Parking for students of sciences

There is a serious shortage of student parking spaces for those of us who work and/or take classes in the science complex (Benton, CME, Stadler & Research). Now that the spaces along West Drive (available to students after 4:30 PM) have been eliminated, the new garage offers the only student parking anywhere near the science building. If you get to campus between 9 and 11 AM, it's virtually impossible to find a space. All you see is a long line of cars slowly circling the garage from one floor to the next, over and over again Or even worse, people sitting in their cars, hovering and blocking traffic, waiting for someone to leave.

I've heard that many students going to SSB or CCB, or even Clark and Lucas, are using the new garage since it's centrally located and offers easy access to the "Quadrangle" buildings. But it's just as easy to get to SSB and CCB from garage N, and to Clark and Lucas from garages C and D. The new garage, on the other hand, is the only one close to the science buildings.

It would be a big help to those of us in the science complex if students who don't work or take classes here would park in one of the other student areas, especially in the morning.

-Elizabeth A. Amin
Graduate student

Poor journalism exploits Butler

I've been watching the Darwin Butler headline festival at The Current newsstands over the past few weeks, and have to wonder what caused the color shift in the paper. Was it a pack of roving dogs urinating together on the printing press, or was this just an exercise in yellow journalism from The Current staff?

Due to the disinclination of roving packs of dogs to climb ladders, I am left with only one conclusion. Shamie, shamie.

The reporter's job is to fairly and accurately report the facts of a situation. The editor's job is to ensure the reporter has done that. The effluence of inflammatory "quotes" against Mr. Butler and lack of hard facts regarding his tenure as president lead me to believe that neither party did the job well. Can they spell im-par-shul?

I do not know the facts surrounding Mr. Butler's SGA presidency, and feel sure that I will not get them from The Current, due to the tone of the articles and questionable selection of pullquotes. Muckraking replacing the news? You betcha.

Or perhaps he's just easy fodder. Notice how quickly the news about the faculty's vote of no confidence against the Chancellor went away. (Side note to the editor: an administrative / faculty rift involving misassignment of university funds is far more important to the average paying student than Mr. Butler's personal dilemmas. Go ahead- take a poll.)

I can say that I feel truly sorry for the victims in this debacle. Mr. Butler has suffered a vicious personal crucifixion in The Current. The Current has suffered a dearth of impartiality. The greatest sadness, however, is reserved for the staff of The Current, who while suffering the delusion of being responsible journalists, wouldn't know journalistic integrity if it bit them on their collective posterior.

-Michele Gaddy

Good Samaritan spirit still alive

In the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Matthew 15), Jesus wonderfully illustrates the joy that comes when someone finds something of value that they have lost. I personally experienced such joy the week of Oct. 25 when visiting the UM-St. Louis campus.

I somehow managed to lose my wallet. The lost wallet was found by an UM-St. Louis student and later turned over to UM-St. Louis policeman Tom McEwen. Officer McEwen did some research and was able to leave me a message notifying me that my wallet was found and to contact the UM-St. Louis Police Department.

I recovered my wallet in less than three hours. The most amazing thing is that all of my contents were still in my wallet including some money and some very important documents.

In this evil and corrupt world we live in, it is always get to hear of acts of goodness and kindness. Whenever I read Matthew, I will be able to better relate to the joy of experience by each of the individuals in those parables. The old axiom that I grew up with "Losers weepers, finders keepers" is fortunately not always true. Thanks you officer McEwen and others involved at the UM-St. Louis Police Department, and a special thanks to the angel (student-name unknown) that found my wallet and turned it over to the police authorities. Please contact the police department so I can make arrangements to thank you personally.

-Bill Doze