2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the editor
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Opinion
Kids are OK
I was reading the Feb. 22 issue of The Arkansas Traveler and found an interesting letter to the editor about children being a disturbance on campus.
If there is an increase in children on campus, it should be embraced, not looked at as a nuisance. The person who wrote this letter to the editor was identified as a senior in education. I would really hate to see her go into the field of education, because she has such an obvious distaste of children.
I am a single parent and understand first-hand how hard it is sometimes to find someone to watch your children for you when they are out of school.
I have brought my children to class and to field trips before and they have embraced education all the more because of it. When kids come to the campus, they see first-hand that school is important to adults and that it is possible to get a higher education.
The other thing to remember is that the parents or grandparents are trying to improve their own lives and the lives of their children by attending college. They, too, pay for the services on campus and should be able to use them to achieve their goals.
This person, being an education major, should know that it will soon be her job to help children of all ages. She should encourage everyone, no matter what age, to go to an education facility to better themselves.
I understand people need quiet while studying, and, yes, both children and adults should abide by the library rules. However, I do not think people should turn a mean eye to individuals with children. Children are a blessing and should be embraced no matter where they are.
Have some compassion and remember not to judge someone until you have walked in that individual's shoes. Some day you could be a parent.
Anna Nottmeier
Senior
Geology
Health Center not worth fee
Having read April Ford's recent article on student health fees and the university health insurance available for about $1,030 an academic year, and after hearing from many fellow students and friends about the horror and lack of credibility between patients and physicians at the Walker Health Center, I feel obligated to write this letter.
I recently sat down with a few classmates and we prattled about what could be improved at the UA. A series of complaints about recent Health Center visits were exchanged amongst the group.
One person in particular said that a physician at the Health Center refused to treat her genetic hypothyroidism, a condition that makes her feel extremely fatigued at all times and gives her abnormal menstrual cycles. She said millions of women share her condition, and it only takes a trained family doctor to treat it with a replacement thyroid hormone. If untreated, the condition could result in death from myxedema complications.
A few days ago, the student informed me that she paid a visit to a clinic a few blocks away from the Health Center, spent $40 on the doctor's visit and is now being treated for her condition.
Like all UA students, she pays $121.86 for her student health fee. She visited the Health Center seven times and had to finally go somewhere else to have her condition diagnosed and treated. Why was her condition not properly diagnosed on the first or second appointment? Why did she have to visit the Health Center seven times before she changed her mind and decided to go to an off-campus clinic?
Is our Health Center worthy of our student health fees and our time if it does not have a credible and competent staff of physicians?
Tom Zhang
ASG Senator
Fulbright College
Sustainability course needed
I have only taken two courses at the UA that have taught me something so profound that I believe all students would seriously benefit from being taught the same information.
Conservation of Natural Resources (GEOG 3003) is one of those classes. It is designed to teach students about environmental issues and promote discussion about sustainable solutions.
Chancellor John A. White said, "Being a sustainable university means that as we educate new generations of leaders, conduct the research that makes our lives better, and reach out to the communities of Arkansas and beyond, we do not compromise future generations."
It is obvious the university is becoming more concerned with sustainable practices and education based on what I have read on sustainability.uark.edu, but the topics covered in GEOG 3003, specifically, should be made available to all. To not teach all students about these environmental concerns compromises future generations by not equipping them with the knowledge needed to make sound choices that directly or indirectly affect the rest of the world.
Some students do not believe there are current environmental crises, but everyone should be given the same information to make educated decisions about such matters. GEOG 3003 is not restricted to the study of natural resources, it also teaches students about economics, population control, wildlife management, and other concerns.
All of these topics affect our daily lives more than many people realize. What students will learn in this class is applicable in day-to-day life, making it just as important -- if not more important -- than other mandatory classes at the university.
If we are all required to take certain courses anyway, why not this one? To learn more, students can visit the sustainability Web site or join the Facebook group "Make Conservation of Natural Resources (GEOG 3003) a core class" to post thoughts or suggestions.
Holly Glasgow
Senior
Anthropology
I was reading the Feb. 22 issue of The Arkansas Traveler and found an interesting letter to the editor about children being a disturbance on campus.
