International students forgotten in Corvette raffle\nI have been involved with IUSA since I arrived in Bloomington. Every year there are new ideas, new ways of doing things and new strategies. I actually think that it is a great way to keep things fresh and new. But every year there is also the same critique against IUSA. IUSA, who should represent everyone on campus, always gets blamed for not doing it. In this case it happened again. I do think that voting is extremely important. I actually am very happy that IUSA wants to increase the voter turn out. But to spend such an amount of money should be discussed with the entire congress after the senators have been inducted, trained and are comfortable in their positions. I am an IUSA senator and I am also German. I vote for everything I can because I know how important a vote is. I would love to enter the drawing, since if I could vote I would be eligible. But since I am German I will not be able to vote and therefore I will not be able to participate in the drawing, the same will happen to thousands of international students. Not because they are not voting conscious, but because they are not American. IU is known for the international environment, for having so many different cultures and for being internationally friendly. Well, clearly this time, IUSA forgot about the international students. Minorities should be considered even if they are not the majority. I have nothing against finding a way to help the voter turnout. But I do have something against when money that international students paid (many if not all have VISA, most of them do have IUSA VISA cards too), is not used to benefit them as well. $61,000 is a lot of money, and I am sure that this money can help even more if we can brainstorm with all of IUSA. We are having a wonderful retreat on the Sept. 14. That would be a good place to start thinking how to spend the money.
Better investments than a Corvette\nDoes a 163,934 percent return on your money sound too good to be true? If a person exhibited more common sense than that of a wilted house plant, he or she would be highly skeptical of this investment. But the Kirkwood ticket is willing to gamble with $61,000 of IUSA money with the chance that politicians might actually win office and follow the agenda that they publicized in hopes of high returns. \nAs a student who has dabbled in IUSA and in lobbying, there is one thing I learned: the chances of predicting a politician's actions while in office are about as good as having made money on the WorldCom shares that you own. IUSA's motives are noble in thinking it can help land $100,000,000 for IU in the future by buying the student vote in Indianapolis. With their motives I won't disagree. \nPlease take caution as IUSA has lobbied before. Two years ago, a State representative won office with IU student votes because of her desire to eliminate the textbook sales tax. Her agenda changed to help the poor children of the state, leaving her constituents empty-handed. The state budget is bleak, tuition increased more than twice inflation and the stock market is arguably in a bear market, yet IUSA thinks that a 163,934 percent return on students' money is feasible! Call me crazy, but the only way this is possible is if the Kirkwood ticket is married to Martha Stewart's financial advisor who will warn them of diminishing financial returns.\nI have a better idea than to mess with the red tape in government. Why don't we send Bill Gray out to Las Vegas with $61,000 to play blackjack? Vegas wasn't built on winners, but it is probably a better investment than a Corvette that may go to a student who didn't even vote for the candidate who will lobby for IU at the Capital building. I challenge the IDS to start an online poll of its readers to get their opinions. Who knows, maybe Kirkwood's support on this issue would even have the Enron execs of two years ago jealous?
Vote and make IU's voice be heard\nOver the past few days, I have heard mixed reactions to IUSA's contest announcement. Many people think that it is great that someone is trying to motivate students to vote. Others feel that it is a colossal waste of money. It is the latter group which we wish to address. \nThe individuals in this group fail to realize how dire the situation is with regard to the University's funding in the Indiana Legislature. There is a very real possibility that tuition could go up as much as 20 percent next year if the state continues to slash funding for IU. Do you realize what a 20 percent increase would do to students? It means that you, your next door neighbor or even your girlfriend might not be here next year. Why? Because a higher education will no longer be a financial possibility. This is exactly what was going through the heads of the IUSA administration when this idea was created.\nSome people say "Why spend money on a Corvette? Why not buy a DVD player or a cheaper car?" I'll tell you why. Those tokens don't attract the attention that needs to be brought to the issue of higher education funding. We want every person in the State of Indiana to turn on his or her television, open up a newspaper and see that the Indiana Legislature has been turning its back on IU. DVD players and cheap cars don't get that kind of attention. A Corvette does.\nFor those of you who think in terms of numbers, here is the bottom line. IUSA is making a $61,000 investment to do one thing: prevent your tuition from going up. This $61,000 investment could net hundreds of millions of dollars for the University. Think about that $61,000 for hundreds of millions. Sounds like a pretty good return on investment doesn't it?\nSo, for those of you out there who still think this is a crazy idea, we want only one thing from you. Vote. On Nov. 5, go to the polls and make sure IU's voice is heard. Let the legislators know that they can no longer turn their backs on IU.
Blattert, put your complaining to good use\nHaving spent the past three months working as an intern with the U.S. State Department in Warsaw, Poland, I was interested to learn about the "typical bureaucrat" Cherry Blattert mentions ("Who screens screeners?" Sept. 4). The "idiots" I worked with were, by far, the most intelligent and creative thinkers I have had the pleasure to know. Same goes for those I worked with as a state employee in Illinois and Washington State. Certainly there are incompetent public sector employees out there, but you seem to have amnesia when it comes to the problems brought about by the courtesy of folks who let profits come before social responsibility. \nHere's a suggestion: Take your education and your "outside-of-the-box" thinking and put it to good use by becoming part of the civil service (see www.state.gov to learn about internship opportunities). I think you will find the work just as rewarding and challenging as any private sector job. Will you get rich doing it? Probably not. Will you starve? No. Complaining about government incompetence is too easy. Why don't you do something about it?
Retain memories, don't commercialize Sept. 11 as holiday\nI'm writing this letter to expound upon the ideas Evan Ross expressed in his article "September 11th not a Holiday" (Sept. 5). \nThe only effective way to make Sept. 11 a true memorial is for everyone who lost someone in the accident and even those who didn't, is to take time out to pray, think or do whatever your religious or non-religious convictions may call for. Whenever tragedies such as this one are placed in the limelight, the "specialness" will depart with much haste, just as Evan Ross expressed in his article. \nIn my letter to you that I wrote almost a year ago to the month, I expressed concern over the images of the planes striking the towers being played over and over again. Why not show photos of WWII veterans being gunned down when Memorial Day rolls around? Where are the photos and news clips of the Challenger spacecraft exloding in flight every Jan. 16? That would be no more healthy than the situation we currently find ourselves in. There is no need to sit and weep as images flash across our television screens. The only greiving that should be done is in private as those who lost loved ones in our most recent tragedy and those who have lost loved ones in previous tragedies think back on the fond memories they hold so dearly. Build a memorial where the towers once stood. That is the most that should be done. \nHolidays are merely created to politically appease the public consciousness. Wouldn't you rather retain fond, non commercial memories of your loved ones, rather than have them scarred with political speeches from politicians stating how tragic an event was when we're all blatantly aware of magnitude of the situation in the first place? Take it from someone who has lost someone very dear to him. I cherish the fond memories I hold in my heart. I don't need a holiday declared to remind me how much I should care about a person or event. Neither should you.
