Issues with diversity plan

While the good people of ASCSU and the office of President Penley have nothing but good intentions striving for a more diverse campus, they are eventually leading a prejudicial effort. Resolutions 3605 and 3608 I do cautiously support because being a senator is a job and senators must fulfill their job descriptions. Plus the senators should be trying to reach as many groups as possible in order to inform them about ASCSU and so that the ASCSU members could receive a variety of opinions on legislation. Because we all know, the senators are supposed to be representative of their respective colleges.

ASCSU is not the entity for which I am in quarrel with. The office of the president, in the “Stretch Plan” referenced in “ASCSU President deals in diversity,” will effectively create a quota. For the $100 million based in recruitment and scholarship will not be spent in vain by the university, because whomever they are recruiting will get into the school. This is the exact situation that I and countless others have been faced with while applying for schools. I live in Southern California and our school system (the CSU’s and UC’s) have been trying to diversify. What this means is if I were to check a certain box other then Caucasian or white I would have more “points” applied to my application, therefore making it easier to get in. This is not just some conspiracy I have pulled out of the air. I have talked to friends of different races who admit to this and if you want examples, come talk to me. This is something I would hate to see at our university.

Furthermore I will issue you a caveat: when reading an article, do not read with ignorance. Andrew Angely (a friend) was quoted in the article as stating 88 percent of the campus is white. Well dear reader, I looked at the 2006 demographics report from www.state.co.us and it revealed that 80 percent of Colorado is white. Is CSU really that far off from meeting the average?

Stephen Mitchell

junior

construction management

Emergency contraception part of a healthy lifestyle

The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy of any developed country at 300,000 teens a year. The availability of emergency contraception could help to diminish that number. Every couple and woman deserves the chance to prevent unintended pregnancy. On Dec. 6, Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation will be participating in Free EC Day. Anyone 18 or older can go to a Planned Parenthood clinic and receive a free dose of emergency contraception.

EC, or emergency contraception (also known as Plan B, the morning after pill) has been approved by the FDA for over-the-counter availability. This means that Plan B has been proven to have low toxicity (is safe), no potential for overdose or addiction, no teratogenicity (is not harmful to an existing pregnancy), no need for medical screening, self-indication of the need, uniform dosage and no important drug interactions. It hasn’t increased risk-taking or encouraged sexual activity in teens. If taken within 120 hours of unprotected sex, emergency contraception can greatly reduce the risk of an unintended pregnancy. And the sooner it’s administered, the more effective it is.

Planned Parenthood strongly recommends that women back up their birth control method. EC is available at all Planned Parenthood clinics and can be kept on hand just in case another form of birth control fails (a pill is missed, a condom breaks).

Every person has the right to lead a healthy and responsible life. As a representative of CSU Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood and a student who cares about her fellow students, I urge to you attend Planned Parenthood’s Free EC day. Stop by the clinic at 825 S. Shields St. in Fort Collins to get your free dose of EC or give them a call at 493-0281 with any questions you might have. If you yourself are not interested, tell a friend who might be. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones and have a very happy Free EC Day.

Laura Ward

CSU Vox