Editor, the Gauntlet,

Re: "Hard power outdated," Oct. 2, 2003,

There weren't many hills, but the Dinos cross-country team still managed to win by a landslide at the University of Saskatchewan Open, Oct. 4-5.

"We had a good start," mused Assistant Coach Doug Lamont. "We basically went to Saskatchewan and beat four of our Canada West rivals--this puts us in good standing, but I'm still guardedly optimistic."

In what both sides called positive exposure, CBC was on campus Fri., Oct. 3 exploring whether post-secondary education is worth the rising costs.

Students' Union Vice-President Operations and Finance Gavin Preston is putting the final touches on a referendum question calling for a decrease in the library assistance levy--currently five dollars per semester for full-time students. He thinks he can increase library funding while reducing the levy.

The U-Pass is up for renegotiation this October, and students may see a higher price.

In 2002, the U-Pass was introduced based on a two-year agreement with Calgary Transit. Last year, students paid $50 a semester and this year it increased to $56 a semester.

"We are jointly committed to the two years and it is our intention to renegotiate a package deal that we can present to the students for a yes/no vote in next spring's election period," explained Director of Ancillary Services Peter Fraser.

Mixed messages came out of the Students' Union offices this past week, in what the Vice-President Op-Fi termed a "media fiasco."

On Fri., Oct. 3, the Calgary Herald ran a front-page story about a sponsorship deal between the SU and Rothmans Inc., which owns the cigarette brand Benson & Hedges and sponsors the Gold Club Series concerts. The story occurred less than a week after the Tea Party played a Gold Club Series concert in MacEwan Hall.

As I sit in my office, watching the sun set over campus yet again, I drift off. The past two weeks have made many of us take a step back and look at the big picture--something we do all too infrequently.

The news on the evening of Mon., Sept. 29 was jarring. Calgary native and NHL superstar Dany Heatley lost control of his car, sending it into a brick wall at 130 km/h, killing good friend and teammate Dan Snyder in the process.