Letters

Higher One will serve students well
Many rumors are being propagated from half-truths about the new PSU OneCard and refund process. As we are committed to open, honest communication with the entire PSU community, I would like to address a few of the key issues directly:

The PSU OneCard from Higher One enhances student privacy as new ID numbers appear on the card and those choosing to use the OneCard’s financial options will not be responsible for unauthorized/fraudulent card transactions as it is protected by MasterCard’s Zero Liability policy… and we will never sell your personal information.

Many students will find they’ll be able to use the OneCard and OneAccount for free, incurring no charges at all. Our fees for extra services are competitive in the local market.

Implementing the Higher One program can save a university around $500,000 per year by reducing/eliminating paper check disbursements. We absorbed the cost of re-carding every student at PSU. We believe PSU can refocus the money and time saved where it is needed more.

We feel students will be pleased to no longer have to stand in lines to get their refund checks. If they choose to receive their refund directly to the free OneAccount, they will have access to their funds the same day. If not, they can have it electronically transferred to their bank or still receive a paper check.

More than 85 percent of OneAccount holders at universities using Higher One’s program have reported they were satisfied, very satisfied, or extremely satisfied with the features of their OneCard and OneAccount.

Our company’s mission is to offer students more financial choice and universities a simple solution to save time and money. Once you truly get to know Higher One and the new PSU OneCard, I’m confident you’ll choose to join the many satisfied students who use our financial services.

Sean Glass
Co-Founder and CMO
Higher One

United States not ready for Fawkes-style tactics
The romanticism surrounding a terrorist like Guy Fawkes ("The specter of Guy Fawkes," Nov. 5, 2004) is much the same "outlaw" mystique that surrounds people like D.B. Cooper, Reckless Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, etc. Granted, most of these figures were outlaws out for personal gain but their "color outside the lines" actions has made them modern figures of legend. I think they appeal to a basic Western anti-authoritarian attitude given rise from the constant struggle between the individual and the State.

Guy Fawkes’ actions (indeed Timothy McVeigh’s legacy, too) raise the question, "When can you no longer work within the system to effect change, and what do you do at that

point?" People have to make a decision if the system works. Timothy McVeigh and company committed an act of terrorism because they felt the system didn’t work and

that was their only option. The citizenry of the United States obviously disagreed. Whatever people may think about "stolen elections," they don’t seem to think the system is broken to the point that radical action is needed.

Or maybe they’re just too damn over-worked and tired. You want people to get off their asses and do something. Quit complaining that people only complain and come up with an idea for people to follow.

Kevin Hawkins
Cleveland, Ohio

Young voters should be encouraged, not discouraged
I think that Mr. Germany, while correct about the fact that most people between the ages of 18-24 did not vote, was overly negative in his article ("I can’t trust you people with anything!" Nov. 12, 2004). Instead of writing an article asking this age group not to vote and possibly turning off people who did vote from voting in the future, Mr. Germany should offer words of praise to those who did and encourage them not to vote again. It is

people like you, Mr. Germany, telling 18-24 year olds not to vote and saying that their voice doesn’t or shouldn’t matter that is helping to keep this age group away from the polls. They do not need anymore negative messages about voting. They need to hear positive messages about their most important right.

Krystyna M. Baumgartner
Stony Brook, NY
Student

Middle America blinded by values
I believe this election did end up being about societal morals, but boy, did most Americans get fooled by that smiling idiot ("What went wrong?" Nov. 10, 2004). I love the quote that "the Republican moral image is largely symbolic." Raping the earth and

killing people is about as immoral as you can get! But middle America, unfortunately, just can’t see that.

Bruce McCarthy
Eugene, Ore.

Greens carry progressive agenda well
The Democratic Party is failing. It is dying. But the progressive agenda is alive and well and has a very good chance of growing over the next four years as the outrages continue. The Green Party is emerging from its infancy, and just in time. As more mature and

pragmatic people join the party, it will be more welcoming and more attractive to the majority of Americans who want to see our country truly live up to its potential of "liberty and justice for all." We shall overcome.

N. Shane Cutler
Salt Lake City, Utah

Measure 36 a step backwards
Measure 36 is reminiscent of the Jim Crow laws. I feel that it is very wrong for one group of people to deny rights to another group simply because "they are different," while simultaneously guaranteeing those very rights for themselves The passing of Measure 36 is a giant leap backwards for tolerance in the United States, and I’m embarrassed to live in a state as bigoted as Oregon.

Jason

In her letter ("Letters," Nov. 9, 2004), Audrey Bauer states that homosexuality is an addictive tendency, like that of alcoholism or overeating. Since she made this faulty comparison, I have to ask that if this is true, why are there no laws in place to keep alcoholics from marrying each other, or laws that define marriage as between "one healthy eater, one other healthy eater"? Her argument is weak at best, also stating that if she did not vote yes on 36, it would have gone against her faith in Christ. If Christ truly believed that homosexuals or people that fell out of the defined heterosexual line were horrible deviants to be cast into hell, wouldn’t a good Christian focus on helping these people get over their "problem," instead of creating an institution that oppresses them and creates hatred? As someone who was raised Methodist, I know that Christ also preached understanding. Voting yes on 36 goes against his belief of tolerance and love for all people and imposes negative beliefs on other people. Judge not lest ye be judged, folks. It’s not a tough concept to grasp.

Rachel Mason
Student

Same-sex marriage not to be
I would like to address some comments to the two young men featured in your story ("Until law do them part," Nov. 12, 2004) about Measure 36. To Tommy I would say: What did wake the people of Oregon up, along with the rest of the country, was the onslaught by renegade county commissioners and judges trying to force their predilections down the throats of an unsuspecting and unwilling public. I hope that this election will wake you up to the fact that the people of this country have no intention of ever recognizing what you call a same-sex marriage.

To Brandon I would add: Please advise your friends that homosexual activists are their own worst enemies. Lead your own lives, enjoy your friendships, but do not once again try to impose your views on others. Just because you want something very badly does not give you a "right" to it.

James Shand
Student