College students should know how to walk

It sucks that more UA students don’t understand the importance of taking a daily walk. I’m pretty embarrassed that administration on campus feels it’s their responsibility to try and raise awareness about the positive effects of daily exercise by participating in the Walk Across Arizona initiative. I see plenty of students at the Recreation Center every time I drive through Highland. Expressions like the “”Freshman 15″” give incoming and former students a bad reputation, implying that we are lazy bums with no drive. And this is why we are so underestimated as adults. Although many of us do understand the importance of a healthy diet and exercise routine, it’s those who do not that lower the impression our elders have of us. I do respect that the Campus Health organization and administration are participating in the Walk Across Arizona movement. I just don’t think that we, as adult college students, have to be told that daily exercise is a must. We should already know that.

William Cooper

Undecided freshman

Answer to speech is more speech

After reading the Feb. 15 Wildcat opinions column “”Dial D for Death: The UA and Motorola,”” I was reminded of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s opinion in a 1964 obscenity case — he said he knew it when he saw it — but, unlike Stewart, who did not see it in the case under review, I see the column as depraved. I do not, however, want the writer to stop offering his opinions. As the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has stated, the answer to speech one finds offensive is more speech. I also would point out to faithful Wildcat readers that the “”prestigious world monitoring group Human Rights Watch”” to which the author refers, has, like himself, a pronounced obsession with denouncing Israel and a distinct tendency to ignore horrific (and actual) slaughters in places such as Sudan and the Congo or Pakistan and Iran, for that matter.

Tom Gelsinon

senior program coordinator

Which side deserves support?

Don’t call me a partisan — ain’t nobody a jingoistic Israeli nationalist here — but it is pretty clear that the position of UA (and US) human-rights-concerned 20-somethings is both one-sided and unduly focused on the issue of Gaza. The world hosts a rich variety of corrupt, violent regimes who do far worse than Israel, yet these are ignored by groups such as Mr. Schivone’s “”University Community for Human Rights”” in favor of this, their hottest button. And, lest we “”understand”” too readily the tactics to which Palestinian “”freedom fighters”” have had to resort under Israel’s extreme pressure — we need only read the Hamas Charter to realize they are not just nobly and innocently reacting to such pressure … So, before we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the fray on the side of the underdog, let us ask ourselves whether either side deserves such support. For the Palestinians just as much as the Israelis, this is not just a national struggle. There is blind, virulent, senseless hatred on both sides, and it should be robustly clear that if the power balance were reversed, the human rights violations committed on the new underdog would be, if anything, more egregious.

Linguistics senior

Gun lessons better than amateur psychology

Regarding the “”Forget Guns — take away the Ammo”” article by Tom Knauer: While I respectfully disagree with the article, I had to notice that you forgot to mention a small detail. It is called the second amendment. Every person has the right to defend his or herself. In the article, it mentions that “”Those most worried about what may harm them the next time they come to campus should consider what more they can do to help.”” What does that even mean? Do you want me to volunteer at a psychiatrist’s office? Maybe spend five extra minutes talking to a stranger? I bet that is exactly what the victims of school shootings do. No, why would they defend themselves after they have just been shot on their campus? They should go walk around campus and say hello to people they don’t know. Of course, and when they do that, there will never be a school shooting. I’ll be spending my time practicing my self-defense tactics and leave the “”talking to people”” to professionals.

Student

The world needs more SafeZONEs

Ever notice those small plaques with pink triangles that some professors have on their office doors? I’ve got one too. I had the honor of participating in a SafeZONE training presented by LGBT Affairs on campus on Jan. 27. The program contains two workshops: one on general LGBT education and another on becoming an ally — knowledge that can be applied to any group setting. I was pleased to notice the number of faculty and Residence Life participants outnumbered the students by far. UA, when did you become so accepting? Not that I’m complaining! Unfortunately, the program hasn’t gotten the press it greatly deserves. Despite new hate crime legislation and a rising number of states allowing marriage equality, bigotry and prejudice still run rampant across the world. Even in the last few months, we’ve seen reports on the exponential increase in transgender murders and mind-boggling slaughters in Uganda due to a lack of information about LGBT people.

Students, faculty, RAs, everyone: If you’ve been looking for a way to help out your friends, family, coworkers, residents, students, and about ten percent of the population, check out SafeZONE. The workshop gave me a rollercoaster of emotions and helped me understand and reflect upon so many issues that I and many others have faced for years. If everyone cared enough to learn how to help others, imagine what we could do with the world.

Biology sophomore