Fee debate not about academic buildings
The debate about the allocated student fees does not involve our “suffering” academic buildings, but our need for a better Union. This is an issue many people do not understand.
The Union currently, let me restate this, the Union never has received money from the general funds of the University.
In 1958, the students of LSU decided the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse was no longer a suitable Union; therefore, they decided to add a new student fee for the creation and maintenance of our current Union.
As an auxiliary, the Union receives no money from the University. Therefore, the Union is financed exclusively by our student fees and the rent from the retail stores.
The issue we face is not concerning our “suffering” academic buildings; it concerns whether or not the students feel the need to renovate our outdated Union.
Do we, as students, feel the need to add additional seating in our dining areas? Do we, as active students, want the chance to have office space for our student organizations?
So, the question here is not whether we want our academic buildings fixed; for that, talk to the University. The question is do we, as students, want “the front door to the University” revamped. The choice is all yours.
John Starr
Freshman — Accounting
War column didn’t have solid backing
Mr. Harvey’s column in Friday’s Reveille shows general ignorance and lack of logic. False dichotomies and weak inferences aside, he has his facts wrong.
He states we should extend our current cultural and economic “war” with Iraq to a combative war. He neglects to mention we have attacked military targets in Iraq’s no-fly zone for years. He calls for military involvement to stop Saddam from supporting international terrorism. The Western world’s intelligence networks have been unable to find a smoking gun linking Saddam with international terrorism. The last news I heard about Saddam supporting al-Qaida was an Iraqi hospital treated a member of that group.
Mr. Harvey also suggests establishing permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq after invading. What greater blunder for the United States to make in the Middle East? Establishing permanent bases only will inflame more anti-American sentiment in the region and will buttress the belief held by many Middle Easterners that the United States only is interested in promoting its own imperialist agenda. We want to depose Saddam and to establish a democratic government, not to create a “strong military presence in Iraq [creating] a stranglehold on Middle Eastern countries.” We are involved in Iraq to liberate a people and stop a dictator, not “to strengthen the United States.”
Mr. Harvey also attempts to reinforce the Bush administration’s propaganda that Saddam is planning to attack us with a nuclear or biochemical weapon. Our intelligence analysts suggest Saddam only will use a [weapon of mass destruction] if his regime is threatened. What does Mr. Harvey advocate? War and conquest.
Our way of life is not threatened by Saddam. We have no proof he is sponsoring international terrorism. The United States is besieged by him. We stopped his invasion of Kuwait. He knows we mean to stop him if he tries anything again, just as we did with the Taliban. There is no great call for Americans to sacrifice themselves to stop him or conquer the area for our own benefit, only one we as the preeminent power in the world should police him.
Michael EL Koubi
Senior — History & German
Advertisements get under student’s skin
Your new Web site is looking good. But for Pete’s sake, why the pop-unders every single time I click my mouse? It can get really annoying in a short time. In the middle of an archives search, I found I had 14 advertisements.
Don’t I pay a fee every semester to keep you guys afloat?
Mike Waugh
Graduate Student — Library Science
Continue to celebrate Louisiana
Continuing with our weeklong celebration of Louisiana culture, Student Government invites you to attend the Thursday and Friday events. Thursday is Louisiana Arts day, with speakers throughout the day. George Rodrigue, the artist behind the famous “Blue Dog,” will speak in the Union Colonnade Theatre at 11 a.m. Mary Manheim, LSU professor of anthropology, will speak at noon in the Union International Room. Thomas Ruffin, author of “Under Stately Oaks,” will speak at 4 p.m. in the Union International Room about the history of LSU. Roseanne St. Romain, Louisiana storyteller, will share stories at 7:00 p.m. in the Union Magnolia Room. There also will be a movie showing in the Union Magnolia Room. The feature will be “Ocean’s 11.” Friday, we will celebrate Louisiana festivals with a street festival in Free Speech Alley, outside the LSU Union. Louisiana’s own Rockin’ Doopsie Jr. and Zydeco Twisters will perform from 4 to 6 p.m., and free jambalaya will be served while supplies last.
Please feel free to contact the Student Government office or visit the Web site at www.sg.lsu.edu for more information.
Darrell Broussard
Senior — Mass Communication & ISDS
Student Body President