Art should not be overlooked
\nIn response to Colin Dugdale's column ("Wolfgang snoozefest," Monday), I don't expect everyone to like opera. However it is rude and childish to state that what others like and you do not is "not currently palatable" and has "expired." I might achieve the same conclusions should I attend a concert or performance by a group that appeals to Master Dugdale yet doesn't appeal to my taste. If he was so appalled by people in tuxedos, let him not wander near the penguin exhibit at the zoo for everyone's safety.\nIU has a marvelous arts community. Students have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of performance and visual arts at a fraction of the costs that professional companies require. That young Master Dugdale noticed that the student performers at the School of Music had "phenomenal pipes" states that he can appreciate the work that an artist does. If it wasn't visually stirring for him, might I suggest that he close his eyes and listen? The beauty just might overwhelm him. College is a time to expand your horizons. The opportunities to do that artistically on this campus are remarkable, even for a large research institution. Let us not discourage people from opening their minds to new art, whatever form they choose.\nThe staff of the School of Music, Department of Theater and Drama and the IU Art Museum work tirelessly to bring the students of this campus to offer them something to which they may never have as ready access in the future. To allow the work of these departments to be so recklessly dismissed is disheartening, and the support of the editorial staff that published such denigration is distressing. I urge the campus community to look beyond the observations of a youth with a bully pulpit and explore for themselves the cultural opportunities that abound on this campus. Most of them have an intermission.David Grindle\nProduction manager, Department of Theater and Drama
Stereotypes go both ways
\nThere are two very disturbing issues contained in the column "Minority Report" (Levi Harris, Tuesday). The headline "Minority Report" smacks of ignorance and offers only generic stereotypes of a small Midwestern town. I would first like to address the issue of ignorance by offering the author some information regarding the impact of the Republicans during the Civil War era, as it may prevent him from embarrassing himself again in the future. This information can be found in any high school history textbook. If the author had paid attention in high school instead of avoiding "being lashed to a fencepost and pistol-whipped", as we all know would certainly have been administered by the white citizens of the author's hometown of "Crackerville," he may already possess this knowledge. \nThe Republican Party was formed just prior to the Civil War era. It favored emancipation, something to which I'm sure the author would also identify. I would hope that most people today still recognize the name of the Republican president at the time, Abraham Lincoln. \nIt sounds to me like it wasn't such an awful thing to be a Republican in those days, although by reading this article, one might infer that it was the Democrats who emancipated the slaves. But in fact, the Democrats were generally the slave-holders and secessionists. \nIt is astounding that, in an age of political correctness and of accepting people for who they are, ordinary white folks are being typified as "crackers" by writers in college newspapers. The following is a hypothetical for the author: If your hometown had been inhabited by only African-Americans or only Hispanics, what would you call it? Would that nickname be appropriate to publish?Eric P. Shields\nAlumnus
Two sides to Bloomington \nreaction
\nThis letter is regarding Tuesday's front-page article "Bloomington reacts to gay ban by Vatican," (Tuesday). I was disappointed to see a very one-sided presentation of local opinion. The article presented three sources who opposed the ban and zero in support of it. The issue of gay clergy is being argued all over the nation, and to give the impression that all of Bloomington opposes it is plain wrong. I'm certain there are IU students, prominent Catholics and other Bloomington community members who support the ban on some level; leaving them out of this discussion isn't right. In journalism classes, they teach objectivity as something every writer should strive for, especially on such a hotly debated topic. I realize it is easy and increasingly popular to write liberal articles for the print media on a college campus in America. However, in a story titled "Bloomington reacts," one should be very careful whose reactions they are showing -- Bloomington's or their own.Tim Roy\nSophomore
Don't complain about the food
