As noted in the Sept. 18 issue of the Indiana Daily Student, Playboy magazine has made an appearance at IU to try to persuade college girls to pose in its publication. Most of the time you will hear women try to dissuade other women from participating in such a degrading experience, claiming it makes women no more than meat at a meat market.
It's time for the real men of this world to step up and share this view. Playboy sets a standard that no woman could possibly meet. What isn't made fake through surgery and implants is quickly "fixed" through the stroke of the airbrush. These women as you see them do not exist. Men: with every look at these images, you are implanting within yourself an idea of what your future mate "should" look like. The only problem is that you won't find her.
Every image you see of an unnatural, "perfect" woman only creates dissatisfaction with the woman in your life. This is the danger of such publications. Married men: Please stay out of these publications, as it will only deter you from your satisfaction with your wife. Single men: Please veer away from the images in these magazines, as they create only false standards that can never be met.
"Just looking" is nowhere near as innocent as it sounds. Women, I beg you to find better ways of starting a modeling career. A picture is worth a thousand words, and no man you would ever want as a husband would want to share those words with others. Do you want your future husband to be someone who ogles naked women or someone who cherishes you because he is the only one who is allowed to see you at your most intimate moments? The real men of this world are asking for your help.
Cory Mixdorf
Doctoral student
'Nyquil law' has merit
I am writing in response to the staff editorial that was published Tuesday regarding new state regulations on Nyquil ("We card for Nyquil?"). While I agree that "trivial laws" are a waste of both constituents' time and the government's, the so-called "Nyquil law" is not an example of such. It is true that methamphetamine is a highly addictive, potentially deadly substance, but the drug itself is not the only public health issue related to the "meth" phenomenon. Methamphetamine is cooked not only in "local drug labs" by "drug dealers," but also by individual addicts. According to the Indiana State Police, in 2004, 1,549 methamphetamine labs were seized (compared to only 178 in 1999). Statistical analysis in the scientific literature estimates that one in every four meth labs is run in a location (or home) where children are present. For every pound of methamphetamine that is processed in a lab, up to six pounds of waste are produced (Holton, 2001), including toxins such as lead oxide and phosphine. Children are affected not only by these toxins, which can reside in air conditioning ducts, carpeting and other common household items, but also by parental abuse and neglect, which are commonly associated with methamphetamine production. In fact, from 2002 to 2004, there were 620 cases of "children affected by meth" reported by the Indiana State Police. Between 2002 and 2004, there were 68 fires and explosions related to methamphetamine production in Indiana, posing a danger not only to neighbors and family members, but to police officers and other safety personnel. Some of the people running these labs are not necessarily "drug dealers," but, rather, individuals who are cooking the drug for themselves and, sometimes, for their friends. Whether or not the law will have a substantial effect on the actual prevalence of methamphetamine in Indiana is debatable. But given the immediate threat to innocent bystanders, including children, the "Nyquil law" seems somewhat wiser than your editorial implies. Jon AgleyGraduate student
Where's the wireless coverage?
While I agree that IU's wireless network is quite good, I was quite surprised to read Chief IT Security and Policy Officer Mark Bruhn's comments that 100 percent of IU's academic and administrative buildings have been covered in the wireless network since 2004 ("University falls off cutting edge of wireless connection technology," Oct. 13). While the Department of Communication and Culture's offices in Mottier Hall might be in a rather obscure location, I could have sworn we were still an academic building on IU's campus. Unless IU has decided to name its wireless network "unavailable," I haven't been able to locate it in the offices in Mottier Hall. I understand Bruhn's point that not all locations on a campus the size of IU can be covered by wireless. I do wish that he would refrain from making assertions about the completeness of the network that seem to be not only factually incorrect, but imply, however unintentionally, that some academic buildings don't count. Bryan-Mitchell YoungDoctoral student
IU strives to meet technology needs
I am writing to respond to the staff editorial following IU-Bloomington's drop from Intel's "Most Unwired University" survey ("University has room to grow in wireless connectivity," Oct. 13). Statistically, 100 percent of campus administrative and academic buildings are covered with wireless. Indeed, if anyone finds any missing or weak coverage in any building, that should be reported to UITS. Outdoor areas of campus where we see people congregate are covered at 85 to 90 percent. While this is a moving target, we will strive to cover 100 percent of those areas. However, what is not valuable or cost effective for us to do is to attempt to cover all 3,000 acres of the Bloomington campus with wireless. While that would get us much more notoriety, it would be a waste of time and money at the expense of reacting to actual needs. We are pleased that IUB was named at the top of the Intel list last year. It is significant, and we are pleased that IUB was named "Hottest Big State School" by Newsweek, primarily because we have "embraced the information age." But our changing positions in various surveys have nothing to do with our approach to technology deployment. We don't deploy technology for the accolades; we maintain one of the finest technology infrastructures in all of higher education because that's what is needed to support the quality of student body we have, the broadening use of technology by faculty in the classroom and the ever-increasing and highly advanced research being conducted. Top rankings are nice, and of course we use that publicity to further spread the word about what a great campus we have, but what's most important to those of us in the technology department is hearing a positive answer to this question: As faculty, students, staff and researchers, do you have the technology and the associated support that you need to be successful here? Mark BruhnIU associate vice president for telecommunications
The boys should be in back
After being quoted in the past two editions of the IDS, I felt it my duty to write a response to the staff editorial "Why are the boys in the back?" (Oct. 12). I do not feel that my quotation was misrepresented. It is very true that, as men on this campus, we need to be supportive of women, and show that we can be part of the solution and not just part of the problem of sexual assault and domestic violence. I firmly believe that men should stand side by side with women in the fight against sexual assault in our community, and that we should do all we can to further this cause. However, what I feel has been misrepresented here is the purpose of "Take Back the Night." This event is an opportunity for women to do just as the title suggests, "Take Back the Night." As men, we are not the ones who have to worry each night about going out alone. We are not the ones who have to be careful of what we wear to parties, concerned that it might be too suggestive. We are not the ones who have misgivings every time a stranger gives us too much of a glance. The night is not ours to take. If we were to have walked side by side with the women that night, to many it would have seemed as if we were protecting them as they took a stand for their rights. The point is, they should not need our protection. They should be able to freely walk through the streets at night without a male escort to ensure their safety. By walking behind the women we were able to show that they are independently taking back their rights, and that we support them in this endeavor. Men did not "Take Back the Night," women did, and it is my hope that they will keep it. Michael RaunickSophomore
