Thumbs up / thumbs down

Tuesday, November 17, 1998

Thumbs up / thumbs down

Child care

at university too limited

Thumbs down to the UCLA child care programs for failing to
provide affordable and accessible care to the thousands of faculty,
staff and students who need it.

UCLA child care is supposed to be for all those affiliated with
the university, but the high cost of care limits the programs to
the select few that can actually afford it.

There is also a limited number of spaces available in the
programs; currently parents have to wait about one and a half years
to get a spot. The hours for child care further limit the
availability and accessibility for parents with schedules set
outside the standard business schedule.

The university’s child care program is cost prohibitive,
inaccessible and much too small for a university of UCLA’s
size.

Regulations prohibit

chain e-mail

Thumbs up to the University of Arkansas for creating and
enforcing a Code of Computing Practice, which locks students e-mail
accounts for two days if they initiate or send chain e-mail
messages.

Sending chain e-mails violates the University Code, which
defines violators as those students who "annoy, harass, threaten
… another person."

E-mail is a privilege that the university provides; the
university has a right to create and enforce rules.

Chain e-mails, aside from being exceedingly annoying, violate
the university code.

Truly outraged students always have the option of registering
for any one of a number of free e-mail services from Internet
providers like Hotmail and Yahoo.

Rieber Hall aids recycling

Thumbs up to Rieber Hall’s student-run recycling program, where
student volunteers will regularly empty new recycling bins located
in the study lounges. Though there are currently large recycling
bins on each floor in the dorms, residents often dump garbage into
them.

Student volunteers will be able to recycle aluminum cans,
plastic and glass bottles with the new program – UCLA, however,
currently only recycles paper.

Hopefully student efforts will be enacted at the other residence
halls as well. A large university like UCLA needs to make more
environment friendly options available to its students, staff and
employees.

Chicago sues gun makers

Thumbs up to a Chicago lawsuit which holds 38 firearms
manufacturers, distributors and dealers accountable for the illegal
and irresponsible sale of guns in the city.

The lawsuit is based in part on an investigation by undercover
police officers, who bought scores of guns from stores in Chicago.
Store clerks were witnessed advising undercover officers how to
avoid scrutiny in multiple-gun purchases. Officers also noticed
"straw purchases," where unlicensed customers blatantly gave their
money to a person who was licensed and had them buy the gun
instead.

Although the lawsuit is not necessarily the best way to enact
gun control, the spirit of the suit is intended to make a point:
manufacturers need to be held accountable for the legal, and
allegedly illegal, sale of their guns.

Thumbs up/Thumbs down represents the majority opinion of the
Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send comments and suggestions to
[email protected].

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© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]