A day without students: Complacency is something that is often attributed to college students, and from the looks of the action (or nonaction) taken by the student body at Nova, this attribution is right on point (¨Nova to Workers: Drop Dead,¨ Amy Guthrie, June 14). As a college student myself, I find it incomprehensible that the students are so nonexistent on this issue. Using expensive tuition as an excuse not to support these workers is lame. Imagine where we would be if some of our best civil rights leaders were too bogged down with college tuition to make a difference. Students play an integral part when it comes to making change. The only way your voice can be silenced is if you allow it to be. I wonder how Nova would feel if more of its student body started transferring to schools with better morals and principles, like FIU and the University of Miami.
Nadege Charles
Miami
Try a little diplomacy: I love this university, and I have since the day I stepped foot on campus. I too have been wrong-footed by administrators, professors, and my fellow students on many issues as a student body president and student. But at the same time, I have been given the opportunity to receive an education in an environment that is designed to help me grow and thrive as a person. A university is here for the students, not for the professors who do research, not for the administrators who manage the departments, and not for the workers who take care of the campus. Student government tried to get to the bottom of the [union] situation one year ago. We got both sides. We informed students of the situation. No one chose to do anything. Diplomacy is the means by which the greatest leaders in our society have succeeded. Even presidents who have gone to war have had to be diplomatic to rectify past decisions.
Andrew Ibrahim
Former Nova Student Government President
Via the Internet
No Simpatico
Taxpayers want no sob stories: You left out the part about us taxpayers footing the bill for North Broward Hospital District (¨Blood Work,¨ Bob Norman, June 14). Talk about a bang for my buck. I can´t wait for tax-cut time. As for the druggie/alcoholic who did his additions by choice, where is it written that us responsible types must bail these folks out continuously? That´s in addition to those ¨no speaka English¨ types in the same dilemma.
How about work? Must be a bad word. The fats, the smokers, and those with babyitis seem to rule the world along with the Bushes, of course.
John Carlson
Via the Internet
Bench Press
We are sooo lame: Kelly Cramer´s ¨Court Jesters¨ (June 7) is excellent investigative reporting. The accompanying cartoons are effective political art. The answers to these problems of judges´ behavior lie in ourselves. We, the people, elect (or reject) our elected officials. We pay attention to national/world-wide problems (when we pay attention at all!) and to the escapades of pop artists. But we neglect our local problems until the pain becomes excessive and/or the problems are reported by journalists.
Walt Kelly´s Pogo said it: ¨We have met the enemy, and they are us.¨
Leo Shatin
Boca Raton
Hip-Hop Homey
It still sounds good, even if it does come from Broward: I thought the Brokensound Blvd article was excellent (¨Anti-Hip-Pop Consortium,¨ Esther Park, June 7). I love to see the local scene being covered. Anything to let the majority know that conscious hip-hop is alive in South Florida. I´m actually an MC/producer/graphic artist myself, and I produced a song off Brokensound Blvd´s upcoming album and will be designing the cover art. Dan Duarte
Coral Springs
The straight story: In the Brokensound Blvd article, you state that Bonus is 26 and Limelight is 22. This renders the following quote from your article as false: ¨In fact, Limelight and Bonus have known each other since grade school and even shared the same creative-writing class at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs.¨ Bonus, being four years older than Limelight, would have had to have been held back at least three or four years to share a class together, not to mention they both went to different high schools. Bonus (AKA Beau Butger) attended Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High, Class of 1999.
Jim Zuinni
Coconut Creek
Editor´s note: All information in the article was straight from the mouths of band members.
Legal Beef
One out of two lawyers: I read your article on ¨Legal Aid¨ (Dish, Gail Shepherd, June 7) today and believe it should have read ¨Semi-legal Aid.¨ I don´t believe Brian Toye is a lawyer, and if he is, he´s not licensed in Florida. I was told by an informed source that he formerly operated a hot-dog cart and dispensed food in front of the Broward County Courthouse. Check it out.
Name withheld by request
Via the Internet
Editor´s note: The letter writer is correct: Brian Toye is not a lawyer, though his wife, co-owner Deborah Carpenter-Toye, is.
Kudos
New Times Staff Writer Bob Norman received the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies award as best political columnist among large-circulation weeklies for a series of columns about corruption and cronyism in Broward County. Ashley Harrell came in third for best feature for ¨Rebreathe Deep the Gathering Doom,¨ an investigative piece about the death of a diver. AAN is a national organization representing 125 newsweeklies.
