Jordan River Forum

Columnist should concentrate on Planned Parenthood's good qualities\nIn Abram Hess's Jan. 18 column "An easy choice", he describes a discussion with an animal-rights activist and gets her to admit that she would never want to be in the difficult position of whether or not to kill a violent dog, and that is why he is anti-choice. Hess never mentions there is a way to avoid the position of having to choose an abortion -- make contraception more accessible and provide comprehensive sex education in school. Fewer unplanned pregnancies will lead to fewer abortions, which is something that both the pro-life and pro-choice sides can stand behind. Instead of berating Planned Parenthood for "raking in money by the boatload to kill human beings" (a statement incredibly fraught with debate), why not support it for the other important services it provides, including contraception distribution and gynecological care, that prevent an estimated 617,000 unintended pregnancies annually, according to the Planned Parenthood Web site? This will lead to fewer women having to face a difficult choice -- a choice that Hess, as a male, will never have to make.\nJorie Slodki\nSenior\nSimpson deserves to be praised, not criticized\nI was astonished to read Paul Rohwer's Jan. 17 guest column. As someone who has known Sen. Vi Simpson for the better part of my adult life and worked with her -- previously as a former staffer and now as an advocate for IU and higher education -- I am compelled to share my view. She is the last person I expected to see castigated for her work on education issues.\nThe quotes used in Mr. Rohwer's column reflect a lack of understanding of the difference between tuition support in the Indiana K-12 school funding formula and the tuition and fees paid for an IU degree. The quotes used in his column are taken out of context and leave the reader with the impression that Sen. Simpson is not an advocate for higher education.\nNothing could be farther from the truth. Sen. Simpson has worked hard to protect IU and higher education from the adverse effects of a sluggish economy and slow growth in state revenues. A lame economy, combined with rising Medicaid costs and entitlement spending, are the source of the problem.\nSen. Simpson has been a tireless advocate for education in all its forms. In regard to IU, I've personally witnessed her standing up to powerful interests and officials, defending higher-education funding, academic freedom and the interests of IU students and staff among other things.\nSen. Simpson has played a pivotal role in establishing higher-education funding formulas, which establish optimal funding benchmarks for critical components of higher-education operations and facilities. Indeed, your claim regarding insufficient funding could not be made if Sen. Simpson hadn't worked so hard to preserve these benchmarks during very difficult economic times.\nMoreover, Sen. Simpson is responsible for state funding and approvals for the majority of new construction and maintenance projects of the last decade at IU, as well as operating appropriations and state funding for need-based financial aid. She has sponsored and co-authored numerous bills supporting higher education, including Senate Bill 345, which was passed last year to restore some much-needed campus repair and rehabilitation funding.\nIndeed, this will be the first year in many when her signature will not be on the budget bill -- a signature that always been contingent on providing as much funding as possible for education, ranging from preschool through postsecondary education.\nInstead of castigating her, Mr. Rohwer should be calling for others to follow her exemplary leadership.\nJ Thomas Forbes\nAssistant vice president\nIU Office of Government Relations\nMorality is a lost art in America\n"How good life is when one does something good and just."\nThese words, offered from the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, were a common theme of 19th-century literature. The question of the time was one rooted in the intellectual virtues -- can true happiness be achieved through a life of contemplation and decision making, or is happiness embedded within actions of moral and ethical goodness?\nThese questions, so pertinent just over 100 years ago, have essentially been forgotten in modern-day America. Acts of kindness have become limited; respect and altruism are on the decline. While many conduct themselves with moral efficacy and seek intellectual expansion, America has been infiltrated with an anti-establishment mentality augmented through the mass media, the record industry and Hollywood. Ignorance has become bliss. \nThe early 21st century is dominated by a culture that dislikes authority, that believes they have a right to do as they please, whenever they please, and feels that using expletives and promoting themes of violence is appropriate to display publicly. Children and teenagers grow up absorbing these types of ideas from supposed role models in music and on television, and only the sternest of parents will ensure that their children won't develop attitudes that seek to emulate these types of ideologies. Our generation (18-28 years old) has grown up surrounded by these explicit ideals, and this may prove to be the first adult generation that fails to comprehend that morality is becoming a lost art in American society. \nSo what to do now? At our university, this problem arises. Weekend brawls are not uncommon; I recently was a victim of an attack. I urge you to take a stand with me; let's seek to answer that common question of the 19th century that stimulated conversation amongst intellectuals and the literary world. Let us expound moral goodness upon others. Smile at those you pass on the street, hold open doors, say thank you. A small act of kindness can yield happiness in just one person's life, and if you can do this, you have succeeded. I call upon my student body to promote this higher standard of moral and ethical reasoning. Please contact me at rpitcoff@indiana.edu to get involved in the community and make a difference.