Letters

Logo

Logo – looks like PU – poo with a moustache. The sideways S looks lazy. I think that is what sideways letters are called on cattle brands. It is PSU, not P~U. Need to spend the 17 or so dollars like Phil Knight did to get the Nike logo. Students should do the design.

Tom, Viking supporter
Portland

Here’s an idea for a PSU brand campaign: “Our tuition might be high, budgets are slashed and salaries low, but we really see the value of a good logo.”

I’ll be watching the mail for my $120,000 check.

Aaron O’Donnell

Dear Editor,

One commendable aspect of the proposed new PSU logo: It reflects that the state lies flat in supporting this university. By the way, $120,000 could have bought a lot of books for the library. What happened to our priorities?

Yours sincerely,
F. Rudolf Beyl, Dept. of Mathematics & Statistics,
Portland State University

I see that the MBAs are still hard at work ruining higher education. To wit, the $120,000 spent to develop the new PSU logo. That’s the most expensive Girl Scout pin I’ve ever seen.

Here’s an idea. This is a university, right? It has an art department with some design students, right? I’m guessing some of those design students are pretty talented. I’m also guessing that a few of them might be a little strapped for cash. Do you see where I’m going with this? How about a design contest with a cash prize? Or even a (gasp!) scholarship? And maybe some learning will result in the process.

Oops, I’m sorry, how "student-oriented" of me! I forgot that the free market always supplies the best solution.

Jerry Fugate
BS ’90, MS ’94

“Missing” Posters

I recently noticed some posters that said Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden were “Missing.” I must admit, they were catchy.

The senators aren’t missing in the physical sense of the word; rather, they are missing politically on the issue of Social Security reform. And that’s what the posters were pointing out.

I hadn’t even heard about this, but it turns out back in March the Senate voted on a resolution that would have “stopped the raid” by preventing politicians from spending the money in the Social Security trust fund on pork-barrel projects.

I asked my friend Evan, who works on this issue, why this is something students should be considering, and she explained that the current Social Security system will begin running deficits in 2017. Congress is in the habit of taking our Social Security tax dollars (check out your FICA line on your next pay check stub) and spending them on things other than Social Security.

Why is this a problem? They are taking our money, and basically promising we are never going to get it back.

Both our senators voted against this resolution, which would have been a critical way for the Senate to show it was serious about looking out for the interests of our generation. It should be very unsettling for all of us that they cast such a financially unsound vote.

Students for Saving Social Security (S4), a nonpartisan grassroots organization, started the missing poster campaign to shed light on our senators’ inaction. They advocate for making changes that would ensure we get some Social Security benefits by the time we retire, but do nothing that would affect our grandparents’ current benefits.

Congress is turning its back on our generation and that is messed up. I say you check out the web site listed on the posters and find out what else can be done to make our voices heard!

Mario Campbell, student
PSU

DeFazio

First of all, Rep. DeFazio erroneously suggests that putting troops on our border will really make us more secure from terrorism and that he was justified in voting for such a draconian bill that panders to xenophobes. Secondly, he seems to be willing to believe that Republican lawmakers will actually stand by their word and not push for the extreme punitive aspects of HR 4437.

He seems too preoccupied with winning over swing-votes in his district than taking a stand. This idea that he is “misunderstood” is laughable and I will be at commencement to make sure my protest sign is read. Mr. DeFazio needs to take a moment and remember that he is a part of the Democratic Party that stands for principle and fairness for all.

Topher Gorton, Paralegal/post-bac student
Portland