Separation of state not part of Constitution\nIn Ben Piper's column, "Vouchers won't save schools" (Feb. 25) he stated "…violates the separation of church and state, required by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution…" This is the only flaw in an otherwise well-written column. The First Amendment imposes that the state has no authority to impose an official religion, which is drastically different from the public conception of the First Amendment (separation of church and state). School vouchers do not impose an official state religion but merely empower parents with the decision to freely choose how public funds allotted to them are spent.\nHans Angermeier\nFreshman
Wake up: Knight's gone\nThis letter is in response to the article "Reaction to 'Brink' is Mixed" by Gavin Lesnick. Like many IU faithfuls, I sat down on a Sunday evening last week to watch ESPN's made-for-TV movie "A Season on the Brink." I think that, even though the movie lacked a little depth, actor Brian Dennehy did a great job in portraying the infamous coach of IU. The movie did not portray Knight in a disrespectful or false way. The movie clearly showed that although Knight was a credible coach and knew very well the game of basketball, he was abusive mentally to the team. The movie also DID NOT take a negative view on Indiana as a state. Where that idea came from I have no idea. The movie was trying to show how much Indiana was devoted to basketball, not just here on the IU campus, but all across Indiana as a state. The movie was showing that, even though the "hicks" lived out in the middle of nowhere, they still were avid followers of the IU teams.\nThis brings me to my final point about Bobby Knight. This university and this town need to wake up and realize that Mr. Knight is gone and is never coming back. All the talk about Myles Brand not firing Knight properly (however that's done) does not matter anymore because the fact still remains that Bobby Knight has a new job and is never coming back to coach at Indiana again. It's a waste of time and breath to argue otherwise. The sad part about this is that Mike Davis, a credible coach who took the basketball team to the NCAA Tournament last season and again this season, has to live under this shadow of Bobby Knight. Give Mr. Davis the credit he deserves and wake up and realize Knight is gone!\nAaron Goldsmith\nFreshman
Experiencing effects of racism first hand\nI am writing about something that I have never been faced with before, but I feel it is an important issue for our country that needs to be acknowledged. \nFor everyone who feels that racism doesn't exist in our country, here is a story for you. \nI took a routine trip to a local fast food restaurant, not expecting it to change my views of America. In the crowded store a white man began to yell the most disgusting racial slurs at an African American male. But me just saying that can't even begin to describe the hatred this man was showing. He threatened this man's life and the lives of those he was associated with just because of the color of his skin.\nIt was embarrassing for me as a Caucasian. The only redeeming fact of this experience is that the people in the store all spoke up against this man and ordered him to leave. I spoke to the victim of this horror and he said he has been experiencing that here for the last five years. Don't you think that for a place that is so concerned with diversity this might just be slightly unacceptable? He also went on to announce to everyone in the restaurant that this is how it really is. We can't turn our heads to this behavior. We need to acknowledge that racism does exist and do something about it. It's sick that these people call themselves Americans and still force other Americans (or any other nationality for that matter) to feel inferior. Do your part and realize this is still a problem. Be active and don't look the other way.\nMo McNally\nBloomington resident
