It’s good to hear the other side

In response to “Stay withing your style, avoid overindulgences” (Sept. 14 issue):

I’m usually too lazy or uninspired to do anything like this, but the article in Wednesday’s paper by Kelly Hultgren was such an unexpected and highly enjoyable article.  At a university where Range Rovers can be spotted around the corner and Louie v bags slung over every sorority girl’s fore-arm from here to Campbell Avenue, it’s nice to hear the alternative opinion for once.  Anyway, the article was truly inspiring and I hope other readers are also inspired to ‘do what comes naturally to them.’

— Jesse Gaver, Anthropology and communication major

Forget style, embrace safety

In response to “Wearing a helmet a day keeps the coroner away” (Sept. 13 issue):

Your article on helmets was fabulous. I think it is so important to raise awareness about the dangers of riding without one. Even though they look ridiculous and ruin a hairstyle, it is better than being in the hospital or even dead. I would rather look silly than get hurt. I hope this article encourages others to wear helmets and I can’t wait to see more being worn around campus.

— Claire McShea, Pre-Physiology freshman

A helmet helped me out

In response to “A helmet a day keeps the coroner away” (Sept. 13 issue):

My name is Patrick Pfeifer, and I noticed that your article about bicycle helmets used (on Sept. 13) included reference to my accident from last year.  As written, you seem to imply that the reason for my injury was that I was not wearing a helmet.  However, I was wearing a helmet and as I told the reporter who wrote that article (though she did not feel it worth including in her piece), I feel that it saved my life or at least reduced the potential for head trauma. 

If your piece did intend to place me in the “careless bicyclist who doesn’t wear a helmet” category, than it is false.
I wish you well in your journalism pursuit, but I hope that in the future you will more carefully examine the facts before you publish your articles.

— Patrick Pfeifer

Common sense is for everyone

In response to “A helmet a day keeps the coroner away” (Sept. 13 issue):

While I agree with Michelle Monroe’s recommendation that wearing a helmet is important when riding a bike (I’m an MPH student and a bike commuter — I get it), I disagree with her opening line of how bicyclists “have no common sense.”  It takes pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers to follow traffic laws and use a little common sense to keep everyone safe. Pedestrians walk in the bike lines, bikes don’t stop at stop signs and drivers use bike lanes as extra travel lanes.  Wearing a helmet and using seatbelts are great… but let’s also talk about everyone using their common sense out there, not just bikers.

— Melanie Fleck, Public Health graduate student**