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Letters

Out of Bosnia

Editor:

In Monday's Dec. 4 editorial, "Despite risks, U.S. intervention

necessary," you state that the reason for U.S. intervention into Bosnia is

for humanitarian reasons. But while the reasons may be humanitarian, its

effects won't be.

There will be pillage, death, and screams of anger of why American men

and women lost their lives in a conflict that neither Congress or the

American people supported in the first place. So much for the idea of

democracy.

Atrococities will continue whether America is there or not. And why?

Because if Bosnia and Serbia couldn't make peace before, do you seriously

think there will suddenly be peace when American soldiers arrive on the

scene? In fact, the situation will only get worse because now American

lives will be lost. Peace will only be guaranteed in the region if the

people who live in the region make peace themselves.

Like World War I, or Vietnam, the situation will only worsen as more and

more countries get involved in a situation that didn't begin with them in

the first place.

We should get the hell out of there, before more lives are lost.

And what is so "humanitarian" about lives being lost?

Frank Atwood

Junior

Civil and Environmental EngineeringAltering coverage

Editor:

G. Lynn Svensson expresses concern ("Better health care coverage needed

by SAGE members," Nov. 29) that some academic student employees do not have

the same range of choices regarding health insurance coverage as do the

UCLA faculty, staff or even certain other classifications of academic

student employees. To illustrate the result of this diminished choice in

health coverage, Svensson notes several procedures and coverage options

included in other insurance plans that are not available under the

University's Medical Insurance Program.

Without addressing the Students Association of Graduate Employees and

unionization issue that is the bulk of the article, I would like to inform

Svensson, SAGE and all students receiving Medical Insurance Program

coverage that a mechanism does exist to alter the benefits available under

that insurance program.

The Student Health Advisory Committee is composed of both graduate and

undergraduate students who are appointed by the Graduate Students

Association and the Undergraduate Students Association. One of the

committee's duties is to serve as the official student adjunct during the

negotiating process, which leads to the adoption of the Medical Insurance

Program insurance underwriter, as well as the coverage options provided by

the Medical Insurance Program.

During the next eight to 10 weeks, advisory committee members will

engage in discussion and negotiations regarding the very coverage issues

that Svensson mentions: detox and rehabilitation, dependent coverage,

domestic partner coverage and inclusion of birth control prescriptions,

among other issues.

We invite all Medical Insurance Program enrollees, including SAGE, to

contact us regarding Medical Insurance Program coverage issues so that we

may adequately represent student concerns as we contract for future-year

Medical Insurance Program coverage.

Comments may be left at the information desk in Student Health Services,

on our voice-mail at 206-3369 or via e-mail at shac@asucla.ucla.edu.

Chuck Russell-Coons

Co-chair

Student Health Advisory CommitteePedal power

Editor:

The irony of UCLA's most recent decision to crackdown on cyclists is

that the administration has successfully pitted cyclist against pedestrian

while keeping any criticism of UCLA's autocentric policies at bay.

We of the UCLA Cycling Club support the restriction of bicyclists from

sidewalks and pedestrian paths. We believe as much in nonpolluting foot

power as in pedal power. What we do not support, however, is the creation

of a bicyclehostile campus in the midst of an autooriented environment.

While UCLA pursues a policy to restrict bicycle parking on campus to an

inadequate number of spaces in inconvenient locations, it simultaneously

maintains 16,083 parking places for cars. Forty bicycles (including racks)

could fit into the space allotted for one parking place. Further, to

provide parking for these 40 bicycles would cost a lot less than the

$23,600 it costs to build and maintain one auto parking place at UCLA.

For those hundreds of students, staff and faculty that do arrive by

bicycle each day to UCLA, however, the Cycling Club demands that UCLA do

everything within its power to provide them with supportive policy

decisions and infrastructure.

This shouldn't include impoundment of bicycles or "crackdowns" on

cyclists. The Cycling Club calls for the creation of a bicyclefriendly

campus. We demand the immediate removal of any bicycle parking restrictions

plus the provision of new rack spaces for bicycles.

We applaud UCLA for initiating the planning process for two bike lanes,

but we feel this falls short of the need for an entire bike lane network on

campus.

For those of us who cannot afford a car, auto insurance or a parking

permit, bicycling, the bus or walking are our only available alternatives.

UCLA needs to recognize our needs as much as it does its car-dependent

constituency. While we support UCLA's recent policy decision to protect

pedestrians, we protest its unfriendly policies toward those of us who

pedal to campus in an effort to keep the air a little cleaner and the roads

a little less congested.

Virginia Parks

Representative

UCLA Cycling Club