Flexible flexes
Dear Editor:
I read with great enthusiasm your suggestion of returning flexes to the Washington University dining plan [“Center Court: a worthwhile tradition,” Jan. 26, 2005]. Of course, I was also a bit disappointed that some students oppose the idea [“Flexes: a failed idea,” Jan. 28, 2005]. Then I realized that they simply don’t remember the best days of flexes.
There was a time when flexes did not expire from week to week; they would be added to a student’s meal plan on Sunday mornings, yes, but they didn’t always disappear into the ether on Saturday nights. Of course, this was in the dark ages of 1998 through 2001, so it is no surprise that this idea seems strange to current students.
If Center Court is to be repopulated, then Dining Services is going to have to return to a system that worked just fine, from a time when the room was often too packed to find a table for three or more. Rolling over flexes from one week to the next made the all-you-can-eat Center Court both attractive and easily affordable, as well as gave students more of an option of when to eat and when not to, without having to worry about losing 30 bucks from their meal plan at midnight on Saturday.
Maybe it’s time for Dining Services to remember what worked, and get away from what doesn’t.
-Brian Lewis,
Class of 2002
Biological consistency
Dear Editor:
Re: “All men are created equal…?” [Jan. 28, 2005].
I agree with Brian Schroeder that it is not a bad thing to say that humans are different. I think that it is undeniable that there are biological differences between the sexes. No one should be offended by this statement. We are different and it is impossible to treat everyone with exact fairness, although we should try to be the least unfair. However, in this pursuit we should at least be consistent.
Studies show that woman earn less than men for the same job. Some people say this is because of biological differences in that women may become pregnant and have to leave their job for a certain amount of time. Most people would call this discrimination and just because women have a biological difference they should not be subjected to lower wages.
Yet, when a woman is pregnant, she wants the choice to decide to abort the baby or to carry it to term. The father is not given a chance to decide because the woman has a biological difference; it is her body, so she alone has the right to choose. I wonder how many people would call this discrimination.
The point is we are all different and these differences lead to certain consequences. Whether it is that men learn science differently than women or that women give birth while men watch. When considering how you feel about your biological persuasion, at least be consistent.
-Brandon Gustafson,
Class of 2005