Thank a groundskeeper

It happened again, just like it has been happening for weeks. And this time I find it necessary to say something. It starts with a pristine open space on the campus of a large university, in this case the UA Mall. Combine this with thousands of people with something to celebrate, in this case a winning football team. Have a pep rally or a tailgate party and invite everyone, and I mean everyone! Plenty of entertainment, massive amounts of food and — yes — alcohol, creates a carnival atmosphere. The revelry goes on for hours, and when everyone leaves, the grounds are littered with the glass, paper and aluminum cans — along with other things better ignored.

But that is when it happens! When we are all tucked away in our beds, dreaming of our team’s victory. Like wizards in possession of a magical wand, the grounds crew arrives to return our Mall to its pristine state. They manage this, week after week, before we wake up.

So today I want to thank those who quietly clean up our messes, often “”under the cover of darkness.”” I urge you to take a moment; thank someone you see sweeping the sidewalk, picking up the litter or emptying the trash that we produce every day.

– Edith Burke, Graduate student studying special education

Academic success matters more than stereotypes

In response to the article “”Letters from Mal,”” and the letter by Haley Snodgrass: I don’t understand why Mal and Haley feel the need to judge everyone else. It’s unfortunate that you feel the need to elevate yourselves by categorizing others as “”bros or trashy, bronzed sorority girls.””

At the UA, we should be judged on only one criterion — academic performance. This is the only category that will increase the university’s prestige in rankings and reports. That “”our campus is factually 75 percent bro”” has no effect whatsoever on academics and intelligence.

Unless you are judging people based on how they affect the academic prestige of the university (which truly does affect everyone), then you are contributing absolutely nothing to the university community. Please take your judgment and prejudice somewhere else.

Mal and Haley, hopefully “”at this point, you’ll have the harsh realization that the joke is on you.””

– Alex Yang, Aerospace engineering junior