Letters to the editor

If you’re thinking about a tattoo …

After reading Marlene Brueggemann’s article “Fresh Skin,” I was shocked to see that not much information was given about the safety of tattooing/body piercing. Many students are going out and getting tattoos and piercing, but many are grossly uninformed about what they need to do before putting a hole in their body.

I am an employee at the Outer Loop body piercing shop in the Greenwood Mall, but the information I am giving is unbiased and purely for the education of those who are thinking of getting a body piercing.

First, realize that a piercing is an open wound in your body. It is not only important that you should take the utmost care of it, but that it is pierced properly and sterilely.

Just because a facility pierces does not mean that they are sterile. There is no health department that reviews piercing facilities in Kentucky. When you go to get a piercing, ask the piercer to not only tell you how they sterilize, but also have them show you. Also make sure that the facility is sterile and clean.

The jewelry that they pierce you with should also be clean. Jewelry you bought from a store and bring to be pierced with is not sterile.

Be aware of what gauge (width of jewelry) you are being pierced with. Some piercing places don’t always have what they need to pierce you, so they will pierce you with whatever they have.

Another important fact is that there is no piercing licensing in Kentucky. So be sure to ask the piercer what kind of training they went through and how long they have been piercing.

Also know how to take care of the piercing after you’ve had it done. You are responsible for the care of your piercing after you leave the shop, but the piercer should be responsible for telling you or giving you a care sheet on how to properly take care of your piercing.

I sincerely hope that if anyone is thinking about having a piercing done, they will take it very seriously. If not taken care of properly, a piercing can become quickly infected. Going to get a piercing should be fun, but if you don’t educate yourself as to how it should be done and taken care of, it can lead to serious consequences.

Jeri McIntosh

Cincinnati sophomore

Kentucky Academy will be good

As head counselor for SCATS and VAMPY, the summer programs for gifted students sponsored by Western, for the last two summers, I have had the privilege of working with many students who may qualify for the Kentucky Academy. Their dedication to the pursuit of knowledge only strengthens my feeling that they would provide nothing but good for Western.

The students would spend two years at Western, making it their home. Then, if they chose to go elsewhere after the two years, you say they would cease to benefit Western. We all know the importance of a school’s reputation. High-ability students transferring from Western to other schools would improve Western’s reputation nationally and locally. The students would remember Western as the place that first challenged them. This helps Western, because as the students pursue higher education, they look back on their time here as rewarding and inspiring. Bottom line: This thought means more money for Western in the future.

As Western progresses, it gets more recognition for its programs of distinction. The Kentucky Academy would be one more way in which Western would set itself apart from the other state universities in Kentucky.

Kentucky stands at the threshold of improving its position nationally. Now is the time for the Academy.

Leigh Johnson

Franklin graduate student

The lessons of a random smooch

We saw Britney Spears and Madonna kiss on the MTV Video Music Awards not long ago. Among others, these entertainers use sex to sell their music and undeniably market their salacious products to kids. This is just one example of how MTV contributes to what British historian Arnold Toynbee referred to as proletarianization. Instead of challenging trashy behavior, the upper class imitates or placates it.

We went after tobacco companies for marketing harmful products to kids. Worse than tobacco ads is marketing products with sex and targeting children. The behavior these people glamorize contributes to 70 percent of illegitimacy rates, abortion, AIDS and lifetime venereal diseases that could lead to cervical cancer. A minor can always quit smoking in ample time to avoid more serious consequences. It’s not that easy to quit an STD or pregnancy.

The solution lies not in lawsuits or government intervention. The solution lies in individuals making choices based on a morality defined not by the individual, but by the wisdom of generations past and society as a whole. This is not a time for being nonjudgmental or relying on canard notions of tolerance and cultural relativism. This is a time for making moral distinctions in our judgments. As Edmund Burke said, “Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if the transmission should be interrupted for one century, civilization would die, and we should be savages again.”

Matt Bogard

Taylorsville graduate student

Writer should examine more facts

It is my belief that everyone has a right to their own opinion. However, I don’t think I would print my opinion in a newspaper without researching the topic first. This is exactly what Jake Schmitz did when he submitted his letter to the editor, “Regarding latest Transpark news.” I knew he had been misinformed when he referred to the Kentucky Transpark as an “airpark,” an outdated and incorrect term.

Mr. Schmitz, what are your qualifications to make a judgment about the dealings of ITA? Dr. Nick Crawford was contracted by ITA to do microgravity subsurface investigations. He is a professor and director of the Center for Cave and Karst Studies, and in the department of Geography and Geology at Western. He specializes in Hydrology, Karst Hydrogeology, ground water, and is a certified professional geologist with a Ph.D. He has a professional vita that consists of over 40 pages, and I’m sure has a bit more experience than you when it comes to environmental issues.

You say that only a few tests were conducted on the future transpark site, when the ITA Board has exercised due diligence with environmental studies. In fact, I have assisted in tests conducted by the Center for Cave and Karst studies, and I know that everyone is working hard to ensure that the site is environmentally safe.

To say that Jim Vance is unqualified is a harsh judgment. Everyone seems to be quick to make negative assumptions about this economic development project, but doesn’t seem to have the facts to back them up. Next time, I suggest you do your research.

Hannah Lawrence

Bowling Green sophomore