Letters to the editor

Regarding a Transpark letter

On Sept. 16, Jake Schmitz wrote a letter critical of me and the Center for Cave and Karst Studies. I told Jake at his employment as a temporary, part-time field assistant that it did not matter if he was against the Transpark. His statement to the contrary was a lie. Three professionals and 14 students work for the CCKS who can vouch for the fact that I have always told them that they could oppose the Transpark. Before accepting the grant, I said that if the research indicated a significant chance that groundwater flowed from the site into Mammoth Cave National Park, that I would also oppose the location. I believe that in every respect, I have set a good example of performing objective scientific research on this controversial subject.

The research has been reviewed by most of the top karst hydrogeologists in the world, and they agree that rain resulting in groundwater flow from the site into MCNP is unimaginable. Groundwater from the site flows into the Barren River at Bowling Green. The site and its geology are virtually identical to that upon which most of Bowling Green, including its existing airport, is built. If an airport is ever built at the site, an Environmental Impact Statement will have to be performed. That is when geophysical techniques and wells will be drilled at the site. I regret that Jake has resorted to character assassination in his opposition to the Transpark instead of making rebuttal statements based on scientific evidence.

Nick Crawford,

Director, Center for Cave and

Karst Studies

Not liking recent letters

Two Herald issues in a row I’ve sat back and read comments from students in favor of the late Katie Autry family’s decision to sue this fine institution. Now, let me get something straight … are they filing suit because she was killed on campus? Or maybe it’s the family’s legal representation attempting to hide heartless greed under the guise of grief and the want to find answers about their child’s tragic death. Now it’s true Ms. Autry, nor anyone else, deserves a death as horrific as this one, but to add to that, no one deserves to have their life dishonored by dragging a distinguished institution such as this one into a long legal battle in the attempts to lay blame on the blameless and make a quick buck.

Chad McClarnon

sophomore from Gallatin, Tenn.

Where was the warning?

I’m writing to you because I have a beef with Western. I woke up Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. so I could leave to go home. Little did I know, I wasn’t getting very far. As I tried to pull out of Grise Hall parking lot all I saw were yellow gates. A volunteer quickly approached my car and said that campus was shut down for the Medical Center Bowling Green 10k.

No one was allowed in or out until 10:30 a.m. (meaning I’m stuck until the last man crosses the finish line). He said that supposedly there had been flyers sent out to warn us. I check my mail and e-mail daily, and stay up to date with the flyers around my dorm. I had seen NOTHING about the campus roadways being shut down. I am sure I am not the only one with this complaint. I live on campus, therefore my “rent” should entitle me to know when something affects me or not. I refuse to stand by and be taken advantage of because Western thinks they have some sort of upper hand over me. And Western wonders why students move off campus as soon as they can. It is simple – because students want to live somewhere where they have rights and a clue what is going on.

Cassie Alfrejd

junior from

Hendersonville, Tenn.

Upset over minimal publicity

I would like to bring up the point of your lack of care and concern for the theater department here at Western. As I look over your paper (Sept. 25), I search ever so eagerly for an article or maybe even a note about the mainstream play Apocalypso that opens this weekend. Nothing in your paper even offers up the idea that we have a theater department here. (Editor’s note – the Herald ran a story about the play on Page 10 of its Sept. 4 issue).

Aside from the ad we run now and again, I never see any mention of my department. However, I find four to five pages on sports that really, honestly, I could care less about. That is not to say that I don’t care about our athletics, because I make it to most of the games.

Yet I don’t understand how one football game requires almost a page in articles, where as a play that my friends and myself have put just as many man hours into can’t get but a single paragraph. As a whole I feel the newspaper fails to bring the culture to the students.

If it has come to the point that I have to buy space in the paper to write a review or write a short article about our upcoming plays, then tell me that.

I will always believe that it is your job to find us a spot in your paper. It’s sad when I can actually look over your paper and find ads covering more room than actual news.

I think your values are in the wrong spots. So tell me if you’re trying to display what is important to the students at Western, or are you just trying to keep a failing newspaper afloat by selling corporations another venue for them to put their names and logos in front of our eyes.

Jeff Dye

freshman from

Hendersonville, Tenn.