If there is an increase in children on campus, it should be embraced, not looked at as a nuisance. The person who wrote this letter to the editor was identified as a senior in education. I would really hate to see her go into the field of education, because she has such an obvious distaste of children.
I am a single parent and understand first-hand how hard it is sometimes to find someone to watch your children for you when they are out of school.
I have brought my children to class and to field trips before and they have embraced education all the more because of it. When kids come to the campus, they see first-hand that school is important to adults and that it is possible to get a higher education.
The other thing to remember is that the parents or grandparents are trying to improve their own lives and the lives of their children by attending college. They, too, pay for the services on campus and should be able to use them to achieve their goals.
This person, being an education major, should know that it will soon be her job to help children of all ages. She should encourage everyone, no matter what age, to go to an education facility to better themselves.
I understand people need quiet while studying, and, yes, both children and adults should abide by the library rules. However, I do not think people should turn a mean eye to individuals with children. Children are a blessing and should be embraced no matter where they are.
Have some compassion and remember not to judge someone until you have walked in that individual's shoes. Some day you could be a parent.
Anna Nottmeier
Senior
Geology
Health Center not worth fee
Having read April Ford's recent article on student health fees and the university health insurance available for about $1,030 an academic year, and after hearing from many fellow students and friends about the horror and lack of credibility between patients and physicians at the Walker Health Center, I feel obligated to write this letter.
I recently sat down with a few classmates and we prattled about what could be improved at the UA. A series of complaints about recent Health Center visits were exchanged amongst the group.
One person in particular said that a physician at the Health Center refused to treat her genetic hypothyroidism, a condition that makes her feel extremely fatigued at all times and gives her abnormal menstrual cycles. She said millions of women share her condition, and it only takes a trained family doctor to treat it with a replacement thyroid hormone. If untreated, the condition could result in death from myxedema complications.
A few days ago, the student informed me that she paid a visit to a clinic a few blocks away from the Health Center, spent $40 on the doctor's visit and is now being treated for her condition.
Like all UA students, she pays $121.86 for her student health fee. She visited the Health Center seven times and had to finally go somewhere else to have her condition diagnosed and treated. Why was her condition not properly diagnosed on the first or second appointment? Why did she have to visit the Health Center seven times before she changed her mind and decided to go to an off-campus clinic?
Is our Health Center worthy of our student health fees and our time if it does not have a credible and competent staff of physicians?
Tom Zhang
ASG Senator
Fulbright College
Sustainability course needed
I have only taken two courses at the UA that have taught me something so profound that I believe all students would seriously benefit from being taught the same information.
Conservation of Natural Resources (GEOG 3003) is one of those classes. It is designed to teach students about environmental issues and promote discussion about sustainable solutions.
Chancellor John A. White said, "Being a sustainable university means that as we educate new generations of leaders, conduct the research that makes our lives better, and reach out to the communities of Arkansas and beyond, we do not compromise future generations."
It is obvious the university is becoming more concerned with sustainable practices and education based on what I have read on sustainability.uark.edu, but the topics covered in GEOG 3003, specifically, should be made available to all. To not teach all students about these environmental concerns compromises future generations by not equipping them with the knowledge needed to make sound choices that directly or indirectly affect the rest of the world.
Some students do not believe there are current environmental crises, but everyone should be given the same information to make educated decisions about such matters. GEOG 3003 is not restricted to the study of natural resources, it also teaches students about economics, population control, wildlife management, and other concerns.
All of these topics affect our daily lives more than many people realize. What students will learn in this class is applicable in day-to-day life, making it just as important -- if not more important -- than other mandatory classes at the university.
If we are all required to take certain courses anyway, why not this one? To learn more, students can visit the sustainability Web site or join the Facebook group "Make Conservation of Natural Resources (GEOG 3003) a core class" to post thoughts or suggestions.
Holly Glasgow
Senior
Anthropology
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
pearwoman
posted 3/04/08 @ 10:39 PM CST
Re: Health Center Issues:
Where did you find the clinic where a doctor would see you for $40? I would be interested in that resource and so would others, I am sure. (Continued…)
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