2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Opinion
Military provides protection
On Feb. 13, I read Kevin Moyer's letter titled "Disrespecting the military," in which he criticized Scott Ratner's original column, "Guilt Free." I was truly disturbed and appalled that Ratner, a fellow Terp, would claim that "students who receive nothing more than a degree at the end of the collegiate experience have actually done far more to better our society than a career in either the military or Peace Corps."
I don't want to get overly enthusiastic about this, as I could rant about the ignorance of this statement forever. Simply put, it is nothing short of tragic that Ratner has the audacity to live and breathe under the veil of American security while publicly degrading the contributions of the men and women who selflessly provide such protection.
Selby Kiffer
Senior
Criminology and criminal justice
No priority deserved
Although I am sure we can all agree that it would be beneficial for illegal immigrants to receive access to higher education, this goal is neither realistic nor feasible. The Feb. 26 staff editorial, "... And education for all," fails to bring up several important points regarding the issue of granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
First, and most obvious, granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants diverts the amount of resources available for financial aid. An influx of illegal immigrants can put a considerable amount of strain on the assets available for scholarships, grants, etc. As a triplet, with two sisters also attending college, I know first hand how important financial aid can be in allowing one to have access to higher education.
Second, by granting illegal immigrants the privilege of paying in-state tuition, the state would be setting a double standard, giving individuals who evade paying income taxes the same concessions as law-abiding, tax-paying residents and citizens. It is the duty of all residents, whether citizen or immigrant, to pay taxes.
The author describes how it would essentially be a blatant injustice to prohibit granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition. Only a small fraction of U.S. citizens have the opportunity to attend institutions of higher education. Our primary focus should be to encourage wider access to a college education for all Americans. Until this goal is achieved, it would not only be an injustice, but also a transgression, to give illegal immigrants the same priority status as tax-paying residents.
Joshua Mazurek
Freshman
Geography
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback's editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.
On Feb. 13, I read Kevin Moyer's letter titled "Disrespecting the military," in which he criticized Scott Ratner's original column, "Guilt Free." I was truly disturbed and appalled that Ratner, a fellow Terp, would claim that "students who receive nothing more than a degree at the end of the collegiate experience have actually done far more to better our society than a career in either the military or Peace Corps."
I don't want to get overly enthusiastic about this, as I could rant about the ignorance of this statement forever. Simply put, it is nothing short of tragic that Ratner has the audacity to live and breathe under the veil of American security while publicly degrading the contributions of the men and women who selflessly provide such protection.
Selby Kiffer
Senior
Criminology and criminal justice
No priority deserved
Although I am sure we can all agree that it would be beneficial for illegal immigrants to receive access to higher education, this goal is neither realistic nor feasible. The Feb. 26 staff editorial, "... And education for all," fails to bring up several important points regarding the issue of granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
First, and most obvious, granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants diverts the amount of resources available for financial aid. An influx of illegal immigrants can put a considerable amount of strain on the assets available for scholarships, grants, etc. As a triplet, with two sisters also attending college, I know first hand how important financial aid can be in allowing one to have access to higher education.
Second, by granting illegal immigrants the privilege of paying in-state tuition, the state would be setting a double standard, giving individuals who evade paying income taxes the same concessions as law-abiding, tax-paying residents and citizens. It is the duty of all residents, whether citizen or immigrant, to pay taxes.
The author describes how it would essentially be a blatant injustice to prohibit granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition. Only a small fraction of U.S. citizens have the opportunity to attend institutions of higher education. Our primary focus should be to encourage wider access to a college education for all Americans. Until this goal is achieved, it would not only be an injustice, but also a transgression, to give illegal immigrants the same priority status as tax-paying residents.
Joshua Mazurek
Freshman
Geography
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback's editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Eric
posted 2/28/08 @ 8:56 AM EST
I agree with Selby.
anaon
posted 7/31/08 @ 12:55 AM EST
selby blows.
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