UCSD Responsible for Education Over Athletics

Dear Editor,

As I was reading the Feb. 5 article “”Students Vote in Droves to Pass Fee Ballot”” about the athletics fee referendum, I noticed the big photo of the Triton athletes and supporters celebrating. All I could think while looking at this picture was: I bet not one of those kids pay for their own tuition.

As for the referendum — great. It means more money that I have to pay for lacrosse players and the swim team to feel justly compensated.

I ask this simply: Can anyone tell me what athletics at UCSD has done for me? Hmmmm? Last time I checked, the purpose of attending a university was to learn, not to play and be paid to play sports.

I’ll be waiting for the serious increase in the quality of life as the athletics folks suck more money out of my already-depleted wallet.

— Michael May

Earl Warren College senior

Race Ruled Out as an Admissions Factor

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Matt L’Heureux’s article “”On the Decline: White Enrollment Eclipsed by Competition”” published on Feb. 5. I would like to respond and react to Sixth College Freshman Senator Micah Jones’ views about how much “”easier”” it is for “”certain ethnic groups”” to get accepted to college.

As the article points out, Proposition 209 in 1996 abolished race as a factor in public college admissions. So why does Jones still feel that a student’s ethnicity helps one get admitted to college? He said white students have a harder time getting admitted to college. That’s because competition has gone up, as programs in the lower levels of the educational system have strived to bolster diversity, resulting in a more competent pool of ethnically diverse students. This has resulted in a greater increase of applications from ethnically diverse groups, outnumbering a 12-percent increase in white student applications, as the article addressed. So in fact it’s getting harder for all ethnicities to gain admission, not just whites, due to the simple fact that there is more competition.

On another note, I am glad to read that Jones feels that UCSD provides a “”positive atmosphere”” for whites. It must be comforting to know that he is having “”as good of a ‘college experience'”” as he would have had at a school at which whites are the majority. This is, of course, the campus that for the first time in 2002 admitted more Asians than whites. Four years of minority status must be really difficult to deal with. I’m sure the black, Native American and Latino populations could relate.

— Soledad Rodriguez

Eleanor Roosevelt College senior