Sun Star | Story

	Letters to the editor


	Rebirth of a Sun Star Recently the Sun Star was asked to relocate their office within the Wood Center due to an internal reorganization of space. Since 2001 the Wood Center has gained four new staff positions, and two programs have been given year-round status. As a staff, we are very excited about the opportunity to continue serving students in meaningful ways, and yet our abilities to do so were becoming hampered by a lack of usable space. After months of research and discussion, we came to the conclusion that drastic changes needed to take place. The first step in the process was to take the Memorial Conference room offline. The Sun Star office was then moved into what had been the MCR. The end result of this move was that the Outdoor Adventures office moved into the Sun Star office and gained several hundred square feet of space. Our appreciation for the Sun Star staff and their willingness to move is endless. Former editor Robinson Duffy, and incoming editor, Casey Grove have been nothing but gracious about the change in their operating location. Their cooperation is a key component to Wood Center success. Thanks! Wood Center Staff Thanks to everyone who worked to make this move as smooth as it has been. Our computers were up and running, and the new office looks great. –Editor. Students First I've been a staff member for the last year at UAF and had been a student for 6 years previous to that at UAF. I've always loved UAF for everything that it's been for me and how I've grown because of the variety of activities and people that enrich your experience here. Unfortunately, in the last few years UAF has increasingly become victim to an overwhelming problem - and the end doesn't seem to be in sight. Continuously the reason that over 1,000 individuals have staff and faculty jobs on campus is forgotten on a normal basis. We are all here for the students and yet, the majority of staff and faculty, in their administrative decisions, continue to ignore the needs of students. As an example, I was easily able to obtain my normal step increase at my job this year—as I should expect after a calendar year of service at the university. Even though students have the same step increases, they are voluntary compared to the automatic step increases that staff have. Most employers around campus see these step increases as merit-based increases that should only be given out in the most extreme cases where a student employee is a miracle sent from God, while others completely ignore them and refuse to give students any more money than they make already. Granted, some students don't deserve a raise. Some students shouldn't have even been hired at the jobs they have, and unfortunately those few give a bad face to all student employees. Unfortunately, these administrators haven't figured out that you get what you pay for, and at only a few quarters over minimum wage, you only attract the McDonald's crowd. In most cases, student employees do the same amount of work that their staff counterparts do while only being paid a fraction of staff wages with no benefits at all. This is only one of the many ways that administrators around this campus don't appreciate the only reason they, themselves, have jobs (i.e. students) but it ends up being one of the most frustrating. This whole rant can be summed up in a few words—treat those around you as you would like to be treated yourself. Students aren't second-rate citizens, stop treating them as such. - Jason Lazarus Computer Technician, Journalism Department The university is here for the students? That's crazy talk… -Editor.
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August 30, 2005