Let me start by saying I detest smoking. It smells bad, it’s horrible for you, and nonsmokers don’t get a break, as secondhand smoke is just as bad. That said, the attempt to widen the city’s smoking ban is nothing but extremist policy-making. If proponents get their wish and insist that only bars making 50 percent or more off alcohol [sales] can allow smoking, make no doubt about it, smoking will be prohibited in many State Street bars. Prohibiting smoking in bars is wrong for two reasons. First, bars are legitimate businesses. We should be super careful not to tell people how to run their business. If a bar wants to prohibit smoking, that’s fine, but it’s not the city’s place to make that decision.

Second, even if one can argue it is in the city’s right to tell bars what to do, why should they? Smoking is a part of drinking. If many bars students go to don’t allow smoking, students will have even more reasons to have house parties instead of going out. Not partying in bars, where staff is trained to notice overdrinking, will cause the problems the city would like to avoid.

When people go to the bar, they should expect activities they may not agree with. It’s a personal choice.

Jeff Erlanger
Downtown resident

As the new school year commences this week, thousands of college students will start classes here at UW-Madison and receive the financial aid that makes it possible for them to attend college. Unfortunately, because of what may be the smallest increase in student aid funding in years, thousands of students could be left behind.

Due to rising costs, state budget cuts and the failure of federal financial aid to keep pace, many students and their families struggle to finance a college education. Increasingly, students are taking on high debt levels — the typical student now graduates with almost $17,000 in federal education loan debt — and working long hours — nearly half of all full-time students work 25 or more hours a week — to help pay for college.

The current proposals from both the Bush administration and Congress do not provide enough support to ensure that all Americans have access to and can pay for a college education. Right now, the students and families in Madison are counting on Sens. Kohl and Feingold and Rep. Baldwin to make student aid funding a top priority by helping to secure an increase in education funding of $9 billion for 2003. This increase would provide for a $500 increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, and increases for other key student aid programs such as LEAP, SEOG, Federal Work Study, and TRIO. According to the Department of Education, this increase would allow 2,549 more students here in Wisconsin to receive Pell funding alone.

As college students struggle to cover college costs, it is more important than ever for Congress to provide the leadership and resources needed to make the dream of college a reality for millions of Americans. Without their leadership, thousands of students will be left behind this year.

You can call your senators and representatives by using the student aid hotline, 1-800-574-4AID, and urge them to support amendments that would provide a $9 billion increase in education funding for 2003. Ask for Sen. Russ Feingold, Sen. Herb Kohl, and Rep. Tammy Baldwin.

Megan Grunke, Chapter Chair, WISPIRG (Wisconsin’s Student Public Interest Research Group)
Jacqueline Helmrick - ASM (Associated Student of Madison) L&S Representative, Legislative Affairs Director
Bryan Gadow - ASM Chair
Emily McWilliams - ASM Vice-Chair
Austin Evans - ASM L&S Representative, Shared Governance Director
MCSC - MultiCultural Student Coalition (Carl Camacho, Theresa Vidaurrie, Rodney Stokes)
Pabitra Benjamin, Vote 2002 Coordinator
Vicki Bomben, Staff Finance Coordinator, Campus Women Center
Megan Fitzgerald, State Board Chair- WISPIRG
Henry Ton - APAC (Asian and Pacific American Council) Chair
Katie Roller - APAC Vice-Chair

The Vote 2002 Coalition is a non-partisan organization open to any student organization in the UW-Madison community. The coalition is focusing on three tenets — increasing voter registration, educating, and motivating the UW-Madison community.

Voting is the best way to hold our elected officials accountable to student issues such as increasing financial aid, lowering tuition, and alcohol issues. The Vote 2002 Coalition believes that if students go out and vote Sept. 10 and Nov. 5, a clear message will be sent to our representatives that students are a powerful voting block in Madison that needs to be heard.

Anita Bertram
UW sophomore Vote 2002 Coalition