Veteran’s Day
honors peace

Today is Veterans Day, but how many of us actually sit down to think about its meaning and the people we are honoring?
It may seem to many that the veterans we celebrate on this day are people of the past, who fought battles we will never have to fight again. Do we understand why these battles were fought, what principles they fought for, and what we gained or lost because of them? These are just a few questions we believe SUU students, faculty and staff should take a few moments to ask today.
We should ask these questions not only to remember the past, but to learn from it. As our nation stands on the brink of war we think it benefits us all to remember the lives lost, battles won and price we pay for the freedoms we have.
Too often in today’s society we overlook losses and victories unless they hit home. Unless we know someone who died or lived through war, we don’t fully understand the significance veterans have on all of our lives.
It is hard to realize, but our country is filled with veterans. The Web site www.patriotism.org reported there are currently 19 million war veterans living in the United States today.
While the memorial walls, cemeteries and parades are thousands of miles away, veterans have done as much to serve Cedar City as Washington D.C.
We encourage students, faculty and staff to honor veterans in whichever way they choose today.
One way to honor the day is attending the 15th annual Veterans Day Observance Program in the Sharwan Smith Center Ballroom today at 11 a.m. We believe this event is worthwhile because it not only honors national veterans and the sacrifices they have made, but the veterans in our community, as well. These people have more to offer than war stories, they have tales of compassion, service and hope.
Three veterans from our community who have contributed to bettering SUU will be highlighted in the program.
However SUU commemorates this day, we ask everyone to remember that as we honor people who have fought for this country, we stand on the brink of another war. We believe the question we need to pose on this day is: are we prepared to ask others in our generation to risk their lives? Are we prepared to risk our own lives, if we are called up?
While it is easy to assume Veterans Day is meant to honor only those who served in war time, we think it is just as important to honor those who helped to prevent war.
After all, Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1918 to celebrate the end of World War I. It was created as a day to remember the end of the “war to end all wars.”
If there is anything we can do to ensure people we honor in the future are recognized for preventing war as well as being willing to fight it, we should aspire to it.
The opinion expressed above is the collective perspective of the University Journal and its editorial board. The editorial

 

board meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Room 172 of the Sharwan Smith Center. Visitors are welcome.We have seen clubs lose funding because delegates did not understand bylaws. It is unacceptable to have delegates who do not understand the system. We believe delegates need incentive to perform their jobs correctly. This may be in the form of a stipend contingent on performance, or class credit. Another option might be removal from the position if the job is not performed correctly.
In the past, we have seen funds approved for uses that do little to improve the educational experiences at SUU, while others, having immense value to the process, have been denied or hard to get. We believe sending students to a once-in-a-life-time conference or competition should far outweigh social events and inter-club mingles. In addition, we think student fees should stay within SUU to the greatest extent possible. We discourage the assembly from awarding clubs more funding than other organizations recieve on campus to benefit organizations outside of the university.
Finally, we feel the current system alienates clubs, classes and students from participating. When delegates do not get in contact with their clubs or don’t vote as their clubs want them to, there is little reason for them to give their input. We encourage the development of a system that is easy to understand, where rules for obtaining money are laid out clearly and make sense.
The Journal is committed to continue covering SUUSA and all its bodies to the best of its ability with detailed coverage so students can be informed of what the university is doing and where student fees are being spent.

The opinion expressed above is the collective perspective of the University Journal and its editorial board. The editorial board meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Room 172 of the Sharwan Smith Center. Visitors are welcome..