1. United States
2. Idaho
3. Letter

Could you explain why Idaho's state legislators and governor are holding the University of Idaho's funding hostage? Essential programs that support a variety of communities, including many vulnerable and minority groups, are being eliminated. Why is the legislature insisting on cutting programs like the Women's Center? This vital resource provides a wide range of support for women on campus, from offering information about domestic abuse to hosting communal gatherings. These actions by the state legislators and govorner are a direct assault on our freedom of speech and our individual right to freedom of expression. Not a single one of you is an expert in the happenings of university life. What gives you the authority to make these decisions for our community, beyond the self-serving political desire to dominate minority groups? Keep your grubby hands off our education and let us define for ourselves our future. This is no different from anyone running a business and living their lives with minimal government interference. We have the right and responsibility to support all students at our institution. If this means supporting racial, gender, and religious-based student clubs and programs, then that is what we should do. People find community in many different ways, not just based on race, gender, sexuality, or religion. But the state and federal government have no legal precedent for setting and defining these for us. Why should, for example, religion be a recognized and protected characteristic over any other form of social identification? And why should YOU get to decide what is and isn't a characteristic we decide to support?