Respect the ROTC
In the article "President Bush, you killed my son," from the Feb. 15 issue of The Signal, Sue Niederer offered her opinion of the ROTC program. In high school, I was approached by recruiters much like Niederer's son Seth Dvorin was. These recruiters were from each branch of the military, but never forced me to do anything and never gave false promises.
I am a student here at the College and I am also in the Air Force ROTC program based at Rutgers University. This decision was completely up to me, hence why we call it a "volunteer military." Never has a day gone by that I regret my decision, and I will continue to be a strong advocate for the military and for these programs. ROTC has given hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to support and defend their country over the years, and it has also given me the luxury of going to this school. So I urge you all - Republican, Democrat and Green alike - to get involved and support the men and women who defend this country. We won't ask you for any more than that.
Tyler Flagg
God is good
As a Christian, I am sad that many misunderstand Christianity and seek to discredit it in The Signal. It is true that many Christians have done horrible things, but God is not to be held at fault; iniquitous people like me are. In fact, Christ never advocated any rationalization for wrongdoing; he died to save humanity, stressed the highest moral standard and urged us to pray for our enemies.
If we want a clear view into what Christianity is, we need to separate it from the twisted contrivances of humankind. The heart of Christianity, which believers and non-believers must reaffirm, is the body of teachings and actions of Christ in the Bible.
Christ, as God, offers us an intimate view of our Father and heavenly friend. God is pleased with selflessness, patience, compassion, charity, empathy, respect, obedience and love; God is displeased with idolatry, murder, envy, stealing and falsehood. He has promised His wrath for sin and unrighteousness.
God's judgment and morality are not dependent on our interpretation - they are constant and should not be warped to suit our agendas. We may misunderstand many of God's commands, which are admittedly topics to pray on, but don't think that because human beings are evil and ignorant that God is in any way less relevant. We should marvel in considering that there is a God who forgives human beings despite the fact that they constantly trouble Him and one another.
All we must do to gain unity with the source of love for all eternity is believe in His name and trust in Him to forgive us. To non-believers, this is an exhortation to consider; to believers, this is a wake-up call.
Did Christ die so that we could comfortably affirm the righteousness of black slavery or arguing over intelligent design? Certainly not! We must now take up our cross and proclaim a loving message to an aching world.
Morgan Justin Rosser
The multi-functioning Pill
I am writing in response to a student's quote in the article, "College insurance to include birth control," in the Feb. 15 issue of The Signal. Naomi Rutz said, "For the mere fact that birth control is not a procedure necessary for the betterment of one's everyday health, I believe that colleges should not (cover) birth control."
Since the subject of the article was the controversy surrounding college insurance covering the actual birth control pill, I am writing under the assumption that Ms. Rutz was referring to the pill in her statement, in which case, her statement is incorrect.
While the birth control pill is obviously a method of contraception, and it may be said that contraception is not absolutely necessary for promoting good health, the pill does in fact have many health benefits.
Birth control pills are regularly prescribed for women suffering from endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, primary dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea and even acne, just to name a few conditions. Many of these conditions are far from rare in the college-age female population.
Furthermore, clinical studies have demonstrated that the birth control pill can prevent the formation of ovarian cysts and lowers the risk of developing ovarian and uterine cancers.
Most of the women I know who take birth control pills do so because their doctors prescribed it for one or more medical conditions and/or to regulate their menstrual cycle. Many of these women may not be sexually active. They rely on the birth control pill as the primary treatment for their health problems.
With this in mind, I ask: For those women who suffer from these conditions, why should the birth control pill not be covered under the College insurance plan when all other medications are? Clearly, it is a method that is necessary for the betterment of many women's everyday health.
Francesca Khani
President of the College's Chapter of the American Medical Student Association
SFB takes
the stand
The members of the Student Finance Board (SFB) have one of the most difficult jobs on campus. We must constantly be accountable to all the College's 5,600 undergraduate students. Our decisions reflect our goal of providing quality on-campus programming to the students of the College.
SFB has never stated it would "disallow the formation of new club sports." Currently, SFB funds 16 club sports teams, with an average cost per sport of $2,567. Combined with intramurals (which SFB pays for in their entirety), club sports make up 13 percent of the entire SFB yearly budget. We have stated we will not take on any more new club sports because of the financial burden. With every new club sport SFB takes on, there will be less money for programs and events that all students can attend.
SFB decided to fully fund the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) conference for four College Union Board (CUB) representatives because their attendance is a benefit to the entire campus community, as it is centered around activities and events specifically geared toward college campuses. These CUB representatives will bring back knowledge and contacts that will serve the campus next year as they plan some of the major events on campus.
The NACA conference also provides valuable information on contract negotiations, talent agents, etc. Since Tim Asher, associate director of Campus Activities, assists multiple organizations with contract negotiations and plans major events such as Welcome Week and Celebration of the Arts (B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis) for the students, SFB believed it was justified in funding his expenses, because ultimately it will benefit the students.
So far this year, SFB has received over a dozen conference requests, which, if fully funded, would cost the student body over $24,000 for 128 students. Does the student body believe it is justifiable to spend $4,000 to send 10 students to a sports tournament in Las Vegas? That is why, with the exception of the NACA conference, which has clear benefits to the campus community, all students attending conferences have received $50.
Julia Pratt
Executive Director
Student Finance Board
