Bicycle safety should not be taken lightly
Re: “Like a bike? Be careful” Feb. 3

I wholeheartedly appreciate the article featured in Tuesday’s Oracle concerning bicycle safety. I am one of those unaccounted for individuals in the 2000 Census who travel to and from USF via bicycle.

There are times (like 5 a.m.) when cycling to school feels like the recreational activity that it should. Unfortunately, I usually begin my route around 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. On a daily basis I am faced with the prospect of falling victim to a swift and imminent death.

There is a total disregard for cyclists, punctuated by the occasional car horn I hear during my travels to class. USF remains a commuter university, so we should all as drivers, passengers, cyclists, skaters and the like, have a collective understanding and respect for each other. Just recently I invested in bicycle lights, but I see from your article that there are yet more things that I can do for myself to ensure my safety as a cyclist while also respecting the safety of the driver.

Ikiah Session is a junior majoring in psychology.

If you want to drive a car, get insured

Uninsured drivers are a problem here in Florida. Many insured Floridians, including myself, are irritated with drivers who choose to be uninsured and attempt to cheat the system. There are numerous problems placed on the insured drivers by those who are uninsured, such as skyrocketing costs for the insured and difficulty for most to pay for insurance, leading them to an uninsured status.

Studies show that costs in auto insurance have skyrocketed as much as 60 percent from last year alone. Insured drivers today are being shocked by receiving their extraordinarily expensive bills, which were once fairly manageable. Even insured drivers with an accident-free record are being hit hard by the increase in insurance costs.

There are programs that exist that will help to reduce rates for perfect record drivers although it is a very menial amount of savings. In addition, they must participate in a classroom course to reduce their insurance. Because these drivers have done nothing to receive high costs of insurance, they are in an uproar due to other people’s lack of responsibility. Furthermore, Florida ranks fifth for most uninsured motorists in the United States.

A result of raising costs for insurance affects all insurance companies alike. Insurance companies who deal especially with low-income motorists are going broke struggling to accommodate motorists with affordable insurance rates.

There have been many plans from governmental agencies to crackdown on uninsured drivers and frauds although they have not yet been successful. As our government mulls over ways to reduce and eventually eliminate uninsured motorists, we (insured drivers) must be patient and supportive.

It angers me that I have to pay a premium amount each month for auto insurance while frauds don’t, yet the more patient and supportive we are the faster the government may come up with an effective plan.

Jennifer Jacobs is a sophomore majoring in mass communications.

Advisers’ advising skills are lacking

As a freshman, I thought it would be a good idea to see an adviser to make sure I was on the right path. After waiting two weeks for an appointment, I walked into the academic advising office and was promptly given a paper and sent to another office.

The second office did not offer any help either. From what I understand, in order to have a question answered I must first declare my major. Since this is only my first semester, I was not ready to declare my major yet, but apparently to receive advising about classes for a possible major, I have to declare that major first. Perhaps it is just my freshman naivete, but this is a cyclical process that lacks logic.

I have a new theory that the reason so many students never graduate from college is not because they are falling behind in classes but because no one can get any questions answered, and they get too frustrated.

When I came here I was under the impression that advisers were here to help and advise students, but I have learned quickly that students are meant to navigate his or her way through the “college shuffle” on our own.

Katie James is a freshman majoring in psychology.