Registration dates unfair

There was a time when finals used to cause great anxiety. Now, it’s registering for classes. According to the e-mail I received, registration occurs between Nov. 1 ”” Nov. 5 based on class and unit completion level. However, the Office of Registrar failed to mention that athletes and EOP students also get priority registration.

It seems as though choosing to be an “average” student on campus is a punishment. The EOP program was established to help educationally disadvantaged students. It seems the university is advancing EOP students at the expense of delaying other students’ education. I still do not understand the reasoning behind allowing athletes to register first.

The real problem is that there are simply more students on campus than this campus can afford to educate. Most students have a hard time registering for the classes they need pertaining to their major. This means taking unnecessary courses and staying in school longer, which generates money for the school. School officials need to start finding solutions before this becomes a major problem and overshadows the reasons why prospective students should attend Fresno State.

Elizabeth Lee
Pre-Nursing

Posthumous degrees should be granted

This has been a difficult year for Fresno State students. Three different colleges have lost members of their student family. In Nov. 19th’s story, “Fresno State Remembers Graphic Design Major,” my heart dropped when I read Dr. Oliaro said a posthumous degree would not be given to the Danilyuk family. Since Ella did not pass away during the semester she was to graduate her family cannot gain that extra piece of closure, that last piece of Ella’s life.

If a student is currently enrolled and in good academic standing why shouldn’t their families be offered this one last piece of closure? Ella was in her senior year here, was it not obvious her graduation was a sure thing, regardless of the semester?

It would be an incredibly gracious, compassionate act if Fresno State gave students posthumous degrees when their lives are cut terribly short. That degree, in the hands of the family members, would close a chapter of a life laid to rest too soon. It would cost Fresno State absolutely nothing and it would mean everything to the recipients. Colleges like Arizona State already do this. Catch up Fresno State.

Maggie Simms
Rehabilitation Counseling Program

ASI statement regarding disturbances

As ASI’s Executive Vice-President, I would like to offer the following to the students who attended our last meeting and the larger student body we are charged with representing.

I thank you for the time you took to utilize your right to be heard and participate in our meeting. It was an honor to hear from each of you””your differing opinions on the DREAM Act demonstrate the diversity of our campus. In a demonstration of understanding and passion, a group of students from different walks of life came together to share opinions and seek support from their student government. I believe I speak for the entire Senate in wholeheartedly thanking you for your participation. Serving you is an honor.

That said, I apologize to both students and community participants for individuals who felt it necessary to boo, hiss and yell during the Public Comment portion of our last meeting. ASI strives to make our meetings a place where all opinions are welcomed and recognized. Any individual who participated in putting down their fellow students because they had a differing opinion should look deeply at what they meant to accomplish and realize that in doing so they demonstrated hate, anger and small mindedness. For anyone who fell victim to these indecent acts, I apologize. You should never feel less than welcome in front of your student government and amongst your peers.

Selena Farnesi
ASI Executive Vice-President