Letters to the Editor

Location is copout

I just wanted to address the statement printed in Jen's interview regarding "the gateway drug" ("Selling drugs to pay tuition," Jan. 28). Judging by my experiences in rural Eastern Washington when I was growing up, there is no gateway drug, only gateway people. It seemed to me that the reason why most people I knew graduated up to different drugs were on account that the person selling them weed was also the same person that sold the entire catalog of drugs you listed. More specifically, they encouraged usage of other substances by advocating their ability to "catalyze personal evaluation." I do not judge people by their lifestyles and I am sure there are many obstacles you have gone through which I never have. But there are many, I am sure, we shared. We all want what is best for our family and loved ones, but should we try to achieve it at the expense of other families? Not everyone I know taking drugs is as goal-oriented as you are or as able to assess how it might affect their current situation in college. Next time you have a personal-evaluation session, think about how many families you might be dooming to single-wide trailers and welfare by fueling the self-destructive habits of their son or daughter. Just like you, some of these kids are the last shot their families have at pulling themselves out of poverty.

-- Matt Owens

junior, cell biology

Humble beginnings no excuse

I wanted to respond to the article "Selling drugs to pay tuition" (Jan. 28), and particularly to Jen because her behavior is truly unethical. This person has convinced herself she is doing almost a public service by selling drugs. I spent a portion of my young adult life working on Capitol Hill here in Seattle, where I saw the degree to which people would lower themselves in order to obtain drugs like methamphetamines. It is really not that great that she is in college, because she is probably causing others to drop out. There are women on the street begging and prostituting themselves in the name of this industry. I see in Jen a victim, someone whose worldview has been deeply distorted by her upbringing (I hope her aunt and uncle are not giving illegal, harmful substances to more 8-year-olds). Therefore, I hope she can clean up her act and start leading an honest life, despite all of the damage she has probably done to her body and mind. At the same time, she is now creating other victims through her actions. She is also using her background as a scapegoat, when there are others with some variation of her past that are attending this school through legal means. Being culturally and economically poor does not make everyone a criminal.

-- Alexis Watts

senior, anthropology

Depict diversity

I was very dissapointed (sic) with the SAFE House article that appeared in the Jan. 28 paper. It was NOT about SAFE House, it was about Rachel Orange and Alina Pimenov and Josh Furman, and Josh does not even live in SAFE House. The diversity of SAFE House was not even covered in the article; it was about Rachel and Alina's room. Maybe you should look at the article and see how loosly (sic) it fit the title, or at least change the title of the article to "Rachel and Alina's room."

-- Lacie E. Lundeen

freshman, pre-social sciences

Use common sense

I have a suggestion that is both a safety issue and an issue of courtesy. When people are crossing Stevens Way, please use the crosswalks, they are not more than three or four feet apart in some cases. Also, look both ways before you step off the curb. Just because you are in a crosswalk is not a guarantee that they will stop, busses (sic) especially do not stop on a dime, and I personally wouldn't care to be hit by a vehicle that weighs 12,000 pounds.

Practice safety and courtesy, it can sometimes take as much as 20 minutes to get down Stevens Way by car or bus, and everyone will be happier.

-- Patrick Switzer

UW staff, health sciences academic services and facilities

Faulty numbers

The table that compared UW faculty salaries with the average of our peer institutions is faulty ("Salaries lag behind peer institutions," Jan. 29). If we are comparing ourselves to this peer group, what is of importance is the variation from the average. Consequently, when calculating the percentage of difference, the divisor must be the value of the peer average. Unfortunately, the table shows differences based on using the UW value as the divisor. The percentage variation for the Dept. of Genetics demonstrates this faulty calculation. It is clear that the average UW salary in this department is only about 50 percent below the average of the peer institutions. However, the table indicates that it is 98 percent below the peer average; this translates into an annual salary of about $2,000. If the percentage difference is correctly calculated, the percentage difference will be larger for the top seven departments and will be smaller for the bottom seven departments.

-- George Y. Liu

administrator,

Dept. of Comparative Medicine