Letters to the Editor

Unplanned parenthood

Campus childcare resources

    I enjoyed reading the advice given to the student who was pregnant ("Dealing with college pregnancy dilemmas," Dec. 4); you covered the policies and student resources well, however there are a few more resources available to students (as well as faculty and staff) such as lactation stations throughout campus, a Nanny Share network and a caregiver directory. For more information, check out the UW Work/Life Web site: www.washington.edu/admin/hr/worklife.

--Ellen Blizinsky, MSW

UW Work/Life Office

Salary allocation

UW doesn't appreciate rank-and-file employees

Barbara Hedges' salary has increased by more than 100 percent since she was hired. Mine, in about the same time, has increased by 30 percent, maybe. In addition to her "middle-of-the-road" salary she has many perks to enhance her job satisfaction. Her perks are worth far more than most UW employees earn in a year.

The salaries and perks enjoyed by our "leaders" are indicative of the lack of respect displayed for the rank and file of the UW. Where are our perks? Sure, we get a few, but nothing to compare to 100 percent salary increases and the perks enjoyed by our administrators.

How about free U-PASSes, for example? I will continue to drive and clog the roads and pollute, because for me a U-PASS is not worth $49 a quarter. I spend far less than that in gas to drive to work and park on a side street. I don't mind the walk to campus.

How about free IMA membership? I have been a dedicated member since I became employed here. On a related note, due to my dedication to the IMA and my health, I have amassed a considerable amount of sick leave. After the equivalent of five years of good health (480 hours of sick leave), we may cash in any excess amount for 25 percent of its value. Why not give us 100 percent as a reward for our good health and attendance? If anything, I feel more inspired to be "sick" so I will get the true value of my leave!

--Chris Styron

media technician lead, Classroom Support Services

Bias in classrooms

Political opinions don't belong in chemistry class

I agree with Mike Howard that singling out university faculty stifles their rights ("Protecting freedom in education," Dec. 5), but at the same time, what are we really going to this university for? Is it right for a student to have to sit through a lecture in which a Spanish professor rants and raves about the war in Iraq instead of teaching conjugation? Did I pay thousands of dollars in tuition to listen to my chemistry TA talk about why George W. Bush is such a bad guy? Sure, you can have your beliefs and express them as well, but that is why we have so many forums and extra-curricular groups to talk about these issues, not in a classroom where it is unrelated to the subject matter and you are bashing on beliefs that could be held by students in your class.

--Margo Anderson

sophomore, premajor

This is not the end

I would first like to thank the author of last week's piece on the Schoolyard Heroes ("Rockers with class," Dec. 4). It is nice to see local (and UW, even) students getting recognition by their peers. However, I feel I must point out a hugely inaccurate statement in that article. 1077 The End's DJ Harms was not the first person to play the Schoolyard Heroes on the radio -- he wasn't even the first to play them on The End. I can think of two radio stations that were playing them long before The End latched onto them. The first would be local indie station KEXP. Furthermore, John Richards played demos of them on The End's local show, The Young and the Restless, several months before Funeral Sciences was released, and any other The End DJs came close to them. The other station I mentioned is none other than the UW's own Rainydawg Radio. Rainydawg began playing MP3 demos of Schoolyard Heroes sometime last March, way before The End. I just want to see the local indies getting the recognition they deserve for promoting this great band . . . and drawing The End's attention to them.

-- Christopher Ashley

graduate student; paper science and engineering