Monday, November 24, 1997
Donation serves to repay country
Thumbs up to California businessman Kenneth Behring who recently
donated $20 million to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
Behring, the former owner of the Seattle Supersonics, stated that
this donation was his way of paying back to the country that made
him a millionaire. The money will be going toward making the museum
more welcoming and educational. The donation is the largest the
Smithsonian has received in its 151-year history.
Free tuition is
a good first step
Thumbs up to George Washington University President Stephen Joel
Trachlenberg for offering 48 students at a district junior high
school a free college education at GW. The offer is not without
limits  students must first be accepted by GWU based on
regular admittance procedures such as SAT scores and GPA. If they
qualify, their four years will be paid for by Trachlenberg. The
university president said that this group of children inspired him
because they endured two months of construction delays at the start
of their school year.
However, if Trachlenberg was inspired merely by the students’
patience, we encourage him to get out more often and award an
opportunity like that to students who have endured plenty more than
just a construction delay.
HIV clinic cuts force fee hikes
Thumbs down to Gov. Wilson’s line item veto in June which cut
$1.6 million set aside for HIV testing clinics across the state.
Due to the cuts, the UCLA Sexual Health Services Center is being
forced to charge students $45 for tests. For the past 10 years the
center administered tests for students free of charge. The new fee
has taken a toll on the number of students getting tested; 300
tests have been administered this year, while at the same time last
year 500 were taken.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents a majority opinion of the Daily
Bruin Editorial Board. Please send comments to
[email protected].