Do more to ease animal sufferingKudos to SPARC for advocating against cruelty (“No meat, please, we’re vegans” March 22). Vegetarian eating is on the rise nationwide, and for good reasons. Today’s massive and mechanized factory farms are widely considered a leading cause of pollution and resource depletion on a global scale. They are also responsible for a tremendous amount of animal suffering.In the U.S. alone, more than 10 billion birds, pigs, and cows are raised and killed for food each year. And most of these animals are subjected to practices so cruel Ñ including intensive confinement and mutilations without painkillers Ñ it would lead to prosecution if those same abuses were inflicted upon the dogs and cats with whom we share our homes.  Each of us can help protect the planet and animals, one meal at a time simply by choosing vegetarian foods. Learn more at www.TryVeg.com.Francesca ValenteOffice ManagerCompassion Over KillingMotorcyclists deserve road rights tooThe first day of spring has passed and Mother Nature is turning up the thermostat.  Soon we’ll hear the roaring of lawn mowers, the whine of weed whackers and on the road the rumble of motorcycles in increasing numbers. People ride for many reasons — some to save gas, some because it’s gentler to the environment and others simply because if you’ve got to go to work, at least the getting there is enjoyable.  Regardless of the reason, a major danger all riders face is the folks they share the road with. I’m writing to remind everyone, “Look twice!  Save a life!  Motorcycles are everywhere!”  The #1 phrase heard from a motorist involved in an accident with a motorcycle is, “I never even saw him.”  So, please, folks — look.  If you violate the right of way of another 4-wheeled vehicle, you trade paint and insurance information and both go your merry way.  With a motorcycle the consequences are all too often much more dire.  And it can all be prevented with an extra ounce of alertness, a second look. Please remember this spring and summer, “Look twice!  Save a life!  Motorcycles are everywhere!”Rob NerlandSafety OfficerSouthern Cruisers Riding ClubGreater Raleigh Chapter Housing should not discard evidence I remember back in the day, in high school, when everyone told me that college prepared you for the real world of adulthood. You learned responsibility and personal accountability- I had to choose to eat right, to do my homework, and stay on top of my classes. My success was now up to me. I would also begin to live on my own, fully subjected to all laws since I would no longer be a minor.But apparently NCSU didn’t get that memo. Apparently the legal system doesn’t kick in until some time after graduation. Apparently I’m not only responsible for myself, but for other people I don’t even know. When did that last part happen? I’m fairly sure I’ve sired no children, so what can NCSU possibly be thinking?NCSU heard the phrase “community accountability” and developed an instant fetish. I’m referring to, of course, the recent Becton Hall incident, as well as my pending alcohol citation due to a suitemate’s impaired judgment and refusal to fess up. I think the University’s love for community accountability arose from the simple fact that its usage meant no work on the part of those in charge. I’m pretty sure that all RD’s and people in administration have copies of this flowchart. Do you know who did it? No. Has someone told you that they did it? No. Do you want to do your job and investigate? No. Solution: Community Accountability!I have a problem with this system for two reasons: It twists the legal system of the country from innocent until proven guilty into guilty until proven innocent. The students of the Quad and my fellow suitemates (well, the innocent ones) are in trouble until someone comes along and proves our innocence. And second, it makes me responsible for the actions of others. When was the last time we all attended our mandatory five day jail sentence because the police didn’t figure out the perpetrator of a crime committed in Raleigh? I believe that community accountability should only be enforceable if I get to choose my community. Obviously no one, given the choice, would let racist fools and drunken idiots be a part of their community if they were held accountable for them.So maybe the University should be the ones accountable here. They are the ones that allowed these students in, we didn’t have a say. Or maybe those in charge should merely do their jobs. Investigate. Follow the U.S. law. And a little hint to my RD: Don’t throw away the evidence that can exonerate or condemn the involved parties.  Derek Adriansenior, zoology