Bus pass is a good thing
Students here don’t know how good they have it. Do you have any idea how much a bus pass costs for the rest of the general public? A monthly pass for weekdays only is $38.
There are some students who don’t live on or around the campus who need that pass to get them there. The $31 we pay for the Associated Students of Madison’s bus pass is a nominal charge for being able to get anywhere in Madison for free.
Perhaps if students would get off this campus and use their passes to see what a very beautiful city Madison is, they would find it worthwhile, too. (Yes, Madison extends past the square, and far beyond Camp Randall. As a lifelong Madison resident, I know!)
So, if you don’t think you need your ASM bus pass, you are definitely missing the point. How about sacrificing $31 for the good of the student body for once, and not just thinking about yourselves?
Michael Enright, UW student
No black-and-white answer
In her Dec. 4 article in The Badger Herald, “America shows no respect for unborn,” Anna Gould states that any biology textbook says life begins at conception. That’s somewhat misleading; that question is still debated today by scientists. Even pro-lifers differ, as some say there is only the “potential for life” at conception.
She criticizes pro-choicers for usually not having an answer. I don’t find this absence of knowledge all that deplorable. As a Christian, I follow in the tradition of Saint Augustine, who said in his Confessions, “Since it is God we are speaking of, you do not understand it. If you could understand it, it would not be God.”
I don’t take this to argue an unknowability of God, but it reminds us of our intellectual limitations as finite beings. For us to presume the knowledge of certain things is an attempt to exalt ourselves to a level of God and cheapen the sovereignty of God.
So, should the government legislate morality regarding this specific issue? Since I do not believe anyone has sufficiently answered the question of life, I do not support government intervention. In this sense, I am pro-choice.
However, I do not believe it is solely the woman’s choice, due to the significance of such a decision and my aversion to arguments of “property rights” and “ownership.” Rather, it should be a joint decision, made by the woman and her closest companions.
Some might say I support moral relativism. I counter that my argument hinges on the truth of God’s immutable and loving nature. There are unfortunately some things we do not and cannot know at this time. To simplify our conception of God for the sake of having a black-and-white answer is unwarranted.
Dan Lee, UW alumnus
University offers HIV/AIDS classes
For reasons we are unaware of, many students on the UW-Madison campus are uninformed about the class Contemporary Issues in HIV & AIDS.
In a recent survey given to members of the basic-level class, 83 percent said they heard about the class from a friend, while zero percent said they found out about it from the timetable. Clearly, this is a problem.
Speak to anyone who has taken one of the two classes dealing with HIV/AIDS, and they’ll tell you the same thing: this class should not be passed up! The Medical Genetics department offers two classes dealing with HIV & AIDS: Contemporary Issues in HIV/AIDS Prevention and HIV/AIDS Prevention Advanced.
In the basic class, students delve into topics pertaining to HIV and AIDS, including the needle-exchange program, homophobia, myths about homosexuality, the definition and dimensions of heterosexual privilege, oppression, phobias, etc.
Working alongside their classmates, students will contemplate difficult questions. For instance, should it be legal for a hospital to refuse to hire an HIV-positive surgeon? Should a surgeon who is HIV-positive have to tell their patients before operating on them?
Guest speakers discuss such topics as the laws protecting HIV-positive individuals from having information disclosed about them and the implications of breaching confidence or slandering an individual.
One cannot ignore the reality that 36 million cases of AIDS exist worldwide, and that 40,000 people contract HIV annually. HIV is not something to fear — ignorance is.
We strongly encourage all those interested to enroll for this class today. Become an active member of the fight against AIDS in Madison and around the world. You can make a difference.
Ali Tyrangel and Stephanie Grossman, UW juniors
