Dear Editor,
I found the article “Cyclists Should Lose the Attitude, Find
the Law” highly disturbing. Firstly, the bike lanes throughout
am unaware of bike lane infrastructure in other parts of
Diego
merely thin strips of spare bitumen near the gutter, and I have found they are
discontinued on some roads. Satisfactory turning lanes have not been accounted
for and there seems to be little etiquette from automobile owners who give
inadequate space to cyclists. Cyclists, in their attempt to do good for the
environment and for their health, run the gauntlet every day, and it is
apparent that sometimes it is in their interest to ride in the other lanes for
their safety to minimize the risk of being sideswiped and pulled beneath two
tons of steel, since car lanes are luxuriously wide.
It seems like the energy and power of the Guardian would be
better spent trying to stand up for the real issues. I have only been on campus
for five weeks and already I know of two issues that should but unfortunately
do not receive adequate coverage.
The first is the struggling organic Food Co-op, which seems
to be perpetually crushed under the weight of the university bureaucracy. It is
a remarkable organization that provides cheap and nutritious vegan and
vegetarian alternatives compared to the commercial food outlets around campus.
UCSD should be encouraging such independent enterprises on campus but instead
seems to make it as difficult as possible for them to exist, charging excessive
fees and cutting off essential utilities such as water without notice.
The other issue is mental health professionals on campus.
Both the Women’s Center and the student psychology organization Psi Chi have
conducted awareness programs in the last month for mental health, and at both
events, it was made plain and clear that psychology and counseling services on
campus are strained and are currently facing budget cuts. There can be waits of
up to three weeks to see a counselor, which is an awful long time for someone
who has welled up the courage to seek help for a critical problem in their
life. Mental health issues affect everyone in the community, and it is
especially potent for young UCSD students, since suicide is the third leading
cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the
National Institute of Mental Health.
I don’t mean to deprecate the Guardian holistically — it is
a fine publication, but there has been inadequate focus on important issues.
These are the issues the writers and fellow students who contribute to the
Guardian should be getting angry about. If this periodical is going to stand by
its motto of “The Student Voice Since 1967,” then it should represent the real
problems students face at this institution, however big or small.
— Jehan Kanga
Australian EAP Reciprocity,
