Pendulum OPINION Thursday, October 7, 2004 Page 13 Submissions nlwavs welcome. Submissions must include your name, contact information and class Letters to the editor ^ , sto/f are also accepted. The Pendulum reserves the right to edit obscene orpoten- standing. Letters from fa^^ columns may have to be trimmed to fit. All submissions become the proper- tially Jii not be returned. Send submissions to opinions@elon.edu. Ride, Rack and Relax bikes are not designed for treatment brought the To the Editor: fellow students, ^^mnnitv bikes From now on, I think ^Relax?” because 2nd the bike racks should say “Ride. R • tere jus. s^„,s ,o be . lo. of »nWo" gram and its various facets of operation. P® ^ _ ^j^^t to dispel some of those rumors and i^ation for I have heard and also open up the anyone may any more questions, comments, or conc have about the community bike program of . TTie first question seems to be Many bikes left on the side of roads or paths of our c destroy- People are frustrated and want to know w y pe ing these community bikes and why they can and relax, as the program suggests. I arn p e majority of this is a misunderstanding, w ^ less than a quarter of reported bike pro niiscon- malicious intent. The problem lies in the misu ^ ception of the bikes. Many people see the biK like mountain bikes and treat them as i ey ^ However, these bikes are designed to be *^ated as such. As a result, many students ju exoecting them to be similar to the bikes that we had as Ms ThVse bikes are simply for casual, easy nding back and forth from vour dorm or class, not for racing the tram because you are L for class. Seeing that students are reacting this way and are expecting this from the bikes, those that work with the bike pro gram ate taking that into consideration. , Another issue that seems to be being discussed is the mat ter of funding for the program and that students do not want their student activity fees to go to buying bikes that they think ^e being used inappropriately. Let me first say that not one dol- SGA funds has ever been used to fund the bike program. T^P bike program was created as a result of a student initiative and that student came to SGA for support in ite implementation and management but no funds were allocated for it. SGA works with supports, and helps to manage the bike progr^ but it is rri’v asTresult of an administrative budget and the program in no wav effects the use of student funds from SGA. The proj ect was a collaboration of efforts in the true spirit of a commu- f hSeard from many students that they have dis cussed the bike program in their classes and nothing makes me happier than to hear that students and all members of the Elon University community are discussing issues on campus. Some of these discussions have also lead to some great ideas, that I have been fortunate enough to hear, and these ideas will surely benefit those that work with the bike program. Our Student Issues Committee has also taken it upon themselves to theme their current regular survey around this issue and the committee is currently tallying your responses. This has been a great help and we enjoy your feedback. Based on your responses, I hope to create an ad hoc com mittee that will discuss different issues and concerns relating to the bike program and in turn use them to become more proac tive and to insure its success in years to come. If you are inter ested in helping with this effort please contact me via email (cmorse@elon.edu) or contact SGA by calling our office at ext. 7254. Also, if you see a problem with a bike or one that needs to be picked up by one of our bike managers please contact the SGA office and we will be sure to let them know about it. -Chris Morse, SGA Executive President “A2''"" “JZ7avmkible outside Bush and Kerry, Ralph Nader ^thCV OptlOTl^ ^ , H naourvervown Don't let your voice be silenced by those who have accomplished - improving worker' in other states, incluaing ou ^ . ts, getting child labor laws passed, an To the Editor: With as many recent opinion cou^s there have been in The Pendulum regarding the presidential election that have focuse o John Kerry and George W. Bush, it seems a it is only proper that some mention be Independent presidential candidate ap Nader. Nader, who has struggled to get i name on the ballot with his running mate, Fe Camejo, will be on the ballot in 33 states com^ Election Day. In addition, he is a write-in c - didate in other states, including w^dTncourage many of the apathetic c r>f this nation and those who are leaning towards one candidate to look the two groups of power, which seem as different as Vanilla and French Vanilla, at todpaity and independentcandidates running ^ this Action. Don't let your voice be silenced by^Lwhosay these candidates will not wm S^d therefore it is a waste to vote for them. say that by voting for Nader or another third- party candidate you are "taking" a vote from one of the major candidates in this election. Democracy is supposed to be about voicing your opinion, not compromising what you believe for the sake of popular opinion. Such thinking only serves to move us further and further to the middle and to complete political paralyzation. Remember what other third par ties and independent voices in government rights, getting child labor laws passed, and advancing the women's suffrage movement, according to an article on http://www.about.com. If you think your thoughts don't matter, think again. Be different and base your vote on your conscience and not as a concession. -Evan Webb, Class of2008