Senior
joyfilledm@yahoo.com |
To
The Editor:
I have recently become very frustrated with many
of the professors at Appalachian State University. I am part of
a semester-long group project for an on-campus client for my public
relations class. We developed a 10-question survey to further the
research of the campaign.
The surveys, with an attached cover letter explaining the purpose
and directions to complete it, were delivered to every department.
In order to have a contact person, the surveys were placed in the
care of every department chairperson.
We allowed one week for completion and disappointingly, many professors
weren’t helpful - they simply forgot to pass out the surveys,
admitted they didn’t want to do it or said they didn’t
have time. How much time would have been required? This is why I
am frustrated.
Not all departments responded this way, but enough did to make our
survey work almost useless. Appalachian’s mission includes
“the practice and propagation of scholarship. This is accomplished
particularly through instruction, but also through research, creative
and service activities of the university community.”
I agree that a majority of the learning process is in the classroom,
but there are other valid ways to learn that need to be encouraged.
My group’s learning experience was thwarted due to the lack
of concern and help from the very educators on our campus. Are the
professors in compliance with the mission for working at ASU? Basically,
are they willing to enhance any student’s education journey
in any way that is helpful?
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| Congress has not yet declared war |
Matt Lawson
Master’s Candidate
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
ML28103 |
To
The Editor:
I would just like to remind the ASU community
that this so-called war on Iraq is not an actual war. War has not
been declared. ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ is an executive
action called by our President. If the President has so much popular
support for a ‘war,’ why hasn’t Congress declared
war, as is required by the Constitution? We’ve sent 230,000
troops over, already suffered captures and casualties, and the ‘war’
is only a week old. Yet still we have no declaration of war. Of
course, we haven’t actually declared war since WWII.
This is just another example of how, on a scale of 1 to 10, this
war’s got a sketch factor of 12. And there are plenty more
examples out there, which is why I find myself praying for our troops
nightly. In Iraq and in Afghanistan, we have men and women putting
their lives on the line for presidential policy, which our President
has not convinced me to be the right way for this country to go.
I cannot support a President who hasn’t earned my support.
No American can. Blind acceptance of the President’s words
is not how a democracy runs. The ‘war’ has started. Soldiers
have died. Still questions remain unanswered. We as Americans must
ask ourselves if all of this will be worth it in the end. Keep in
mind that we, and by ‘we’ I mean President Bush, started
this war, not Saddam Hussein (though he did little to prevent it).
And are we prepared to suffer the consequences of this act? This
time that ‘we’ means you and me as American citizens,
for these consequences will last much monger than any presidential
term of office.
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| Student body should be proud of
SGA |
Luke Dyer
Director of Public Affairs, SGA
CD42329 |
To
The Editor:
After reading “Our Perspective,” March
20, one could be misconceived to believe that the problem of student
apathy has been growing through the past years at Appalachian State
University. Fortunately this is not the case. The Eller/Williams
ticket received more votes in last year’s election than any
other ticket in ASU history (1,414). Last year ASU had the highest
voter turnout for SGA elections (2,803) proportionately than any
other school in the state. Countless times I have opened the paper
only to see articles that criticize and demean both the SGA administration
as well as the student senate.
While some of these articles may carry some truth, they do not do
much to combat student apathy here at Appalachian. Because of this
year’s SGA, we are not having a campus-based tuition increase
or a proposed tuition increase by the Board of Governors, we have
increased our efforts on a statewide level with Association of Student
Governments (ASG), we had more students attend the student’s
day at the Capitol than in previous years, we have more businesses
than ever before on this year’s student discount card and have
increased the level of cultural diversity on campus by adding several
classes educating students in multicultural areas.
Thus far this year only one of the pieces of legislation passed
by the student senate has been turned down by the administration.
Although student apathy is a problem, the student body also has
a lot to be proud of with SGA.
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| SGA should focus on student body |
Jamie St. Clair
Greensboro, NC
B.S. Education, 1995
M.S. Accounting – Taxation, 2000
jamie.st.clair@us.pwcglobal.com
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To
The Editor:
Where is Student Government Association from - France?
Does SGA realize that 70 percent of the United States population
supports the war in Iraq?
People outside the confines of SGA have paid attention to the atrocities
that Saddam Hussein has committed against his own people - chemical
attacks, torture rooms, rape rooms, human shredders, etc. I guess
because SGA senator Funderburk believes containment works, everything
must be sunshine and lollypops for the Iraqi citizens. Containment
does work for lawless dictators like Hussein. He’s had time
to develop weapons of mass destruction and murder anyone who opposes
him. Remind me, did President Bill Clinton’s containment of
Osama bin Laden work? (See September 11, 2001)
SGA Sen. Barker said we should lead by example. We are. The Iraqis
he wishes the U.S. would leave alone have wept as they see the coalition
troops enter Iraq in order to liberate them from their maniacal
dictator. Our example is to free oppressed peoples from murderess
rulers, and to not have relativistic morality to satiate the ‘world
community’.
As for the United Nations, are the senators aware that Libya is
to head up the Human Rights committee and Iraq was to head up the
UN conference on disarmament? Do you not see the irony and utter
uselessness of the United Nations?
For those senators who voted against this inane SGA bill, you have
my admiration and respect. The SGA should focus on the ASU student
body. Isn’t there a parking ticket issue or Greek organization
to complain about anymore?
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