Letters to the editor
K-12 killer
Laura Donovan’s column (High school math a reasonable UA course, April 28) misses the bigger issues underlying the UA’s need to offer high school math classes.
First of all, it makes sense that the UA is adding remedial math classes, because students should receive the help they need in order to succeed.
What worries me is that remedial classes such as intermediate algebra are even necessary. The fact that these classes are needed means that students aren’t learning what they should have throughout K-12 education. Our students are in need of a rigorous curriculum accompanied by the right teachers, funds, guidance, resources, motivation, etc. to ensure they are ready for the challenges that accompany college-level academics. This begins in first-grade and continues all the way up to graduation in May of their senior year.
Teaching university students high school-level math is one solution to some of the educational roadblocks that freshmen face. Remedial classes, however, are ultimately the wrong solutions. We must address the fundamental problems that are causing this need — not necessarily the students, but an inadequate system during K-12 education.
— Alex Yang
Aerospace engineering and applied mathematics sophomore
Fraternity’s fraternity
I found it interesting that the Daily Wildcat wrote an article about a missing student from ASU. Though the student, Daniel Heidlinger, does not attend our school, I think it is still important to worry about his disappearance. The article mentions Heidlinger’s involvement in the Sigma Chi fraternity and UA Sigma Chi’s involvement in aiding in his search. This information changed my perspective on fraternities. I have always thought that being in a fraternity was mostly for the excitement of being in a group of people that hosts outrageous college parties. However, I now see that these fraternities are truly a brotherhood. The fact that UA Sigma Chi is working to help find a fraternity brother that went missing at another school is touching and shows their care for others in their greater fraternity community.
— Elia Jones
French undergraduate
‘Greek’ geek
Being a comedy movie fanatic, I was excited to see what the reviews were for the new movie, “”Get Him to the Greek.”” In the article by Zachary Smith, the movie was rated a B+, and I am happy to see that a movie coming out with two of my favorite comedians, Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, received a pretty good rating. After learning that the director of the movie “”Forgetting Sarah Marshall”” was the same director for “”Greek”” as well, I cannot wait (for it) to hit the movie theater. This article let me know that this movie could be just as big of a hit as “”Forgetting Sarah Marshall”” because it is essentially a continuation of that movie. I laughed hysterically every time Hill and Brand were in a scene together in “”Marshall,”” so I’m excited to see what jokes they have in store for this new movie. However, I was disappointed to learn from this article that Jason Segal passed on writing this film as he is also one of my favorite comedians. All in all, Zachary Smith promised us readers that this film will have “”more belly laughs than any other comedy so far this year,”” and I am going to hold him to that.
— Emily Forman
Creative writing undergraduate
Civil obedience
As a Jew, a graduate student and an archaeologist who spends much time in Israel, I want to comment on the mall display of the Palestinian students. Though it is hard to achieve any message with a display, I think the effort that has been achieved is quite good. The display is extremely visual and it requires spending some time to talk with the Palestinian students. What is needed is to listen to their point of view on the situation that currently exists between Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. The thing that most impressed me, a strong Zionist, was the amount of time that the student representatives spent with me discussing the issues. Over the past two days, we spent hours talking, a Muslim Palestinian, a Christian Palestinian and myself, a Jew with Israeli citizenship. We each listened to the others, not necessarily agreeing, but spending time trying to understand each others’ views. We, all three of us, put effort in not simply talking about historical right and history of the conflict, but what things are like today for both peoples and how, if at all possible, we can move forward. Others gathered around and listened to what was a civil and considerate discourse. Maybe this is, itself, a start.
— Ken Miller
Graduate student
Freshman face fascism
Resident assistants across all of the on-campus dorms abuse their privileges, and students’ rights. RA’s can write a person up for hearing clanking bottles or smelling a substance or, even worse, call the police if you don’t “”cooperate and open the door.”” I didn’t know this was North Korea. We live in America, and college students have rights too. If someone doesn’t want to open a door to their residence, they should not have to without a warrant, nor should they be penalized by community service and fines for it.
— Alex Caniglia
undergraduate
Call for CatCard expanison
Are you physically sick of eating the same food that your CatCard meal plan offers? Aren’t Burger King, Panda Express and Highland Market getting a little too old? It’s time for students to have the freedom of choice. I think it’s ridiculous how places such as Jimmy John’s don’t take CatCard. The CatCard meal plan needs to extend to University Boulevard and Fourth Avenue, where local cuisine and culture lines the streets.
Colleges out east such as Penn State have an “”uptown”” where the student population creates the college-town atmosphere. UA lacks college-town atmosphere. Dining at local restaurants, students can enjoy what the city of Tucson has to offer, making the whole college experience come alive. College students are broke. Students have to spend their own personal money to eat off-campus food that is right next to their dorm. With this extension, students can make use of the practically non-existent trolley to get to the different varieties of local restaurants. University leaders and the student body president need to recognize the benefits and include an off-campus meal plan option to places on University and Fourth. If extended, these two streets will be flooded with students, making the environment of Tucson a chill college vibe that students need and will benefit from. In time, 21 and older students would start going to the bars, helping improve the local nightlife. This will also help the local economy, as local restaurants can make money from student purchased meal plans. Everybody wins. Likewise, students can take advantage of these places, transforming it into college life. This will add another facet to UA as not just a Greek Life school but also a bar town which, in turn, would attract much more interest from prospective students. The extended off-campus meal plan would bring the UA to the next level by adding the element of cultural atmosphere that would fulfill the full college experience.
— Jordan Friedrich
Undecided freshman