Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Regarding "Redefining the meaning of average" by your editor in chief [May 3]: While I would agree with you that many "C" students will indeed emerge as the leaders of tomorrow (Colin Powell is one), your prescription for "fewer deadlines, procedures, and outlines" sounds like just the kind of plan you should have if you do not want to be a leader. If you are so sure that apathy and derision of discipline and standards is the best way, look at countries where that is the case (Greece being one). The United States is the most powerful nation in the world because we do have standards and we do have discipline. Best of luck trying to prove me wrong.

Janis Dietz
Associate Professor of Business Administration

Editor's note: This letter to the editor was received as an email attachment. A portion of the email was not received in the attachment. That portion is printed here:

Dear Editor,

This is in regards to the column, "President Bush should instigate peace" [April 5]. Whenever the news shows Palestinians fighting against the Israelis, they show the Palestinians throwing rocks and debris at Israeli soldiers with machine guns. Unfortunately, the form of Palestinian retaliation against the Israelis is suicide bombing. The problem between the Israelis and the Palestinians has not only to do with religion (which is a small part of the problem), they are not fighting or killing in the name of "Islam", there are a lot of Palestinian Christians, who like the Palestinian Muslims are fighting against Israeli aggression. President Bush should instigate peace, but he should also realize that there are "terrorists" on both sides. President Bush overlooks what happens to the Palestinians to be politically correct. We agree that the article should "focus on the issue at hand," which we suggest you (the author of the article) do research and find out what the issue is. We suggest that you do research that comes from sources other than the news of television. A good journalist does research to find out the whole story before he or she prints it in the paper.

Sophia Andary
Megan Howard
Sophomores

Dear Editor,

My name is Tracie Matthews and I am the Assistant Director in the Financial Aid Office. I am writing to you in response to the recent article that was published regarding scholarships and the awarding process for students ["Students eligible for money," May 3]. While the article was very well written by Mr. Watson, there were some points that I wanted to correct and elaborate on to ensure that the ULV student body has a clear understanding of how the "Named Scholarships" awarding process is conducted in the financial aid office.

Students are eligible for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The priority deadline this year for continuing students was March 2, however it was later extended to March 15. Students' financial aid eligibility is determined by calculating the cost of attendance minus the family contribution. ULV students interested in applying for financial aid may also qualify for institutional "named" scholarships. In many cases, the selection criteria for these awards is based upon academic of extracirricular achievement.

Currently students have to have a 3.3 grade point average and demonstrate financial need to receive one of the named scholarships. For 2002-03, the GPA requirement may not be a part of the selection criteria, which will allow a wider pool of students to be considered for these scholarships. This does not necessarily mean that it will be easier for students to get these prestigious awards. If students have any further questions or concerns, please call the financial aid office at extension 4135.

Tracie Matthews
Assistant Director for Financial Aid