Now that the Florida Democratic Party has ruled out the possibility of a revote in Florida, the Democratic National Committee needs to accept the results of the Jan. 29 primary.
Monday's Alligator quoted men's basketball coach Billy Donovan commenting on his team's loss to Alabama: "These guys may need to be totally humbled in a way."
Congratulations, Alligator! You've once again proved your ignorance and close-mindedness.
In response to the editorial "Concealed weapons do not belong on campus," there are a few things that I would like to say. First off, I feel that my life is worth protecting, be it by wearing a seat belt when driving or carrying a gun.
After reading Thursday's editorial, it is clear that those in charge of the section are driven by fear and not logic with regard to concealed weapons.
I'd like to offer a brief response to the socially responsible investment story in Tuesday's Alligator, for which I was interviewed.
In regards to Ms. Meyerson's letter Wednesday about poor police response to the bomb threat, I agree that perhaps more information could have been made immediately available through emergency channels. But it should also be said that students, staff, and faculty need to use common sense when it comes to fire alarms and announcements to evacuate. The first priority of the police and other emergency responders should be to get people out of the building, with specific information about "why" as a lesser priority.
Marine training not at fault for video
When the alarm went off in the Florida Gym Tuesday, it was chaotic. There were no direct instructions other than the standard fire alarm the building is equipped with. All the message said was to evacuate the building. Students and faculty lingered because no one was given instructions.
Within the past two semesters on campus, I experienced my second UF professor close to tears when it comes to the budget cuts. The most recent 6 percent cut that departments must meet makes matters even worse at a school that is trying to become a top 10 institution. I want UF to be that top 10 school, and I'm confident that the only way that will happen is tuition is increased to similar rates of other public schools. One can take a look at the University of Michigan. According to its Web site, tuition and fees for in-state students are currently $10,448 for students in their first two years, and $11,776 for students in their third and fourth years. In comparison, UF's tuition and fees are $3,370. UF is an amazing institution, and I'm afraid that without an increase in tuition, The Gator Nation will be at a severe disadvantage in the future.
In response to Jack Davis's guest column Monday, I must say that I could not agree more. As a student within the Department of History, I see firsthand how the budget crisis affects things at every level. Classrooms lack dry-erase markers for the white boards. In one class, our midterms had to be printed on thirds of sheets of paper.
Reading yesterday's Alligator, you would have thought that the Orange and Blue Party got slaughtered. But we didn't exchange hugs of commiseration last night. We exchanged hugs of joy. We may not have won the executive positions, but we did win more Senate seats than any opposition party since the Unite Party won 13 in Spring 2006. The Orange and Blue Party ran a strong campaign, and I think even the Gator Party will acknowledge that.
The Gator Party's stance against online voting has pushed many previous supporters in the Greek community to feel that the party has lost touch with all sense of fairness. As members of the Greek community, we understand that electing a Student Government hostile to the Greek system is not in our best interest. But we also understand we are a minority on campus, and other students may not share our opinions. These students have the right to be heard, and online voting will make this possible.
As a freshman in 2005, I took state Sen. Mike Haridopolos' course on state politics, and I can say with confidence that he is a caring and competent teacher. He commuted to Gainesville to lecture and could always be reached when he was not here. On this front, he deserves more respect than the Alligator has given him.
I was told, "You are a woman, you have no voice," by a campus preacher on Turlington Plaza Monday afternoon. I was outraged. I was even more disgusted by the preacher's wife who stood in the distance saying nothing. I was also called a drunkard, a whore and a scantily dressed woman. I was pointed out by one of the preachers Tuesday while walking to class and bombarded with the same accusations. I was certainly not the only one.
Scanning the Student Government ballot Tuesday, I was extremely pleased to see the referendum for the creation of a committee to advise UF's Board of Trustees on socially responsible policy.
Like President Bush cherry-picking intelligence reports to show Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, Gerald Liles cherry-picks stats in his latest column to assert that the American dream is alive and well, although nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that working Americans have been at the job longer and working harder for wages that have been relatively stagnant since the Vietnam War.
First, it was President Machen's bonus on the eve of a budget crisis that angered those of us who have put in many years of hard work into this university.
As a UF alumnus and current graduate student, I was angered at the news of the hiring of state Sen. Mike Haridopolos. That anger turned to rage as I read the "Inside UF" section with a little epithet from our friend Bernie about the looming budget crisis and $47 million shortfall expected next year. His plan for everyone else is to ask every college to make 6 percent "general" cuts to its departments, not "across-the-board reductions." However, he is personally taking action by drawing a $300,000 bonus for himself and overpaying an under-qualified professor to teach political science while he works on his Ph.D. part time.
As a UF student, I have been interested in the controversy with online voting that has unfolded in recent weeks. I sympathize with both sides and see valid points all around concerning the issue.
Solutions by The State News
