SG promises clash with reality

Editorial

Like most politicians, student body presidential candidates know the easiest way to get votes is by making promises that appeal to the student body. They set up tables and bombard students with Domino's pizza, cotton candy and glossy cards containing lists of this year's promises.

They know if they wave shiny objects in front of people's eyes, they're going to get a response. And the sad thing is, many students eat their cotton candy on the way to the polls and vote for the party line that most recently satisfied that sweet tooth. The fact that these candidates are promising podcasting or Starbucks operating hours that match library hours are all the more enticing.

Little do voters know many promises candidates make are unobtainable and unrealistic. The candidates might not realize they're making empty promises while they're handing out coffee and donuts, and they might not discover their inability to deliver promises until the end of their terms. But if they haven't done their homework, they perhaps aren't ready to take on the task of leading the student body.

Such is true of the free oil changes and dorm cleaning service Student Body President Justin Damiano and Student Body Vice President Dorrell Briscoe promised students last year during their campaign. Their motives were pure and their hearts in the right place, but their ideas were impossible.

Student Government Activity and Service fees cannot be used to pay most travel-related fees, and finances to cover oil changes would fall under traveling categories. The executive administration spent time coordinating deals with Tires Plus, but neglected to research provisionary travel language of their own offices. They didn't discover the language would disallow any SG money to go toward oil change funding until weeks ago. Briscoe said they're working on getting student discounts at Tires Plus, but with four weeks left in the semester, his time is drawing to a close.

Likewise, cleaning services in the dorm won't happen any time soon unless Damiano can raise money outside of A&S fees, Briscoe said. Campus housing recently approved a two-year budget and didn't set a cent aside for a cleaning service. Even though student housing never committed to funding a cleaning service, Damiano was hoping for a change of heart, and in the meantime did not find other revenue outlets. Unless he can successfully lobby for the money in the next few weeks, it doesn't look like it will happen.

Briscoe said he and Damiano have been working to fulfill promises made by past administrations in addition to the ones they made last year. They constructed a car wash station - in actuality a block of concrete and a hose - a feat that cost approximately $18,000.

The steep cost of such a minimal addition on campus should give students an idea of how expensive almost doubling Starbucks hours would be. There's a slim chance SG will be able to find the funds to meet these goals, and they're hoping they don't have to. They're hoping Chartwells and Starbucks will pay for the increased hours themselves, and are willing to make an investment only if it is needed, said Rachael Tutwiler, a current student body presidential candidate.

It's a nice idea, but once again, the money isn't going to magically fall from the sky.

Free printing is a popular promise this year, as most students agree it would be nice to print papers in the library for free. But approximately $35,000 will guarantee each student only 10 pages a semester. For such a hefty sum of money, the payoff is minimal.

Vice presidental candidate Alban Brooke said if he is voted into office, he hopes to implement podcasting in classrooms. But even if it gets approved and funded, professors still have to give the OK to have their lectures taped. It's against the law to record anyone without his or her permission in Florida, and we all know there are teachers who would rather make students come to class than give them an easy way to skip.

Brooks said department heads are interested in podcasting as a way to help students who miss classes, not as an incentive to make students skip class. But department heads can't distinguish why students miss class. Whether they skip to go to the beach or are sick in bed, the point is, it's going to be easier for them to miss class, because they'll be able to instantly make it up.

Instead of labeling the items candidates place on their lists "promises," they should call them "hopes." No one has any business promising things they are not 100 percent sure they can deliver. Some things might take years to deliver, but candidates are promising that big things will happen as soon as they are voted in to office. Good student body presidents and vice presidents work on granting previous candidate's promises, but because additional promises are made each year, older promises are inevitably lost or forgotten.

This year, Domiano and Briscoe worked to fulfill last year's executive administration's promise of constructing volleyball courts in the Osprey Village, and it still hasn't happened. The skate park was finally erected, and Damiano and Briscoe worked on planning for the Student Union, but both were left over from previous campaigns. They were so busy working on previous administrator's promises, they were unable to get to their own promises until the end of the year - just in time to see them fall through.

