Letters to the Editor

‘Sex rules’ do not make sense on campus
Re: Megan Moschell’s Column “When the gender matters,” Sept. 8.

I have been attending USF for three years now. This is my second year living on campus in Theta, which is the leadership house.

Wednesday morning I picked up an Oracle on my way to work. I stopped and read the column by Megan Moschell. I heard this rule at my hall meeting and it didn’t hit me till I read this article. After some investigating, I found out that this rule was on the books already but it was recently revised to be clearer. Rewriting the rule is not going to stop anyone from having opposite-sex guests in the dorms at night. Some of the RAs still do not know it is a rule. I might not have girls spending the night in my room all the time, but if I’ve got a friend that wants to spend the night, she is going to. I don’t think it’s correct of the university to tell 18- and 19-year-olds who they can and can’t have spend the night. It’s even worse when you get to my age, 21 and over. I am strongly opposed to this rule. I urge all residents who agree that we need to change this rule to come to the RHA general assembly that meets every Monday night at 7:30 in the Andros study lounge.

There is a system that works well to change things when we all use it together and RHA is a good starting point.

Andrew Read is a junior in accounting and treasurer of the Residence Hall Association.

USF opened too early, irresponsible

On Tuesday, USF decided to open all campuses Wednesday. At least this announcement came early enough to hear about it, unlike last Friday. What USF fails to understand, though, is that two main roads, Fowler Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, are closed due to flooding, making it difficult for students to attend classes.

How can you make students come to class when it is nearly impossible to get there? Also, many students are still without electricity.

USF also fails to remember that we are primarily a commuter school. Just because USF had power restored does not mean all the students have.

Students without electricity have no access to Blackboard or other computer tools, which are necessities for many classes.

Being a commuter school also means that gas is in high demand for students, while being in somewhat of a shortage.

A state of emergency was declared, and most of us have not completely gotten our feet back on the ground.

The decision to open USF on Wednesday is a most irresponsible one by the people we trust to be the most responsible. We strive at USF to get good grades, but USF receives an “F” on understanding and caring about its students.

Michael Wagner is a senior majoring in engineering.

President Bush started the mudslinging
Re: Adam Fowler’s Column “What goes around, comes around,” Aug. 30

Fowler wrote, “I’m relishing the fact that John Kerry, with these swift boat veteran claims against him, is, in a way, finally getting paid back for all of the negative …”

This is pretty much dead wrong. The attacks on Kerry’s military record have virtually nothing to do with inquiries regarding “President” George W. Bush’s highly questionable military record. Attacking an opponent’s patriotism via their military service record is standard procedure for the Bush campaign. The same group launched a similar smear campaign against Senator John McCain during the 2000 election, which is why McCain himself asked Bush to stop these ads.

Saying this tactic is a result of Kerry making his military service such a central part of his campaign is silly, because had Bush’s military service been anything approaching respectable he’d be using it just as much, if not more.

I personally am appalled that Bush has the nerve to — directly or indirectly — question anyone’s military service record considering the sizable unexplainable holes in his.

As an American and a U.S. Army veteran, I find it disgusting that after apparently not bothering to show up for the cushy assignment his father arranged for him, Bush has the nerve to impugn the record of a decorated war hero.

John W. Leys is a USF alumnus.