Singing praise for the Faculty Staff Choir
Thank you for the piece on the Faculty Staff Choir. The choir is a treasure, and your piece showed that.
As a choir member, I want to be sure that your readers know that this is a Faculty Staff choir. It is undoubtedly harder for staff to take a lunch hour than it is for faculty. Even so, the choir has more staff than faculty. As one of the faculty, I’m not prepared to say the staff sing better than the faculty, but it is certainly possible that they sing just as well.
John Warnock
department of English
Immigration example important
Thank you for the wonderful article. I was happy to hear about your story and the comparisons you made of how things are getting done in the Immigration departments. I also agree with you on the basis for granting citizenship. There are jobs such as the example you provide of the Vietnamese chef that will be left behind because of the lack of highly qualified immigrants. I come from two very hard working Mexican parents (both became citizens years ago) and I will never understand why there is so much anger at Mexican immigrants. Many have been sent back and yet no one is running out to do the jobs that they left. And the main reason is because no educated American-born (naturalized) citizen will do the low paying, hard jobs they do. I wouldn’t. So thanks for taking the time to express and educate your fellow Wildcats on the importance of having qualified immigrants here.
Angelica M. Loreto
senior office coordinator
University Communications
Synchro should be a varsity sport
UA’s Synchronized Swim Team put on an outstanding show Friday evening at the Rec Center pool. They looked impressively beautiful as they showed off their synchro-figures (strength and precision maneuvers) in the water, in a dual meet with Keuka College’s Synchro Team from upstate New York. Where were the Wildcat reporters to report on this amazing UA sport – which is also so visually beautiful to watch (and to photograph for the paper)? Future synchro swim action would be a gift for Wildcat photographers and reporters, not to mention for readers – and even better, for audiences at the pool!
UA’s synchro swimmers historically have been national champions (three times in the 1980s) when the AD funding crisis turned them into a club team instead of a varsity team. Club team = no scholarship funds, no travel funds, etc., etc. – you know the deal. Even so, these versatile aquatic athletes have managed to hold their own against other colleges’ varsity teams. Last year the UA club synchro swimmers were the best – yup, THE BEST – in the nation. And last night, UA v. Keuka had some of the nation’s best coaches and judges on deck – a memorable evening in many ways.
Why not help these leading athletes become a varsity team again, in view of their remarkable triumphs and high achievements? Especially now that UA is building its superb new 25-meter, 17-foot deep, diving pool north of the current diving pool … This could be the perfect venue for UA to host synchro meets, and for helping this synchro club bring distinction to UA as a varsity team!
Helen H. Bayly
Tucson resident
