UF students may be wary of the Bright Futures bill, but incoming UF students should be furious.
I was glad to see the article in Monday's Alligator on UF's billion-dollar endowment. Since the '80s, students have had to deal with increasing debt as tuition rates continue to rise faster than inflation. With this rise in tuition comes the inflated salaries of school administrators and university endowments reaching into the billions.
Sen. Jeremy Ring's proposal for the modification of Bright Futures falls far short of anything bright. A student majoring in biology with an SAT score barely above the national average and a mediocre GPA would be awarded more money than a philosophy major who scored a 1500 on the SATs and had straight A's. Not only is that absurd, but just imagine the implications of that sort of scholarship.
The proposed changes to the Bright Futures program are ridiculous. The change, along with the possibility of tuition increases and the likelihood of universities accepting fewer freshmen, would make college more difficult for many students.
While I respect both Robert Agrusa and Thomas Hawkins Jr. in their impassioned effort to give younger people a representative with whom they can identify and general residents a stronger bridge across generations, I do not extend that respect to the Alligator Editorial Board.
Today is Election Day, and that means it is time to get out and vote!
UF President Bernie Machen is in no way obligated to keep his politics to himself.
I'm disheartened by the majority of our students' determination to bash President Bush. In the wake of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and skyrocketing oil prices, we're living a quality of life similar to before all of these things took place. This fact speaks volumes about the president's policies, both foreign and domestic, because no other country's economy could boast such resilience.
Wednesday's letter from Wayne Jespersen is disheartening in its apologies for a failed administration. The way Jespersen characterizes the presidency was the way it was intended when the Constitution was written. Reality could not be further from the truth, however.
UF President Bernie Machen's decision to endorse John McCain is an unusual move for a university president. The job of the university president is to serve as an impartial representative of UF, not a partisan politico.
Despite its placating claims, the editorial board clearly does not understand that Bernie Machen retains his right to political expression.
As a private citizen, President Machen has every right to express his opinion about political candidates and should be able to endorse whomever he wishes. But Machen should not be able to utilize his title as UF president to support a presidential candidate.
I suspect Mr. Machen does not possess a very strong respect for the intellect of the UF student body or faculty.
Tuesday's editorial cited President Bush as the cause of many ills, when in fact, it is Congress that passed those bills. The president, after all, has little authority. Mostly, he can start and stop wars. In the end, it's the legislature that introduces and passes bills, and they can override the president's veto.
On behalf of Bread of the Mighty Food Bank and the people of our community, I thank you for supporting the food bank by publicizing the need for emergency food supplies during the holiday season.
I was disappointed in Ms. Hastings' response to Carly Hallam's Friday column, as it is evident that she attacked Ms. Hallam as a result of her own misunderstanding.
Tuesday's letter from Kaitlyn Hastings regarding Carly Hallam's Friday column was unnerving. How could someone imply that higher education is solely for those that will pursue their careers?
In response to Friday's letter by Marshall Printy, the author seems to feel that the intent of the educational system is to "teach students to find the correct answer" on a standardized test. Reality and the world around us do not consist of a single set of questions that every person must answer. Some sixth and eighth graders who performed poorly in their last standardized test are now, by state law, only taught reading, math and science each day.
I am writing to say I was disappointed with Bryan Jones' column about how the UF-University of Kentucky men's basketball rivalry was now "just another SEC game."
I couldn't believe what I read in the Friday issue of the Alligator. A panhandler making $40 to $50 a day? That's amazing!
Solutions by The State News
