Cold showers less important than war
In response to the Wednesday staff editorial, the justification presented was not enough to explain away the surprising dearth of war coverage. As full-time students working out of a basement, it is not expected that The Reveille compete with embedded reporters and the flashy, patriotic graphics of Fox News.
But many students, who see this paper as a convenient source of news on the way to class when time is not available to flip on a television, might be disappointed when they have to hunt among the latest election faux pas to find a paragraph blurb of national news.
And on the day of this staff editorial, the front-page article was on cold showers. Showers! Americans are risking their lives, and concern is focused on hot water. I would have much rather read more about LSU grad Basam Ridha Al-Husaini, the alumnus who is returning freely to Iraq after fleeing two decades ago in fear for his life. He talks about the statue of Saddam Hussein coming down — a historically symbolic event that received its perfunctory page 2 paragraph — as a dream come true.
I am not asking for full-blown war and post-war coverage, but I plead for a little more to reveal the true gravity of the events taking place. This war is what will be remembered in years to come, not the cold showers over Spring Break.
Bryan Beyer
Freshman — Civil Engineering
Students should seek driving alternatives
As I sit at Arzi’s grabbing a quick bite to eat between classes, I turn to see a huge Ford truck nearly run over a student attempting to cross the street on his bike. Once in a lifetime occurrence, I wish. Every student on our campus has a story about someone they know, or maybe even a story of a time when they were hit on their way to class. Recently, a Spring Tester was struck crossing Highland. What kind of message does this send out about LSU?
Traffic-related problems have plagued our campus for quite some time now. Whether it’s the safety of pedestrians crossing the street, to finding a parking spot, something needs to be done. One attempt to fix LSU’s traffic problems is the Master Plan. This plan will tear down much of our beautiful campus including the AACC, Women’s Center and Hill Farm in order to put up parking garages. It is an attempt to fix a problem by diverting it instead of solving it. These parking garages may in fact ease our parking problems, but at a great cost. Our traffic problems on campus will only get worse. More parking spots equal more cars. More cars equal more traffic problems.
The area around campus will see more and longer traffic jams. The children who live and go to school around this area (University Terrace) will be at an even greater risk. With the construction of these parking garages we will also see an increase in crime. Most of us worry now about having to park our cars in remote locations late at night. Imagine having to park in a isolated garage. With the serial killer, as well as other crimes, threatening our safety, this is not a good solution.
I urge students to read about the Master Plan. The recent article in the Legacy points out many of its problems and possible solutions. Be informed. Use alternative forms of transportation around campus. Ride your bike or take the bus. You will soon find that not only will you not have to
worry about finding a parking spot, you will also help make our campus a safer place.
April L. Tauzin
Senior — Women’s Gender Studies & English
Students can suggest stories for Legacy
I am writing in response to Erin McWilliams’ letter, which criticized the contents of the Legacy magazine without offering any suggestions for topics she would find useful and/or entertaining.
Throughout the year, the Legacy e-mail address has been listed in front of the magazine, and we have specifically solicited story ideas from students.
Erin’s letter suggests she has been less than pleased with a few issues of the magazine, yet she has never submitted a single story idea. The fact is, such suggestions are likely to be appreciated by an editorial staff who want to provide content that’s useful to readers.
Without such input, it is virtually impossible for editors to infallibly guess what 30,000 plus students want to read about.
I would advise Erin to include useful comments along with her sarcasm or, if she is not so inclined, then simply to find other reading material. As for other students, I would invite you to give feedback to all your student media, which genuinely want to address students’ needs and interests.
Amy Burroughs
Legacy editor