Regent David Walsh is absolutely right when he suggests that a better working relationship between the University of Wisconsin and the State Legislature would result if legislators would just pick up the phone and voice concerns.

Too many legislators exhibit passive-aggressive behavior by dealing with problems through issuing press releases rather than talking one-on-one with the people who are relevant to the situation. Perhaps this is a regional behavioral tendency; as a native Midwesterner it is one I have worked to overcome in myself.

But it's also a tendency that differentiates true leadership from simple rabble-rousing. It is informative to review legislative news services such as Wheeler and WisPolitics and see who issues many press releases, on what topics, and at what stage of the problem-solving process.

A respectful relationship between legislators and the UW would involve each informing the other of problems and concerns — and reserving the press releases for jointly announcing solutions or, after at least a day, if they genuinely felt they were unable to communicate in any other way.

— Dan L. Ross, UW special student

Julia Fieldbinder reported last week: "We have the highest number of students sent to detox out of any school in the nation. … In an effort to bring these numbers down, police are issuing more citations and calling the parents of underage students who have been caught drinking multiple times." This is going to get someone killed. When I was a House Fellow, the only way I was able to maintain the health of my drunkest residents was by building the trust of those around them … trust that I wouldn't narc on them if they came to me drunk or drugged. Sane policy would separate the police from detox cases. When some student dies because his friends were too scared of the police to call for a detox, the idiots at the top of the UWPD will be to blame.

— Chris Dols, UW alumnus

I am writing in response to the editorial entitled "Finding the Dotted Line." While I am very appreciative of the conciliatory nature of this particular editorial, I wanted to mention a few errors. The article states that the TAA "has remained intransigent in its belief that no-premium health care is a core requirement of any ratified contract." This is untrue. While no-premium health care has been one of the many options in our bargaining platform, union members have also recognized the need to be flexible at the bargaining table. In fact, since spring 2004, membership has voted on bargaining platforms that include health-insurance premiums. The bargaining team presented these proposals to the state beginning March 8, 2004.

The editorial also states that TAs and PAs have been working without a contract since 2003. Actually, TAs and PAs have been working under an extension of the 2001-03 contract since it expired. While this error may seem minor, it is important to remember that all TAs and PAs are still guaranteed the benefits and rights we bargained during the 2001-03 contract discussions. Working without a contract would mean that TAs and PAs would have no protections at all.

— Samaa Abdurraqib, English Department TA

Many of the volunteers at the TAA are saddened that Ms. Beckstrom has actively avoided participating in the democratic decision-making processes of the union and instead chosen to attack the organization in a partisan, mean-spirited way. Myself and most others at the TAA are volunteers and graduate students just like herself, and we participate in the TAA because we want graduate students to have the best wages and fairest working conditions that we can provide. I find it ironic that Ms. Beckstrom, by trying to hurt the TAA, is actually hurting her own chances of getting a raise. Rather than trying to advance her ideological partisan agenda, we wish Ms. Beckstrom and others who are dissatisfied with the TAA would actually make an effort to participate — to sign a membership card, attend membership meetings, deliberate with us, vote on issues, and help all graduate students try to have the best possible place to teach and work. With everyone's participation, the TAA hopes to make the UW the best place it can be for learning, teaching and scholarly excellence.

— Peter Brinson, sociology TA and TAA vice president of organizing