\nMiss (Ayesha) Awan states in her column ("Furious about Food," Sept. 29) that Residential Programs and Services policy won't "stop (you) from whining." Well, if RPS can't stop you, maybe I can. So you want RPS to provide healthy, delicious food on a regular basis, but you don't actually want a meal plan? How do you suggest RPS fund such a project without requiring meal plans of freshmen? You're the one who signed up to come to this college. Maybe I missed the part where you got mugged and forced to come to IU. Like the education? Then deal with the food.\nFurthermore, there's plenty of healthy food in Wright Food Court (and other food venues on campus, which are summarily ignored), some of which you cite. It tastes like cardboard? Eat from a salad bar anywhere and try to get different results. It's not like the freshman 15 is inevitable. IU provides plenty of exercise facilities. You state in your column that we are "responsible for (our) own decisions." Guess what that means? You can choose to do whatever you want with your meal plan. You can choose to eat well or eat poorly.\nBlaming it on RPS, which probably has a little bit more experience in food service for thousands of students than you, is a childish attitude. It's a question of personal responsibility.\nThere are plenty of opportunities to voice concern to RPS. Ever see those suggestion forms? Fill one out. In the meantime, want kabobs? Cook 'em yourself.Trevor Alexander\nJunior
Give me your tired, your poor
\nI am writing in response to John Pittman's despicable letter (Illegal immigrants shouldn't receive aid, Jordan River Forum, Sept. 29). In my opinion, Mr. Pittman's ignorant letter violates the rules of basic human decency.\nI wonder whether Mr. Pittman is aware of the implications of his comments about the "character of the people of Texas and their ability to retain composure" and the supposed lack thereof in New Orleans. I would like to see Mr. Pittman keep his composure if he were already dirt poor, had no insurance and had his home flooded because some politicians did not find it necessary to fix a couple of levees.\nBut the part of Mr. Pittman's letter that was most offensive was his ignorant babble about illegal immigrants breaking the law. In his Manichaean world, they will not respect the other laws of this country because they have already broken the law by coming here illegally. "These people are criminals and should be treated accordingly," writes Mr. Pittman. Does he honestly think illegal immigrants go through all these hardships because they simply have some twisted desire to break the law? I hope Mr. Pittman never has to suffer from the kind of hunger and desperation that makes so many people illegally cross the border. \nI am not certain how Mr. Pittman suggests the United States should get "rid of 'them." The implications of these remarks are again reminiscent of a political rhetoric I am not going to spell out here. Mr. Pittman is right; the United States has no legal responsibility to help illegal immigrants. As for moral responsibility, he may want to check what it says on the plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty.Michael Anklin\nGraduate student
Students sacrifice too much for athletics
\nIn Lisa Silvestri's letter ("Where's the student support," Jordan River Forum, Sept. 29) she states, when talking about the sacrifices that student-athletes make for IU sports, "In return, the students are asked to sacrifice $4 for some seats at the basketball stadium."\nUnfortunately we sacrifice far more than that: $30 for everyone who takes classes at IU-Bloomington (about $1.1 million per year for two years and counting), $500,000 (this year, and it goes up next year) to the University for advising costs, and all those ticket price increases.\nI'm not against student athletics, and certainly not against student-athletes. I don't even mind some sacrifices. What I disapprove of most strongly are:\n1. Treating athletics far better than academic units. Academic units in financial difficulty don't get new faculty, they cut services and drop scholarships. An academic administrator bypassing normal channels and going straight to the trustees for special funding would receive deserved reprimands and criticism. IU athletics proposes facility upgrades, buys out contracts, and crows about adding $10 million to their scholarship endowment. At the same time, athletics is shifting costs off their books to the tune of $1.7 million annually, and all with the full support of President Herbert and most of the trustees.\n2. Making a mockery of the academic mission of IU by doing all of the above during a time when academic units are strapped for cash. The University is cutting budgets and leaving faculty spots open to save money. Students are complaining about increasing fees and tuition (though this is not unusual in itself). Athletics is billing me $30 per year before I even try to buy tickets to a game.\nFurthermore, I have a strong suspicion that when IU athletics is profitable, none of that money will go to academic units or the general student population, which is where IU athletics got it. If we're all lucky, surpluses will go toward something at least vaguely related to the mission of the University -- scholarships.John A. Johnson\nGraduate student
