Thumbs up/Thumbs down

Crime, hate unacceptable in rivalry Thumbs down
to using school rivalry as an excuse for hate, grand theft and
cruelty to animals. Though it’s expected that students from
UCLA and USC would demonstrate their school pride before the annual
football game, some of the methods used are abhorrent and
inexcusable. Though still uncertain, police suspect USC students of
stealing more than $30,000 of band equipment from a UCLA bus and
defacing a case with Hebrew letters by writing “Jew” on
it. The USC band is also known to play the notes F, A and G
consecutively, reflecting a homophobic attitude. Last week, a bag
of mice painted red were dumped in Powell as well. While some, such
as Daily Trojan columnist Kevin Pang, call such actions a
“little prank,” grand theft, anti-semitism, homophobia
and cruelty toward animals constitute serious offenses. In his
column, Pang refers to the UCLA band mascot as “Esmerelda the
Lesbian Clarinet-Playing Chimp” and calls the UCLA drum major
“Lenny Flickensteen.” Does this serve to foster
intelligent conversation on our universities when it comes to
respecting ourselves and others? Even during rivalry week, certain
topics are always serious and should be treated with respect. As
the highest profile universities in Los Angeles, UCLA and USC
produce many future leaders and it is imperative that we set the
example for other schools and for our community by respecting each
other.

CUE must demand better contract Thumbs down to
the Coalition of University Employees union leadership for
tentatively settling for a contract with a 7.8 percent pay increase
to be implemented over the next three years, despite the fact CUE
members made it clear they wanted a 21 percent increase. Employees
represented by CUE should compel their elected leaders to better
represent their interests. It’s unfair that CUE members work
five days a week but receive pay equivalent to only four. The
budget for CUE increased this year from $200,000 to more than $1
million dollars; this in itself should empower the union to more
forcefully bargain for better wages . CUE members should observe
the methods used by other unions who have been effective in
outlining the action taken to reach the goals their members expect.
Given the amount of action taken by unions in Los Angeles recently,
now is the right time for CUE to take decisive action such as
striking. While we encourage the union employees to take the
initiative to ensure they receive wages they believe are fair, they
shouldn’t have to resort to these measures in the first
place. The University of California should willingly ensure its
employees receive decent wages without having to strike.
Graduate students needed now Thumbs up to the UC
Board of Regents for promoting discussion about the necessity to
enroll more graduate students. While the number of undergraduates
entering the university continues to increase, graduate enrollment
has not experienced a proportional increase, but is instead
decreasing. At the regents’ meeting last week, the board
announced it will attempt to enroll 11,000 graduates in the next 10
years. In addressing this issue, the regents should remember to be
inclusive of all fields of study. While it may be necessary to
provide more money to the engineering, physical and life science
departments, UC must not forget the importance of studies in the
humanities and social sciences. While scientific research and
engineering figure prominently when it comes to developing methods
to make technological and medical advances, graduates from the
humanities and social sciences are also necessary in order to
foster the critical thinking, ethics and communication necessary to
advance our society by other means, including public policy. Since
each field of study produces key research and graduates prepared to
help advance the community in different ways, all should be
considered equally important.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents the majority opinion of the
Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send feedback to [email protected].