‘U’ should provide academic instruction, not
unrelated student services
To the Daily:
Last week the Daily ran an article about “disgruntled
students” demanding that the University Board of Regents not
cut money for groups like Pow Wow, the Greek system, the Office of
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs and the Office of
Multi-Ethinic Student Affairs (Students protest service cuts at
regents meeting, 03/19/04).
These groups are wrong. The University’s job is to provide
students today with the classes, the professors and the buildings
to hold classes in and for which students pay tuition. The premise
that taxpayers’ money should fund higher education is based
on the fact that an educated citizenry facilitates the democratic
process and benefits all.
The University, however, is not a nursery school, a babysitter
or a project in social engineering. The University’s job is
to provide academic instruction.
If cut services like Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness
Center or the Trotter House are important enough to various
individuals or groups, then those individuals and groups should
work to fundraise and procure private funds for their
continuation.
Laura Davis
LSA junior
Co-chair, Young Americans for Freedom
Davis a good choice over Ivy-League pompous East-Coast
types
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to the letter to the editor from Adam
Paterno, Davis a poor choice for commencement speaker
(03/22/04). No, David E. Davis is not some hyper-political type
as you always see at an elite Ivy League university, but with all
the noise of this year’s presidential campaign and the
University administration’s politically disastrous moves in
recent years, perhaps it’s finally made the decision to play
it smart and safe and pick someone more local and sanguine rather
than some pompous celebrity from the East Coast who flies in,
ridicules us provincial Michigan types and smugly runs back to
wherever he or she came from. After all, didn’t Granholm
splash everyone last year with her insensitive comments regarding
the Michigan economy?
The administration has actually made a move towards getting back
to reality and finding a speaker with different perspectives than
the usual Ivy League commencement blather, and hopefully Davis will
impress us at graduation. Surely the University is not choosing to
bestow him with an honorary degree for just any reason, and I am
optimistic that this is more than just another ploy by the
administration. As for Davis’s long attachment to the local
automotive industry, again, it’s nice to see the University
actually care that it’s in Michigan instead of some ivy-laden
East Coast location.
Of course, I don’t expect Davis or Automobile Magazine to
hire anyone while they are on campus for commencement, but if they
do, I can’t think of it hurting any graduates in this
year’s job market.
John Laich
LSA senior