Rugby team history inaccurateAs alumni of the school, we were all very excited to find an article about the rugby team in the Campus Times. It sounds like the team is doing very well for itself and our congratulations go out to them, however, some of the information provided is incorrect. The rugby team has been around a lot longer than three years. It may have been reformed, however. We graduated from The Rock in 1995 and 1996 and played for the River Rats back then (we might even still have the jerseys to prove it). Although we never made it to Division II, we still practiced hard twice a week and woke up early on Saturday mornings to play 80 minutes of rugby. We’ve actually been in touch with some of the current players and once again congratulate them on their success. The burden of this error should be placed on the CT, though, as it’s the reporter and the newspaper’s job to make sure that the so-called facts they print are accurate.Sincerely,
Chris Bruell Class of 1996Josh LefkowitzClass of 1996Adam Haim Class of 1996Mike Friedman Class of 1996Andy Oremland Class of 1995
UR Concerts wants suggestionsThe UR Opinion section of the Campus Times last week asked six students, “What concert would you like to come to UR?” We at UR Concerts feel that that question was one of the better ideas that the CT has had, and would like to take this opportunity to extend the same query to the entirety of the UR student body. Between the 50 general members and 12 executive board members of UR Concerts, we attempt to represent the musical tastes of our classmates, but more opinions make better decisions. Much like Jodie Foster in “Taxi Driver,” the more patrons she acquires, the more varied interests she can fit in. So please, offer up your suggestions! The executive board would love to have Britney Spears, Counting Crows, Audioslave, Usher and Tool come to our campus. Unfortunately, there are several reasons that we cannot accommodate such performers. The primary reason is that the budget we are afforded by the Student Activities Appropriations Committee is not sufficient to cover the expense such bands can demand. Of the bands that we can choose from (for financial reasons), many are touring, recording or simply have no desire to perform. The third reason, closely connected to the above mentioned, is the venue that we offer. Artists generally receive a flat rate for a performance – regardless of venue size – and prefer to perform in locations that hold more than 1,700 (in the case of the Palestra), or 2,500 (at Eastman). With a larger audience, a performer can assault that many more ears. In the past, we’ve booked bands including Beck, the Cardigans, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Guster, the Ramones, They Might Be Giants … and, of course, Train. With one exception, we feel that all that needs to be said about Train has been said – that exception being how they were booked. The process began in the spring of last year with a wish list of 20 bands for the fall concert, including Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic Five, Robert Randolph/Family Band, Cake, A Tribe Called Quest and Rancid. The 19 bands preceding Train were unavailable or unwilling to accept our bid for one reason or another, and thus, Train performed in our own Palestra two weeks ago. Bands of such stature often have little interest in performing at a university with a small gymnasium as a venue. If you were Chris Cornell, would you want to perform in the Palestra?UR Concerts has recently been reexamining the logistics of expensive acts for the spring semester, and we would love your input. Our next general member meeting will be Oct. 25 in the Ruth Merrill Center. If you’d like to contact UR Concerts, please e-mail enatale@mail.rochester.edu. Christopher skeehanJessica DavisUR Concerts
Iraqi war still right thing to doThere may have been no weapons of mass destruction, but, thanks to us going over there, women are not being taken to rape rooms and molested in front of their families and children are not being tortured in front of their parents and killed. Scott Peterson is accused of killing his wife and child. When people talk about him, they say, “He deserves to burn in hell,” or “He should be killed – fry him!” Imagine what people would say if someone did the things Saddam Hussein’s army did with rape rooms, killing kids in front of their mom and dad … over here? They would be saying the same thing, “Kill those bastards.” Guess what? We did and now people are saying we are the bad guys. Watching the debates left me at a loss for words. John Kerry confuses me. In debate number two he looked into the camera and said he would absolutely not raise taxes. In debate number three, he said we would have to see what happens in that area, but he would not raise them when he first got in to office. What the … ? I know the WMDs are a controversial issue, but Kerry thought we had them, and on Aug. 9, 2004 he said that even if we knew they were not there, he would have still voted to give the president the authority. Which is it? And what incentive is it to achieve by moving up in the world and growing out of the middle class, if you are only going to be taxed so much more and not see the money you worked hard for? Kerry pays a 12.8 percent tax on all his millions and he wants people with a $200,000 income to pay some 20 plus? He would have us work harder too so we could support those who do not want to work (why achieve when it only takes more from you in taxes as I stated before). Brian Jordan
