Reorganization plan unrightfully rushedI would like to thank Kyle Bove of The Daily Reveille for his coverage of the farcically titled “Vistas of Reorganization” meeting held April 14 to discuss proposed changes to the organizational structure of the University. Bove points out the slapdash nature of the procedure that Merget and Martin have followed in their attempt to remake LSU in some image. Merget is quoted as saying, “We have to start somewhere.” However, this plan is presented as being a done deal, rather than a starting point for discussion. This plan was seemingly developed in smoke-filled back rooms and sprung, Athena-like, fully formed from Merget’s head to the meeting without any public comment of note.This, of course, brings us back to the farce of a title given the meeting in Merget’s broadcast e-mail. By definition, a “vista” is “a distant view or prospect.” This plan however, is something near and present rather than far off, and Merget is trying, with the help of Martin, to ram it down everyone’s throat with the pressure of a false deadline. Like many other power grabs in history, Merget and Martin are using the cover of crisis to pressure for adoption of their plan without careful, reasoned review. The problem is, however, that Martin admits this crisis pressure is not real, at least as regards reorganization along this model. Bove states, “Martin said these structural changes aren’t part of an attempt to save money in the face of [budget cuts].” By Martin’s own admission, reorganization and budget cuts are only tangentially connected. Why, then, is this plan being rushed through before the legislative session? By creating an artificial connection between the real crisis of budget cuts and the invented one of reorganization, Martin is playing up his own agenda.Further, beyond the presenters’ and framers’ inconsistencies, the plan itself is poorly thought through and self-contradictory. If the stated aim is the furtherance of that famous buzzword “Flagship Agenda,” this plan is really no plan at all. Martin’s words in reference to going before the legislature with this plan — “whether we’re right or wrong in this particular moment” — are telling. Would it not be more convincing to the legislature to say the university has initiated a well-reasoned process rather than, “Hey, here’s something we threw together to have something to show you”? I take offense to the careless approach taken to certain aspects of the plan. For instance, a “College of Education and ‘Whatever,'” as Merget so deftly put in during the meeting, smacks of being a catchall for “all that stuff we couldn’t figure out a place for before we sprung this on you.” Merget continued establishing the hasty and arbitrary nature of her plan by saying the School of Music would remain independent because of its national prominence, which I support. However, when confronted with the information that the best, “Flagship” Library and Information Science programs in the country retained their nimble independence, rather than being lumped under “whatever,” Merget offered no comment as to why one renowned program was treated one way, and a program striving to be one of the best in the nation was denied similar consideration. I was dismissed with a merely a wave. I took my leave.Jon Froschlibrary and information science graduate student– – –Housing column gives students faulty adviceAs an associate realtor in the State of Louisiana dealing primarily with the University housing market, your article concerning this market intrigued me. You warn, “Students considering buying should be cautious to avoid the housing market’s hidden landmines.” What are these landmines? I would like to know because it would help me advise my clients.The most difficult part of the purchasing process is getting a loan. The rates are extremely low, now at 5 percent. And there is an $8,000 tax credit to anyone who purchases a home for the first time. However, the further below 720 an applicant’s credit score is, the harder it will be to gain approval for the loan and the higher the rate will be. The easiest way to get around the 720 mark is to give the loan company at least a 20 percent down payment on the house. That’s about $25,000 on a less expensive apartment. If an applicant can meet these requirements, most loan companies will not give a loan to someone unless the monthly payment is less than 30 percent of the monthly income.The majority of students I know couldn’t get loan themselves with these restrictions. However, with the financial support of a student’s parents, a loan could be easier to secure.As far as renting and buying goes, ask anyone who rents an apartment now; that money is gone. If you owned the place you lived in, you could make that money back and then some in 4 or 5 years when you move out. This is the first year in recent history that prices have not continued to increase at the same rate as they have in the past.That’s the great thing about living in this area; there will always be a huge demand for housing. And at the very least, the homeowner will break even on the place he or she bought. My advice to anyone looking to buy: make sure you can afford the monthly payments for as long as you plan on living in the home.Next time you want to advise students on how they should spend their money, why don’t you actually talk to someone who is at least in the industry? Norman “Trey” F. Bacon IIIfinance junior– – –Releasing Gumbo as multimedia disc is bad ideaRumor has it that the Gumbo could be moving to a multimedia disc next year. The discs would be free, but you would have to pay somewhere around $50 if you wanted an actual printed book. This is the worst idea I’ve ever heard, and something should be done to prevent it. A disc is not the same as a book. Yes, a disc can have more features like video and sound from Tiger TV and KLSU, but who wants a yearbook in disc form? I don’t and I’m certainly not going to pay $50 for a book that my student fees helped to pay for. Discs get scratched and lost extremely easily. Books, on the other hand, are timeless. And how long before technology makes discs a thing of the past like the rarely (if ever) used floppy disks and VHS tapes? A book is tangible and the Gumbo is a coffee table essential. Many people just casually flip through the Gumbo if they see it laying around somewhere. I know people who still look at their parents’ Gumbos from the ‘70s. I highly doubt they would have even seen the Gumbo if it had been on disc. If the yearbook goes to a disc I’ll probably look at it once, I won’t buy the book, and I will be incredibly disappointed. In another decade or so the economy may go to hell again and we’ll just get rid of the Gumbo all together. “The Gumbo yearbook has chronicled each year in the life of Louisiana State University in photographs and in words since 1900. Only one year, the 1918-1919 school year, was missed, when wartime pressures caused the cancellation of the book,” according to www.lsugumbo.com. Next year is LSU’s 150th anniversary. Is this really a time to quit on one of its greatest traditions?   Robin Carubba psychology sophomore