By
Residence Life's official position
?Dear Editor,
I just finished the opinion piece about censorship of political speech in our residence hall communities.
Though it was certainly well-written, I want to point out that it was based on non-factual information.
That is, there is not and never has been a policy prohibiting the kind of political speech the article speaks to.
I think it is also important to dispel the belief as elucidated in the piece that RAs set policy.
They do not set policy. Instead, they enforce it when necessary, or they help other community members confront it.
Residence Life not only respects your right to free speech as students, we celebrate it - especially in an historic election year such as this.
What we will not condone, however, is any form of speech that is harassing, threatening, obscene, or disruptive of the educational and community environment.
So far, none of the political speech in the halls has been negative or harmful.
?
Health Center concerns
?Dear Editor,
I commend the article on the dilapidated building that is the student athletic facility.
Not only are many of the machines and equipment out of date, but Howard Hall itself seems structurally unsound.
To reiterate the point made, it is ridiculous that the University would fund the installation of eco-friendly bricks, or whatever they are, outside of the Pilot House when there are other things that should be attended to.
One of these is the University Health Center.?Discussing the center with several of my peers, all from different backgrounds and all with different ailments, I have concluded that, on average, the staff is unable to make an appointment with you until 7 to 10 days later.
Similar were my own experiences with the student health center: I inquired about an appointment and was told that the next opening was 7 days from then.
This fact is troubling, considering that Residence Life assures parents and their children at UP that the health center welcomes walk-ins.
I have to ask: what good does it do a student who may have a bacterial infection, such as strep-throat, to wait a week before being prescribed an antibiotic? ?I am unsure of the underlying issue for why the Health Center is so understaffed that appointments must be made a week or two in advance, but I find this to be unacceptable.
A center that is supposed to supply basic healthcare to everyone on campus, some who do not have a car, is telling students that if they wish to be seen sooner, that they must call their healthcare provider to see which clinics in the Portland area accept their insurance.
This leaves freshmen, many who are unfamiliar with the city, to catch a bus and take the time and effort to walk alone, seeking treatment for a given illness.
As the article on Howard Hall asserted, it is strange for the University to be constructing another residence hall to accommodate MORE students, but to neglect facilities such as the health center that need to be improved NOW to cater to the students that are here NOW.
Again, the reasons for why the center operates the way it does (mostly with only one nurse practitioner on duty at a time) are unclear to me, but this problem certainly needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. ??
