Bans would take away liberty
When Health and Counseling Student Action Committee smoking forum ended a few weeks ago, I needed a little time to regroup and reflect on what had been a rather upsetting night.
Far from the acceptable goal of eliminating secondhand smoke, which is aggressive against those who have asthma and smoke allergies, they also seek to prohibit nonaggressive use such as smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The stated purpose of HCSAC is to eliminate all tobacco use in order to make you healthier against your will.
Dr. Anger spoke longingly about New York City banning trans fat and hoped other governments would soon begin removing all personal choice from the consumer in this and other ways. Don’t these people have better things to do? When did our peaceful lifestyle choices become their business?
Coercing peaceful individuals into healthier lifestyles is a criminal violation of self-ownership of every person and should always be rejected. Every individual should be free to make his or her life choices but should be held responsible for his or her decisions. I shouldn’t have to pay the medical bills of a lifelong smoker, but if he or she is willing to pay the bills that resulted from poor choices, leave it be.
I personally do not smoke, but I oppose overzealous busybodies who believe coercion and prohibitive laws are a moral way of improving the health of nonaggressive individuals.
There are few attitudes more elitist and arrogant than those at HCSAC, who clearly think they know how to live your life better than you do. They are ASU’s face of public health tyranny and must be opposed at every turn. Otherwise, they may begin smelling your skin as you walk on-campus to make sure you’ve protected yourself from the sun, whether you want such protection or not.
Ross Kenyon ASU Students For Liberty
Sigma Chi coverage controversial
(In response to Addie Hill’s March 3 letter, “Frat coverage perpetuates victim-blaming culture.”)
Kyle Patton and Derek Quizon’s Feb. 22 article, “ASU Police did not pursue criminal charges in alleged rape at Sigma Chi house” did not perpetuate the victim-blaming culture surrounding rape survivors as you claim.
In fact this article, as well as the one printed before it on the same subject, reported the story with bias in support of the victim. The State Press decided not to print the victim’s name, even though it is now public record because of her civil suit, yet they printed the names of the alleged criminals.
In reference to the inclusion of her BAC, a reporter’s job is to tell the truth and report the facts of a story. Whether you would like to admit it or not, alcohol tends to impair memory, meaning she could possibly remember what happened incorrectly. This makes it relevant to the story. Also, the authors included that one of the alleged criminals was once known as “the rapist” and that Sigma Chi had a long history of this sort of thing. These facts provide even more proof that The State Press had bias in favor of the victim.
Elias Small Undergraduate Internships are opportunities
(In response to Morgan Tanabe’s Feb. 5 column, “Are internships slave labor?”)
Although I can definitely see and relate to Morgan Tanabe’s point on internships and how they can be unfair, I can’t help but be reminded of all the wonderful experiences and opportunities internships can provide.
There are a lot of companies that offer once-in-a-lifetime internships. For example, The Disney College Program offers students the chance to work in a Disney park or hotel in various roles including attractions, merchandising and character performance. Although this internship only pays the students minimum wage, they provide the interns with safe and clean housing at an extremely low cost (approximately $80 per week) and guarantee 30 hours of work per week.
Although this is an extremely low compensation and a lot of hard work, think of what these students are experiencing in return. Not only are they gaining experience with one of the most successful companies in the world, they are also able to work in the “happiest place on Earth” everyday! That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
It is also extremely important to remember that internships are completely voluntary. Although family, professors and colleagues may try to push them, they are ultimately the individual’s choice to pursue. Internships are part of the college experience, and Tanabe’s research proves that.
Students go to school every day without compensation; internships are not much different than school. Just like school, they provide us with a chance to grow and learn within our field of choice.
Students choose to go to school and participate in internships so that they can open more doors for success in their future. Neither are mandatory and there are lots of jobs that require little or no experience to be hired.
In regards to the mindless jobs that interns are often asked to complete — it’s important to remember that no matter what tasks may be assigned to the intern, they are still about to network and gain knowledge of their field. Even these seemingly irrelevant tasks give students an inside look at how their desired field operates on a daily basis.
I really appreciate Tanabe’s unique opinion on the relevance and unfairness that sometimes comes with internships. However, the opportunities and experience students get from internships, in my opinion, is invaluable.
Samantha Hampton Undergraduate
