https://dbknews.com/2016/08/12/article_a1620700-4795-5831-a369-ab971b4c03be-html/

Sub-par Under Armour

Wow. As if it wasn’t bad enough that five of our great teams already switched over to a second rate athletic-wear provider, but now we have to see this cheap, so-called “performance apparel” fabric on all of our teams? Let’s get real. The only good thing I see out of this is that it’s only a five-year deal, because by then this administration (or hopefully a new administration) should come to its senses and realize it shouldn’t sign deals with someone just because he is an alumnus. If I create a performance-degrading energy drink, can I sponsor the athletic program too? I’m just going to laugh when Under Armour attempts to put footwear on all of our teams. If their cleats and training shoes are any sign of what’s to come, then I feel bad for our athletes. This is a top-tier athletic program, and there is only one company that can provide top-tier athletic apparel and footwear, and this administration just kicked it to the curb. I wish all the athletes well, and hope that your athletic abilities are not hindered too much from this change.

Jon GoCLASS OF 2005

Standing up for clean energy

In the campaign-related articles on both Sept. 2 (“The Issues of Our Age”) and Sept. 3 (“Sen. Cardin touts Democratic platform at union talk”), The Diamondback made no mention of non-partisan groups concerned with getting out the vote this November. Along with the College Democrats and Republicans, a diverse range of student groups should be reaching out to their peers in order to make sure that young people play the crucial role that they are destined to in deciding this election.

This semester, Clean Energy for UMD is doing just that, and – with a strong presence at the Cardin event – should have been mentioned in the Sept. 3 article. This fall the group is working on the national, non-partisan Power Vote campaign, asking thousands of young people to pledge to vote in November and to hold our elected officials accountable for passing strong, clean, renewable energy policies in the face of dire economic and environmental problems.

It is not only through partisan groups on the campus that students can get active with this election. Clean Energy for UMD meets Mondays at 7 p.m. in the Nanticoke room in the Stamp Student Union, and all students who see the transition to a clean, just energy economy as a priority issue in this election are encouraged to get involved.

ALIA ADLERSophomoreSociology

Slots decision short-sighted

The decision by the Board of Regents to endorse passage of the referendum on slot machines is disappointingly self-serving and short-sighted. With little care for what happens to the state and the University System of Maryland in the long term, the board opted for expediency and folded to political pressure rather than standing up for what is right.

It is well-documented that slots often lead to increased crime in their communities. Officials have proposed slots for Baltimore City, the proud owner of the second-highest murder rate in the country, and nearby Laurel. Neither can afford any spike in crime.

The slots referendum balances the budget on the backs of the impoverished, with the slots not being implemented in wealthy Montgomery or Howard counties. In the richest state of the nation, we should be able to find a long-term fix to our budget gap that does not steal from the poor and give to the rich.

If the more humanitarian arguments fail to convince you, consider the pragmatic side. Much like the lottery, there is little promise in the slots referendum that any of the money that is raised will go toward colleges and universities. The lottery, passed under a similar promise of increases in education funding, yielded none. And yet our government asks us to trust it, under the threat that education funding will be slashed if the slots bill doesn’t pass. Don’t get fooled again.

Yet the decision should come as little surprise, with the board comprised mainly of appointments made by the past two governors, both of whom are pro-slots. Any decision made is tainted with political influence and simply represents the will of the appointer. The regents should treat their positions as ceremonial and avoid forays into politics where their interests are predetermined and their influences less than transparent. The day the slots bill passes will mark a dark day for our state, and the regents will have no one to blame for the long-term backlash but themselves.

Justin FairJuniorTheater