
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990                   TAG: 9007020163
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CARS-FOR-STUDENTS LETTER DISTURBING

I FOUND the June 14 letter on cars for college students very disturbing, to say the least. The topic (Washington & Lee student cars incurring extra taxes in Lexington) was lost in discussion after two sentences, and the letter meandered to a conclusion about trains in our part of Virginia. That is only the beginning of myriad problems with the letter.

First, what gives the author authority to declare that "academic institutions are more determinedly amoral than most"?

Second, colleges do impose rules and regulations on students; honor codes and systems are entrenched in numerous academic traditions. Also, institutions cannot "act for the parent" in ways the parent never acted to begin with.

Third, I was surprised to read that "the destruction of our public transportation is connected to the crush of student cars." What destruction? I would be interested to know what study or highway ruling this assertion stemmed from.

Last, one of the real reasons that students have cars is to get to the jobs that help pay their tuition and expenses. As a college student myself, I am sorry that the author has such a jaded view of colleges and their students.

SARA COPLAI\ NATURAL BRIDGE STATION

by CNB