Commenting on “CMU employees to receive cell phones” (5/21):

I just wanted to point out that there are indeed some staff members at the university who do deserve to be reimbursed for cell phone use. Residence hall directors are a great example. These people do not just work 8-5, they work 24/7. If they are not in their on campus apartments and there is an emergency, the RA staff needs to be able to get ahold of them. This is a case where I think it would be appropriate for the university to reimburse those minutes. I am a CMU grad and went on to be an RHD at another campus, and trust me, I went through a lot of minutes on my personal cell phone because of my job.

-Carrie Tremble, Mount Pleasant

Unfortunately, when it comes to reaching the students they serve, the landlines in faculty offices are nearly useless. They provide limited long distance, and many departments don’t allow faculty to call student cell phones because of the long distance charges. This, coupled with the fact that many off campus students don’t have landlines, means that cell phones are a good plan. They should scrap the faculty landlines all together and use the money that was paying for landlines to get cell phones.

-John Denny, senior

Commenting on “Photographer wins national award” (5/21):

We are very proud of Alex and his award. He spent months with Jacob getting to know him and taking his picture. The results really captured Jacob and his perspective on the world. Thank you Alex for entering Jacob’s world and expressing it through your photos, and congratulations.

-Tim Hartshorne, Mount Pleasant

Father of Jacob Hartshorne

Commenting on “How do you feel about the lack of sidewalks on Deerfield and Bluegrass Roads?” (5/21)

I completely agree here. Deerfield is an old country road that feeds four apartment complexes. It’s wrecked. It’s full of potholes. The shoulder is just wide enough to not get clipped by passing traffic. Even one sidewalk on the south side of the road and a cross walk at the intersection of Deerfield and Three Leaves Drive would be enough. It would also be nice to have a wider shoulder for bicycles. The changes don’t have to be a drastic overhaul to make a difference.

-Greg Burghardt, Mount Pleasant

E-mail the author: defaultuser