Letters to the editor
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: Opinion
UA community shows spirit during Campus Restoration Day
Over the past few weeks, the Razorback spirit has been incredibly high on campus, possibly the highest that I've seen in my time as a student at the university. However, this spirit does not surprise me. When visitors come to campus, we love to boast about how great the people are here in Fayetteville, whether they are UA students, faculty and staff or Fayetteville citizens.
Last week, this spirit resonated during Campus Restoration Day. I was amazed watching hundreds of students, faculty, staff and administrators come together to pick up a campus overwhelmed with damage from the ice storm. This event was completely voluntary and came during a busy week.
However, this didn't stop almost 1,000 members of the Razorback community from giving up several hours to restore the campus back to its normal beauty.
This would not have happened without the help of a number of different people. Angela Oxford, director of the Volunteer Action Center, was essential to the success of Campus Restoration Day. Because of her incredible skills in planning volunteer events, this day of service was able to happen after just three days of planning! This is a remarkable accomplishment, much because of Angela's hard work and expertise. Angela, thank you!
Also, a number of campus organizations came together to plan this event. Greek Life, Residents' Interhall Congress, Army and Air Force ROTC, the Athletic Department, and Facilities Management all contributed greatly to the success of the campus cleanup. To the leaders of each of these organizations, thank you!
To the football and women's soccer teams, the Latter-day Saints Student Association, the chancellor's office, the HPER and UAPD staffs, the Division of Student Affairs staff, and dozens of other groups, thank you! Each of you exemplified what life as an Arkansas Razorback is all about.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone work together to replace the numerous lost trees on campus. Please take the time to learn more about how to contribute to this campuswide effort by visiting the UA homepage and clicking on the ''Ice Storm 2009" link.
Carter Ford
ASG President
Closing Guantanamo is a 'bold move' for Obama
I have heard wide variances in opinion over President Obama's recent orders to close Guantanamo Bay.
It is a bold move that shows his commitment to reversing detrimental Bush administration policies and helping our nation regain its moral standing.
On the other hand, many people speak in opposition to this action. While some points are valid and conscientious, others are based on information that is simply false. These false allegations are nothing more than buzzwords and disinformation in order to frighten the populace into doubting progressive action.
I implore you to keep the facts in mind the next time someone mentions 'terror in our backyards' or 'detainees returning to the battlefield.'??
Our justice system, although not perfect, is the best in the world. It is fully capable of handling sensitive national security issues without compromising fundamental rights.
Several convicted terrorists have been prosecuted and successfully incarcerated in high-security federal prisons - including Colorado's Supermax facility - without posing any risk to the public's safety, including Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheik convicted in the first World Trade Center attacks.
Many of the Pentagon's reports on detainees returned to the battlefield can be proved false using their own prior reports and data, which include duplicate names, names of men never at Guantanamo and even persons who never left their home country.
Adam Schneider
Junior
Psychology
Over the past few weeks, the Razorback spirit has been incredibly high on campus, possibly the highest that I've seen in my time as a student at the university. However, this spirit does not surprise me. When visitors come to campus, we love to boast about how great the people are here in Fayetteville, whether they are UA students, faculty and staff or Fayetteville citizens.
Last week, this spirit resonated during Campus Restoration Day. I was amazed watching hundreds of students, faculty, staff and administrators come together to pick up a campus overwhelmed with damage from the ice storm. This event was completely voluntary and came during a busy week.
However, this didn't stop almost 1,000 members of the Razorback community from giving up several hours to restore the campus back to its normal beauty.
This would not have happened without the help of a number of different people. Angela Oxford, director of the Volunteer Action Center, was essential to the success of Campus Restoration Day. Because of her incredible skills in planning volunteer events, this day of service was able to happen after just three days of planning! This is a remarkable accomplishment, much because of Angela's hard work and expertise. Angela, thank you!
Also, a number of campus organizations came together to plan this event. Greek Life, Residents' Interhall Congress, Army and Air Force ROTC, the Athletic Department, and Facilities Management all contributed greatly to the success of the campus cleanup. To the leaders of each of these organizations, thank you!
To the football and women's soccer teams, the Latter-day Saints Student Association, the chancellor's office, the HPER and UAPD staffs, the Division of Student Affairs staff, and dozens of other groups, thank you! Each of you exemplified what life as an Arkansas Razorback is all about.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone work together to replace the numerous lost trees on campus. Please take the time to learn more about how to contribute to this campuswide effort by visiting the UA homepage and clicking on the ''Ice Storm 2009" link.
Carter Ford
ASG President
Closing Guantanamo is a 'bold move' for Obama
I have heard wide variances in opinion over President Obama's recent orders to close Guantanamo Bay.
It is a bold move that shows his commitment to reversing detrimental Bush administration policies and helping our nation regain its moral standing.
On the other hand, many people speak in opposition to this action. While some points are valid and conscientious, others are based on information that is simply false. These false allegations are nothing more than buzzwords and disinformation in order to frighten the populace into doubting progressive action.
I implore you to keep the facts in mind the next time someone mentions 'terror in our backyards' or 'detainees returning to the battlefield.'??
Our justice system, although not perfect, is the best in the world. It is fully capable of handling sensitive national security issues without compromising fundamental rights.
Several convicted terrorists have been prosecuted and successfully incarcerated in high-security federal prisons - including Colorado's Supermax facility - without posing any risk to the public's safety, including Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheik convicted in the first World Trade Center attacks.
Many of the Pentagon's reports on detainees returned to the battlefield can be proved false using their own prior reports and data, which include duplicate names, names of men never at Guantanamo and even persons who never left their home country.
Adam Schneider
Junior
Psychology
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