Letters to the editor

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Rationale for the destigmatization of Animal Rights

Letter to the Editor:

As a member of the Animal Allies Club on campus, I hope to educate and encourage students on various animal rights issues. The term “animal rights” has definitely secured its share of stigmas over the years: activists are considered radical and irrational, veganism and vegetarianism impracticable, protests and demonstrations mere spectacles. The passion — or should I say COMpassion — of so many people, nation and world wide has become something of a joke.

The AAC has already done some incredible things on and off campus, including efforts that helped pass Henry’s Law (making torture of a domestic animal a felony in Utah). Members of the AAC do not prefer animal life over human life, but believe that anything with the ability to suffer should never have to, and that all life should be treated with respect and compassion. The AAC does not require everyone give up meat or throw out their leather, but works to educate students on how daily, individual decisions affect our planet, and the creatures with whom we share it. The AAC fights for peace, equality, and the environment, and every day more people join the cause. So for those who still think animal activism is a joke: there is a method — and a PURPOSE — to our madness.

Maddie Mugleston

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Some of the threatened jobs and programs at UVU may be saved

To the Editor:

President Hitch recently sent out an email detailing the budget cuts made by the state. The funding provided by the state has been cut by 17%.

The result is higher costs for just about everything for all of us. For example, the health care premium for faculty and staff will go up by almost 300%, yet we will see no increase in compensation for next year. For students, your tuition will go up significantly next year.

In difficult times such as these, I would think that people would do everything in their power to make sure that no stone remained unturned when it comes to saving money. Yet everyday I see students and staff “burning” money away without a second thought.

A recent article in USA Today put an estimated cost of $2.8 billion dollars a year on money wasted by people in America simply because they didn’t turn off their computer at night! We literally burn our money by leaving computers on at night and classroom lights on when no one is using the classroom.

There are 30,000 students, faculty, and staff at UVU. If we are all wasting just $1 a month in electricity alone, it would mean a total of $360,000 a year goes to the utility company for nothing. And how easy is it to waste $1 worth of electricity a month? All it takes is wasting 5 cents a day. I am sure most of us waste more than that amount on a daily basis. That $360,000 a year seems small in comparison to the University’s budget. However, that amount of money could be used to keep anywhere from 5 to 10 staff positions, or 180 scholarships of $2,000. Not to mention, turning the computer off at night and restarting the computer in the morning will make the computer run faster and reduce the risk being hacked into.

There are other ways you can help to further reduce the money being wasted. Turning off the lights in classrooms or offices when they are not in use as well as using less paper by not printing your work until you absolutely need to. If we all put in our effort to reduce wasteful spending, the university could save at least $500,000 a year. It might seem like a small amount, but tell that to the people who are let go and the students who are not going to be able to continue because there is no scholarship money available.

Dr. Leo Chan
Ass. Proff. of Finance & Economics