The bottom line is that candidates need to stop teasing students with promises that can't be kept. They're being deceptive and selfish, and students graduate before they realize they've been tricked by cheap pizza. They think they've voted for candidates who will satisfy their wishes, but really they've just granted another student body president a year of free campus housing, a first-floor parking pass and a resume incomparable to their peers - amenities UNF presidential winners are granted.

It's no wonder less than a quarter of students vote in elections.

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Scratch cruelty against cats, don't declaw them

Staff Opinion

By Jamie Williams
JUNIOR, COMMUNICATIONS

If you have a cat, keep in mind many of your material things look appetizing to it. A cat's temptation to scratch away might just give in unless it's properly trained not to do so - which can easily be done without declawing them.

Whatever you do, don't let the thought of declawing the cat so much as cross your mind. This is not what nature intended.

Claws help make cats who they are. They have a natural instinct to scratch to serve both their psychological and physical needs. They claw to have fun and exercise, to maintain the condition of their nails, and to mark their territory.

Declawing involves removal of the cat's claws, the bones and cartilage that hold them in place, which allow them to balance correctly, climb, and protect themselves. This results in a painful and eternally crippling process that should never be performed.

Declawing is no manicure, but rather a serious surgery that involves 10 separate, painful amputations.

The surgery involves amputation of the last joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail. Permanent nerve damage, hemorrhaging and gangrene, which can lead to limb amputation, are possible complications.

After surgery, the nails may grow back within the paw, causing pain but remaining undetectable to onlookers. This operation also results in a gradual weakening of the muscles, and because of impaired balance caused by the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn to walk.

A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported 33 percent of declawed cats observed developed at least one behavioral problem and 80 percent had more than one medical impediment.

Without claws, even house-trained cats may urinate outside the litter box in attempt to mark their territory. Declawed cats might be depressed, aggressive and unpredictable, and are more probable to end up in shelters.

Trimming your cat's nails regularly is one thing you can do to aleviate the problem, and it goes a long way. The hook of the nail is what tears upholstery, so removing it virtually eliminates any chance of damage.

Scratching posts are another option. Strategically place a scratching post where your cat is already clawing and another near the area where he or she normally sleeps. Placing double-sided tape on a surface you'd like to protect will also discourage clawing.

Do your part to help stop these severe and redundant surgeries by letting any friends or family members considering having their cats declawed know the dangers and cruelty involved. Currently, nearly two dozen countries ban or severely restrict these surgeries and many vets refuse to perform it. You can also support or help start legislation to ban the harmful operation in your community.

Remember, a cat with claws has happy paws.

Contact Jamie Williams at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Letters to the Editor

Greeks help, not hinder to community

Fraternity and sorority chapters at the University of North Florida are the most highly criticized organizations on campus, but why?

University of North Florida Greeks are exceptional scholars, Student Government senators, collegiate athletes, presidential envoys, and student body presidents and vice presidents. We are members of the SWOOP Squad, Wingmen, College Republicans, Silver and Blue Key, Campus Outreach, the African American Student Union and Club Alliance, just to name a few.

Our respected organizations, no matter what the letters might be, are all dedicated to bettering our campus community through active involvement.

So, again, why are Greeks the target of unjust ridicule and condemnation? Unfortunately, scandal, no matter how ludicrous, minute or inadequate it may be, entices interest. Because UNF Greeks are so involved and we have made our presence on campus known by being strong leaders headed toward success, it appears that scant negative situations are inevitably going to attract a greater audience.

Believe it or not, unlike the ancient Greek gods, from whom we have adopted their alphabet, UNF Greeks are human. We make mistakes. However, we acknowledge and rectify those errors in judgment by adhering to the fair, yet often steep, consequences implemented by our very own Zeus, but he also answers to Tyler Young.

It would be a lie to say UNF fraternities and sororities amicably coexist every minute of every day; however, we do pride ourselves on the unity and respect for each other that we have strived so hard to achieve over time. When a UNF Greek organization is involved in an undesirable situation that is unjustly blown out of proportion, some are led to pass judgment on our Greek Life as a whole. Fortunately, it is in these times of need that we are able to put aside our petty differences and stand as a united front with our fellow "brothers" and "sisters."

