All around campus you see chalking for Forward and FUSE promoting the current student government elections. That's great, but where are the issues'??Most students don't know what is going on and are not motivated to vote because they don't see the issues. I know that one thing I want any person I vote for to do is help make school affordable.??Tuition prices are one way, but that completely overlooks the $400 I spend every semester on textbooks.??Honestly, the books I have to buy are not worth all the money I spend, and I don't see anyone making any changes.??Within the UW system there are various textbook rental programs. Students have anywhere from $57 to $72 dollars of their tuition per semester spent on funding this service.??At least??with a rental??every student is guaranteed to have the materials needed to study, instead of having to weigh the costs of everyday living against the price spent on books.??It only makes sense that the student government make??books equally available to all students and allow each of us??to participate fully in??classes that??we've already paid for.??I want something done about the ridiculous prices I have to pay just to read the books for my classes and I want a student government that is going to prioritize this issue.??
Early last week, the Israeli army and air force assassinated Sheik Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The assassination was carried out by dropping three U.S.-made missiles from a U.S.-made aircraft on Yassin while being carted on a wheelchair out of a Gaza city mosque after his morning prayer.
Ahmed Yassin was 68 years old. He was imprisoned by the Israelis between 1988 and 1996. After his health deteriorated he was released, and since then he has been subject to wheelchair confinement and impaired-vision imprisonment. The below-waist paralyzed man was capable of no physical activities, and had significant difficulty speaking as was evident by the few interviews he gave.
Israelis claim that Yassin was a ""mastermind of terrorist operations."" If that were true, one can't help but wonder if all physically fit Palestinians are made legitimate targets of Israeli missiles. Israel's decision to assassinate Yassin was not motivated by achieving security. While the Israeli government is embroiled amidst corruption charges, indictment on bribery charges and failure to achieve neither security nor peace, it resorts to throwing the region into more turmoil so it diverts attention from its own problems and lives off of its people's fears. The guaranteed outcome is more fighting, as the circumstances of the assassination have outraged people across the globe, especially in Muslim countries.
While fear prevents many from thinking rationally or disagreeing, Israel is currently run largely by Sharon. He gambles on making the entire world a victim of terror, as the daily Haaretz did in celebrating the Madrid bombing and inviting Spain to stand on the side of Israel.
When enough evidence is presented against an individual, it is expected that he would be put to trial. Furthermore, Israeli law does not permit the death penalty. Israel is a signatory of the Geneva Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the safety of the occupied population. Israel's extrajudicial assassination is not only illegal and morally abhorrent; it is a war crime and violation of international law.
It is a crying shame that many of the Third World workers producing our material affluence are struggling to meet their basic needs and cannot afford to wish for a healthy environment. Because of this situation, I buy products that have the fair trade label, which ensures a better deal for producers. I would like to see this stamp of certification spread beyond my daily coffee and eventually become a common sight, up and down the aisles of a supermarket like Copps.
I attended an informal event entitled ""Fair Trade/Free Trade Forum,"" which some campus fair trade leaders and enthusiasts hosted on March 26th. I applaud the dedication and achievements of the forum's organizers, but I was disappointed by the direction that was presented. Anti-corporate dogma pervaded! The presented definition of ""fair trade"" was limited only to those products originating on small-scale cooperatives. I believe that the broader movement to make trade fair does not share these market limitations.
Don't get me wrong-more power to the small-scale cooperative! However, I think this narrow view of fair trade possibilities is counterproductive and unfairly limits the ability of an indigenous population to choose how best to organize their means of production. The fair trade movement should instead focus on achieving environmental regulations and labor standards for a broader range of workers.
In order to include more producers, the fair trade market must expand through the creation of demand. A ""freer"" fair trade market could increase competition, which lowers consumer prices, thereby creating more demand for fair trade products.
Rather than blaming the TAA for being forced to go on strike to maintain health care and a decent standard of living (""TAA Strike Could Disrupt Grading Process""), Provost Peter Spear should blame the state and Governor Jim Doyle for prioritizing corporate handouts and corporate tax cuts over quality university education.
After nine months of negotiations, the state has refused to budge on its demands, and its chief negotiator has even admitted that ending no-cost health care is a political and philosophical issue. Spear should demand that the state continue no-cost health care for overworked teaching assistants and give the TAs a raise rather than a pay cut, when inflation is factored in. Instead, Spear blames TAs who make about $10,000 a year for taking a principled stand.
Spear claims, ""A grade strike ... would penalize the undergraduate students by not getting their grades when they are really not involved in the dispute at all."" Really? Undergraduates aren't involved? Undergraduates increasingly depend on TAs for their education, as TAs are undergraduates' main sources to go to for explanation, help on homework, office hours and TAs lead up some classes.
A good education depends on well-paid, quality teaching assistants. If Provost Spear cares about the quality of education at this university, he will fully support the TAs' demands.