\nRoss Pitcoff\nSenior\nKeep it classy at the courtside\nAs an IU alumnus and a college dean, I have followed the student-seating issue with some interest. We have been dealing with "inappropriate" student cheering at my university through our Athletics Council, of which I am a member. Where does one draw the line? Certainly, squelching student enthusiasm has to be a concern. And, while alumni may make significant monetary contributions to a university, does that buy them the right to sit on their hands?\nAs to a courtside student section at IU, I am all for it. When I was a student there in the early- to mid-'70s, we were moved up and down and side to side for each game. There was never a chance to get to know those seated around you and to build some continuity of support. I would encourage courtside seating for students. I would also, however, suggest that IU doesn't need to be another Duke or one of its many imitators. The bouncing up and down and yelling "Go" every time the opposition has the ball has worn very thin with me. We're IU -- we are true and knowledgeable basketball fans. Let's be original!\nI love what I'm seeing this season and know that it's just a matter of time until we're a top 10 program again. Keep it up, Kelvin!\nDr. David Gustavson\nDean\nLouisiana State University at Shreveport\nID overkill unfair to of-age bar-goers\nAs I walk up to the long lines outside the bars of Kirkwood, I start getting nervous. My hand trembles a little bit as I reach for my ID. I can do this; the bouncer has to let me in. Maybe some of you have felt this way before; these are the common symptoms of an underage kid trying to get into a bar with a fake ID. The only strange part about this story is that I am actually 21-years-old. Thanks to a recent surge of fake Virginia IDs being made on campus, bouncers all over have been warned to pay close attention to any ID from Virginia. A few weeks ago, I had my ID mutilated by one of the bouncers at Upstairs Pub claiming "that's how we can tell if it's fake." After he put a million creases in it, I was forced to order a new one because it would no longer fit in my wallet. Then, this past weekend, I was rejected from Nick's English Hut. I tried arguing with the bouncer, but he said he was told not to accept anything from Virginia. He suggested that I get an Indiana license. A high-school friend of mine here is also taking some heat as he was rejected at Big Red Liquors last week. I don't have a passport, and I personally consider it unfair that I must prove I am legitimately 21 and from Virginia. Why don't bars simply invest in some ID scanners and let those of us that are actually 21 into the bars? Maybe it's time I should invest in a fake Indiana ID.\nNick McCarty\nSenior\nGirl's Gone Wild has no business in Bloomington\nWhich takes more courage: drunkenly lifting your shirt or dropping your pants in front of a video camera, or standing up to a local bar who has invited a negative media influence into your community?\nWe believe that it is the latter and that the IU and Bloomington community have the strength to do it. Stand up and let the local bars know that we do not want Mantra Entertainment and Girls Gone Wild in our community.\nMantra Entertainment has become a rising media giant by encouraging young women to drink excessively and bare their bodies for the camera. The activities that it promotes via Girls Gone Wild are denigrating to all women and undermine the climate of civility and respect that IU and the Bloomington community seek to promote.\nJake's Nightclub, a local establishment trying to remake a name for itself, has invited the Girls Gone Wild tour to Bloomington in hopes that it can claim a spot as one of the "wildest bars in America." This honor is bestowed and then advertised on the Girls Gone Wild Web site, where bars are rated with women's breasts rather than stars.\nThis invitation was brought to the attention of the Gender Incidents Team at IU by some concerned female students who believe the climate in Bloomington and on campus is already strained by issues relating to alcohol use and respect for women. We believe it is time for our community to stand up and tell Jake's and Girls Gone Wild that we do not want this negativity in our community. Stand up and help make sure Girls Gone Wild does not have an opportunity to film in our community.\nSincerely,\nIU Gender Incidents Team\nState takes step in right direction\nMitch Daniels' State of the State address last week was marked by words of bipartisanship. While I understand that the governor's olive branches are mostly rhetoric, I think they were a step in the right direction. Democrats should not be expected to accept the proposals at face value, but they should make a sincere effort to work with the strengths of the current administration. Republicans must not fail to compromise in this new era of shared power.