Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor:

After reading the letter from "Anonymous" concerning management in Center Court, I would like to respond.

I have worked for Food Service for 21 years. The food service industry is a hard-working job because of daily changes. I learned early in life, whatever your job is, do your best and make the most of the opportunity you have been given.

Fellow co-workers, managers and I, all have personal lives. Over the years here at SIUE, I have had many personal problems in family life and never have I been denied an emergency call.

Lack of respect or lack of communication is something you earn. By giving, you receive. Perhaps if you think someone is nasty or disrespectful, talk to that individual and explain how you feel. Maybe that person is going through their own tough life and they have to learn also. Teamwork is what it is all about.

My co-workers, managers and supervisors are also my friends, and if I have a problem, I can discuss how we can manage things for the benefit of all concerned. There are times when we are all overwhelmed with our jobs. It is this way everywhere in life. I know because I've worked elsewhere before coming to SIUE.

Some workers do quit, not because they work hard or they are underpaid, but because they get jobs they think are better. Is it not this way in life in any company you work for? Some even tell us they should have stayed, the job wasn't that rough after all.

Maybe everything is not perfect in Food Service, but we try our best to make things nice for the customers, as well as our co-workers. But is any job in life perfect? Is it not how we improve our lives- by good old hard work?

Just as I have done, anyone can move up the ladders and reach the top. It is our reward for doing our jobs well. I, for one, am very proud of my job and for the opportunities I've been given over the years.

In talking to fellow co-workers today, many would disagree with the letter from "Anonymous."

I could go on and on. Those of us who work here do so because we like our jobs. I, for one, love my job.

Mary Lela Pratt

Food Service Worker

Bakery

Dear Editor:

How generic is this university? When I found out about SIUE's plan to stop issuing report cards, I was dumbfounded.

Now, I realize that a little cost-cutting here and there can be a good thing, but this time the university has overstepped its bounds. This is just another example of how attending SIUE is like shopping at Aldi's.

In both cases you receive just enough to get you by at rock-bottom prices. However, forget about ever getting anything extra because your out of luck, my friend.

As far as I'm concerned, receiving a report card in the mail is a student's academic right. Maybe if this university didn't spend truckloads of money on useless kiosks, then we all could get a report card in the fall.

But, of course, that would be asking way to much of either SIUE or Aldi's.

Buddy Bauerle

Junior

Dear Editor:

On March 6, we, along with the rest of our Social Work 401 Social Welfare Policy Analysis class, attended Lobby Day in Springfield. Prior to our visit, Gerald O'Brien, our professor, had walked us through our bills, how to research them and how to get into contact with the Legislature so we felt confident going to the capitol.

We met with Rep. Larry McKeon, a Democrat from Chicago. Prior to being a representative, McKeon was a police officer for 12 years in Los Angeles. He was also on faculty at four universities - the University of Southern California, California State University, University of Chicago and Roosevelt University - and also was an executive director at the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and Mayor Richard M. Daley's liaison to the city's gay and lesbian community.

McKeon has been working on passing the Human Rights Bill 0101 since 1997. This bill expands the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by adding nondiscrimination with gay and lesbians in employment and housing. This bill does not give gay and lesbians special treatment, but does give them equal treatment with getting a job and renting an apartment or buying a house.

This bill hits home with McKeon because he is gay and is living with AIDS. McKeon has opened his life to the public as the first openly gay legislator in the state house. We learned a lot from our visit with him and his colleauges about the bill and the bill-passing process.

We are writing this letter because what we have noticed during this experience is that most people already assume that since it's 2001, that we have laws to give equal rights to everyone. In fact, in the Illinois, only eight counties have ordinances that protect against discrimination. In fact only 11 states have passed this bill .

We are writing this letter in order to put awareness out there for the public and to give you the opportunity to help pass this bill if you feel it is important too.

What you can do is find out who your legislator is by going to the www.legis.state.il.us. Web site. Write your legislator a hand-written letter, or better yet make a call to the office. Let your legislator know that you are in their district and you support Illinois House Bill 0101. We were informed that this area and south of this area are the hard areas for support with this bill.

Rep. Jay Hoffman is supporting this bill, and so if you are in his district, then call and say thanks for the support. We did.

Autumn Hinkle

Paige Sleeker

Carrie Dressler