Mailbox

[May 16th, 2007] WE ELECT OUR PRESIDENT JUST LIKE THE GROWNUPS DO: IN THE COURTS

I must say as a fan of your paper, I thought it was rather childish to write up a nonprofit student government [Associated Students of Portland State University] that is fighting for important causes as your May 9 "Rogue of the Week." All year we advocate for underrepresented communities and advocate for higher education at the Capitol. Our hours of activist work have affected many issues and reached lots of people. We have benefited our society and tested the waters of government at a progressive university.

It's funny that the writer called us childish when asking for legal advice in our latest elections. Instead of focusing on all of the amazing issues we work on, you chose one tiny point to bash a bunch of students about. In addition, the reason we called legal counsel was because ASPSU has had a history of the Department of Justice turning over our decisions when they disagree. It seemed to some like a good idea to consult them.

Student government at the largest university is quite a big deal. We advocate for over 25,000 students. Legal advice is not childish. As President I advised this board to reach our own, student-led conclusion. But of all of the crappy things going on in this city, I think it's a little stupid to pick on the little guys.

Courtney Morse
Student Body President
Portland State University

PORTLAND: THE CITY THAT RIDES

Your "How Green Is Portland?" article ["PDX Fresh," April 18, 2007] highlighted the important role TriMet plays in making our city a leader in sustainability. However, by focusing narrowly on work trip commuting in the city, we believe the story undervalues the benefit that our system provides across the region every day of the week.

Looking at the most recent federal data, Portland's per capita ridership is over 50 percent greater than Seattle's. In fact, we're 11th nationally in annual ridership, surpassing many much larger cities. It seems that Portland has no need to give up its bragging rights about using transit.

Fred Hansen
General Manager
TriMet

CORRECTION

The photo that ran last week with "The Persian Version" was not of Cyrus Partovi, who is now pictured here. WW regrets the error.