Abstinence stats muddled
Kevin Jones belittles sexual abstinence in his column ("Keep Sex in Texas Health Books," Sept. 20) with a statistic which states that teenagers who make a "virginity pledge" are one-third less likely to use some form of protection during a sexual encounter than teenagers who do not.
Of course, the question remains, what proportion of those students who pledged are engaging in sexual activity at all, whether "protected" or not? Jones does not say, but I'm pretty confident that STDs do not float in the wind, and if you're not having sex (those teenagers who actually kept their pledge for example), you're pretty much guaranteed to not be at risk of anything at all. But maybe Jones and his sympathizers are right (given the mere existence of a virus like HIV) that this sort of self-restraint apparently is far too much to expect.
Chris Burns Computer sciences senior
Abstinence belongs in books
After reading the "Keep Sex in Texas Health Books" column (Sept. 20), I feel that the whole story should be brought into play. Although many seem to paint the abstinence policy as a typical conservative act of Texas lawmakers, there is reason to believe that promoting abstinence in health textbooks could indeed effectively inform teens about safe sex.
I work at the state Capitol, and we receive clippings of any newspaper article from the day before that addresses Texas government issues. In an article yesterday, I read that in addition to the abstinence section of the health books, teachers are strongly encouraged to talk to their students about safe sex. Although many might oppose such a policy as too scant and uninformative, these challengers must search outside the box. If they do, then they might find that a few pages in a health book won't have a heavy impact on teens' sexual decisions.
The anti-drinking, anti-smoking and anti-drug commercials all have the right idea in their ad campaigns. Instead of promoting the moderate practice of something that could, if used improperly, cause bodily harm, they encourage kids to avoid the problem completely. The best part about these ad campaigns is that they target teens through parents: "Talk to your kids about [sex]; they'll listen." At the end of the day, however, no one can argue; the safest sex is abstinence.
Ben Balagia Finance sophomore
Please rock vote, not house
As I am writing this letter, Rock-the-Vote is playing just outside Waggener Hall, and I can tell that what definitely is rocking are the single-pane windows. Too bad for all those exam takers today. Sure, it is a noble cause to raise people's awareness that their vote will count in November, but there is no need to do so by harming students' ability to concentrate on what is decisive for their academic career. If that happens, the people who are affected by this will even get mad at this election circus. And besides, buildings like the one I am currently in desperately need better windows to be able to tackle the sound waves coming out of today's noise-polluted environment (and I am not yet talking about energy efficiency).
Wolfgang Polleichtner Classics graduate student
What the Zell?
At the 2004 RNC, Zell Miller behaved like a child throwing a tantrum, and you sir, Mr. Burnham, have commended him for it.
I'm not going to refute what "evil" things the Democrats have said about Bush (or whether or not they are true). Instead, I am going to point out what kind of a puppet Zell Miller was for the Republicans. He reduced himself to the level of the Democrats, and below.
Because Democrats have "attacked" the patriotism of various Republican party members, Zell attacks the values of the Democratic Party as a whole. He does this multiple times, most blatantly with the statement, "I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny." His most immature (and ridiculously hilarious) moment came when he expressed his anger by challenging MSNBC's Hardball reporter Chris Matthews - who was simply asking him questions - to a duel. And I quote Mr. Miller: "I wish I was over there, where I could get a little closer up into your face." Sounds a lot like the bully on the blacktop to me.
Not being a Republican by title, Zell Miller was a perfect puppet for the GOP to release their childlike anger and appeal to the less-educated. Because he was a Democrat, the Republicans can now wash their hands of this, as they have been. According to www.msnbc.com, "Miller and his wife were removed from the list of dignitaries who would be sitting in the first family's box during the president's acceptance speech." The first lady was even quoted to say "I don't know that we share that point of view," in reply to Miller's speech.
Miller's speech was "pure poetry?" Obviously not even to Republican leadership.
Mark Stein Kinesiology junior
A kindly TIP for Rostami
In a hasty, overgeneralized column ("'Elite' plan lacks proper content," Sept. 20), Marjon Rostami decries the TIP program as outwardly "elitist" while secretly "remedial."
To dispel some of the misleading and incorrect assumptions, "1,700 qualified students applied and only 200 got in." Of course the students were qualified: Application is by invitation.
TIP has never posed as an honors program, but after addressing its emphasis on smaller classes and easy mentor-tutor-adviser access, how can she deny its "academic enrichment" value?
While some of Rostami's observations may be accurate (albeit skewed), the implications made were unsettling. Her definition of "minority retention" spans everything from Women in Engineering to Freshman Seminar. Seriously, which organizations actually try to worsen student experience in hopes they'll drop out?
I work closely with a group of TIP freshmen, none of which are "remedial." Yeah, they happen to be minorities. But they are also responsible, motivated and involved students who graduated at the top of their class with honors. How incredibly shallow to assume that they were accepted based on "minority status" rather than actual qualifications.
Finally, I found most troubling the assertion that a quality faculty member teaching eager students is somehow an example of "squandered resources." I took 309S Honors, and we still went over simple sentences. Is it that unusual, even for "regular student," to learn grammar in a writing class? Or is Rostami truly insinuating that only the most esteemed illuminati on campus deserve an exceptional teacher?
If it's the latter, I don't think the real "elitist" is the TIP program.
Sophia Kwong Liberal arts honors junior Texas Interdisciplinary Plan Mentor/Tutor
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