In response to the Jan. 23 column “Don’t tie the knot right after college graduation”:

Danielle,

Many thanks for your article of January 23rd in favor of marriage — but not too soon. I am an Episcopal priest, but more to the point is that my wife have been married going on 47 years and we have two sons who both graduated from the UA. In fact, our elder son received his master’s from the UA (in Public Health) in December 2010. Yes, marriage is not easy. In fact, I suspect all marriages pass through rough waters over time, but it is important that marriage is seen a life-long commitment, a partnership. a joint operation. I tell young people, especially girls, that there is an order in life that is wise not to break. The order is: Education, marriage, and family.

The major cause of women in poverty in America is when family gets ahead of education whether marriage at all. As you note, the pressures of completing one’s education is such that it is less than desirable to have to balance education with marriage and/or family. By the way, Dr. Laura Schlessinger once wrote that “Commitment is spelled M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E.” Commitment is challenging within marriage (“forsaking all others as long as we both live”) is hard enough without trying to maintain it outside of marriage. I hope your article encourages your fellow students to consider the great role marriage plays in life.

Getting one’s education completed is wise before moving on to finding Mr. or Ms. Right. Also, in this day and age, think master’s degree as necessary. Best wishes in your studies.

— The Rev. Donald H. Langlois
Parent of two UA graduates

In response to the Feb. 2 column “Electronic bikes deprive students of exercise, cash”:

I’m not a student any longer but I do have an e-bike and rode it over 3K miles last year. Drove my car 1.2K miles so quite a difference from the years before the bike. I am 59 years old, have HCV, arthritis and several partial disabilities. I would not last long on a regular bike but now instead of 5 miles, I can go 20 with the same amount of energy or I can pedal all the way. It’s a personal choice I am glad to be able to make. Most people I know that own e-bikes that are overweight are in better shape and have lost weight because of the treks they make with them. Were it not for the enjoyment of the ride few would get out at all. Evidently you have not been on an e-bike for a length of time if at all. It’s hard not to pedal some when you are biking as it is the natural thing to do. Try riding one for a few months and then write your article again. Expect it will change a bit when you have a bit more knowledge on the subject.

— Duane Wight

In response to the Jan. 26 article “Jan. assault first in year reported to UAPD”:

After reading the two articles pertaining to sexual assault in the Daily Wildcat published on Jan. 26, the University of Arizona Oasis Program Against Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence would like to provide some insight and clarification on a few points. Unfortunately, counting the number of sexual assaults that occur on campus each year is difficult. We know that the majority of sexual assaults go unreported for a variety of reasons including shame, fear and guilt. The fact that students have a variety of reporting options both on and off campus, or choose to make an anonymous report with the Oasis Program, make the actual numbers of reported sexual assaults committed against UA students even more difficult to ascertain. Therefore, the number that any one organization provides does not accurately reflect the total number of students reporting sexual assaults.

All forms of sexual violence are horrific. Often when we hear about acts of sexual violence we immediately think of a stranger assault, since these are the types of assaults that get the most media attention. Although these types of assaults do happen, we know that they are the minority. The majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a known individual including, friends, a current partner, a former partner, or an acquaintance. The Oasis Program is actively trying to prevent acts of sexual violence by engaging community members in a dialogue about consent, bystander intervention, and challenging rape myths. We know that often as direct result of educational opportunities, reporting numbers go up. People may feel more empowered or become more aware of the resources afforded to them. We should not judge the safety of the school by the lack of reports of sexual assault, but rather by the presence of reported crimes, which show that students are aware of their reporting options and feel safe to do so.

— Erin Strange, violence prevention specialist
Dr. Kathe Young, Oasis psychologist