\nOn campus, I have been disappointed to see political passion translated as cliquish disdain for members of the opposite party. It seems that many people I know are enamored with politics for its own sake and forget that public service is a means toward common goals. In my opinion, College Democrats and College Republicans can do more good by focusing on the politically apathetic students on campus than mimicking party rivalries.\nRyan Funk \nSenior\nBasketball blues boil down to budget\nAs usual, the answer to our problems with basketball seating boils down to issues:\n1. Assembly Hall needs an immediate replacement and complete reconstruction. Students and alumni could be accommodated if the balcony weren't one of the worst places in the country to watch a game.\n2. The lack of support for IU football creates a devastating hole in our athletics budget. Now that the administration has finally invested in the facilities necessary to field a competitive team, it is up to the Hoosier nation to fill Memorial Stadium. If football was pulling its financial weight, the administration could justify the loss of important courtside seating revenue and finally give IU a true student section.\nIn Coach Hep we trust.\nBrian Davidson\nAlumnus\nStanding up at courtside is poor sportsmanship\nOne reason that "old people" don't stand up behind the basket at IU basketball games has to do with tradition. Back when Robert Montgomery Knight roamed the sidelines, fans were not allowed to distract opposing players when they were shooting free throws because it was viewed as unsportsmanlike. This included standing up, waiving arms and so on. In fact, the cheerleaders were often sent into the stands to reprimand unruly fans when they tried to distract opposing players during free-throw attempts. It was part of our basketball tradition that separated IU from other schools, and a silent Assembly Hall was often more difficult than a noisy one for the opposing team when they were at the charity stripe.\nSo when you see an old person not standing or yelling during an opposing team's free-throw attempt, it may be due to their reverence for our proud tradition rather than being too lazy to stand up.\nRobert K. Toutkoushian\nAssociate professor\nEducational Leadership and Policy Studies, School of Education\n'Stand up, senior citizens' might be good compromise\nStop being so sensitive; it's a basketball game! A guesstimated 95 percent of us alumni move on and really only have four years in Bloomington. Students deserve these courtside seats. Unfortunately, we don't have a football team to get excited over. Let students bask in the glory while it's their day. They're just trying to encourage our team!\nIf you're so fortunate to stay in the great state of Indiana for the rest of your life and have season tickets, you're going to deal with the attitude of the students, at least in Bloomington. Because, let's face it, without them, the "old people" would have no game to watch.\nMay I suggest, "Stand up, senior citizens." Give the seats back to the obnoxious and game-changing fans!\nStephanie Fedor\nAlumna\nStudent fans are better off than they actually realize\nOne of the greatest things I experienced as an IU student was the men's basketball season. However, I also wanted a more-defined section for those actually enrolled at the University. But after several of my IUSA colleagues and I conducted surveys and talked to ticket officers, we found that students don't have it that bad. We found that there were only two ways a traditional student section could occur -- reduce the number of student seats or games available.\nThe beautiful thing about IU is any student who wants tickets gets them. Students get to witness nearly the entire Big Ten season, which is a lot more than almost every conference opponent. That wouldn't be the case if there were a student section around the floor. The problem is those people the students want to displace aren't those that walked up 10 minutes before the game to see if any seats were still available. Those are individuals that give thousands, even tens of thousands, of dollars to the University. \nWhile the students are more important to the school than these individuals, it's unfair to ask an athletics department to sacrifice the type of revenue that pays for student-athlete scholarships, housing, books, food, etc. It also wouldn't be smart of students to ask it to do so.\nLook at what happened when IU had to make up for losing the immoral $30 athletics fee. It took away 500 student seats and sold them to the higher-paying alumni and general public. Just think of how many student seats would have to disappear to make up the courtside tickets that are sold in the hundreds per game. If more seats designated for students start to disappear, then the everyone-who-wants-seats-gets-seats option will no longer be possible, or the number of games one can attend will decrease to two or three a season.\nSo while I certainly sympathize with those calling for a traditional student section, they need to be warned about the slippery slope they're heading toward. Because while complaints about price, location and "old people" are certainly valid, there is always a worse seat -- none at all!\nRyan Gunterman\nAlumnus