It was recently suggested the actions by individual members of a UNF fraternity has caused an "embarrassment to our community." Greek Life on our campus is not embarrassing and is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Perhaps those who feel Greek Life is hindering our campus community should visit www.unf.edu/greeklife to get a better understanding of the impact that has been made since we began to flourish.

We are Greeks, and we are proud of our organizations. Nationally, Greeks volunteer more than 10 million hours of selfless philanthropic work every year. At UNF, we are actively fundraising and donating our time to numerous non-profit organizations such as Children's Miracle Network, Push America and Prevent Child Abuse America. We also raise awareness for causes such as breast cancer and domestic violence. How is that for setting an example?

Our overall UNF Greek experiences are allowing us to enjoy our college careers to the fullest. Who are you to criticize and condemn something you obviously know nothing about, which is demonstrated when predominately negative stories featuring Greeks are published?

Courtney Kreimer
Junior, English

Faculty strives to lower on-campus contraceptive prices

Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the March 28 Spinnaker editorial: "Birth control price hikes too much for students."

I would like to share with you that we all have options to the increased pricing on campus contraceptives.

This pricing has only affected name brand contraceptives. Students still have access to generic contraceptives, and campuses across the country are educating their students of this option.

In addition, I am a member of the American College Health Association that represents more than 900 institutions of higher education. Here is an example of what we are doing to counter the results of the Deficit Reduction Act.

In conjunction with our winter 2007 ACHA Board of Directors meeting, members of the board traveled to Capitol Hill. We met with senior staff from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and with staffers from other legislative offices. The purpose of our visit was to inform legislators about how the change in regulations regarding nominal pricing of branded prescription medications within the Deficit Reduction Act has and will impact both college student access to contraceptives and the services provided by college and university health centers. Board members of ACHA, assisted by the firm of McKenna, Long and Aldridge, fully explained the adverse impact of discontinued nominal pricing for oral contraceptive prices in college and university health centers.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction and oversight of the DRA legislation and is chaired by Sen. Baucus D-MT. Sen. Grassley R-IA is the ranking member of the committee. The committee staffers explained the intent of the legislation was to maximize manufacturer rebates to the states for medications purchased by Medicaid recipients. The new regulations limit which nominal price transactions the manufacturers can exclude from the calculation of their best price and average manufacturer price, which determine their Medicaid reimbursement rates. While the new regulations do not prohibit manufactures from selling contraceptives to college and university health centers at nominal prices, they do prohibit the manufacturer from exempting these sales from the calculation of their "best price," resulting in a financial disincentive to extend nominal pricing to student health centers.

The Senate Finance Committee staffers made clear to us that the omission of college and university health centers - as well as some other health care entities - in the nominal price exemption was an oversight in the legislation and not meant to intentionally exclude such transactions. They further explained there was already flexibility in the existing legislation for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide a remedy. By using the discretionary authority already given by Congress, CMS could simply add student health centers under a fourth category that may receive exempted nominal pricing. An alternative to this remedy would be to change the legislation.

Assisted by our legislative consulting firm, our next step will be to participate in the public comment period on the regulations proposed by CMS, encouraging a modification in the regulation that would create a category to exempt the sale of contraceptives at nominal prices to non-profit public and private colleges and universities.

Doreen Perez MS, RN-BC
Director of Medical Compliance

A case in support of alcohol, in moderation

Dear Editor,
The following is a response to "Unshining the moon: a case against alcohol," a column that ran in the March 14 issue of the Spinnaker.

As a visitor to your campus recently, I read the above-referenced opinion piece "against" alcohol. I could not help but shake my head and think it was spoken like a true college kid whose perspective is quite limited. As the daughter of an alcoholic, I am intimately aware of the dangers of alcohol, and yet I drink. Responsibly. And with gusto.

If I allowed others' weaknesses to control my choices, what a limited life I would lead. Further, because of my life's early difficulties, I have worked very hard at becoming a success. One of the ways I maintain my success is to know when to relax. And for me, relaxing over a glass of wine, a cold beer, or cocktails with friends and family, is one of the surest ways to have fun, regroup and recharge.

Humans have sought ways to relieve the pressures of everyday existence forever. I feel no guilt or shame for my drinking habit, but quite the contrary. I feel blessed to have these gastronomically and emotionally satisfying gifts at my disposal.

Cary Herold
Campus visitor

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