Tuesday, October 13, 1998
Thumbs up/ Thumbs down
911 used for assistance, not dates
Thumbs down to a Florida 911 operator for asking crime victims
out on dates when they call in.
Steve Toncheff used sheriff’s equipment to help him locate dates
and office computers to discover the names, addresses, phone
numbers, birthdates and other personal information about women who
called in to report emergencies. Toncheff also used the official
911 emergency lines to make personal phone calls.
Not only is Toncheff tying up the phone lines for callers with
emergencies more pressing than an uneventful social life, but his
actions also amount to an invasion of privacy and take advantage of
women in an obviously vulnerable state.
Nutrition bill good news for children
Thumbs up to legislation which expands after-school programs to
give snacks to children up to the age of 18 and provides breakfast
to more children. The current program only serves children up to
the age of 13 and provides breakfast to poor children.
Kids need to be well-nourished to pay greater attention in
school, and the after-school program will hopefully keep
unsupervised adolescents out of trouble.
Furthermore, by extending the breakfast program to include all
children, the stigma attached to the current breakfast program can
be alleviated so that all children feel comfortable to
participate.
UA promises kids free tuition
Thumbs up to University of Arizona President Peter Likins, who
promised 101 third-graders free tuition to attend the University of
Arizona if they graduate high school and meet the regular admission
requirements.
This promise is a positive investment for the future, keeping
both children and families focused on a concrete goal. Likins’
proposal goes beyond "outreach" efforts; it provides a definite
solution (free tuition) to motivate students who may never have
thought of pursuing a college education after high school.
Harvard Law babies grad students
Thumbs down to Harvard Law School’s tightened enforcement of
their attendance policy. Professors can now drop students who do
not attend a certain number of classes without informing them
beforehand.
Not only does the new policy fail to address why the students
are not attending class (i.e. professors with poor teaching
skills), but it treats law students like they are incapable of
making their own decisions. If students pay for their education,
they deserve the freedom to decide when to go to class. Students
who don’t go to class miss out on lecture information and should
have the right to inflict their own form of punishment upon
themselves.Thumbs up/Thumbs down represents the majority opinion of
the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send comments and suggestions to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.
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