Help Union Heights
As a resident of Union Heights, I have firsthand knowledge of the horrific stories and complaints about the deplorable living conditions in this neglected area: freezing cold, sweltering heat, leaking roofs caving in and waterlogged floors caused by flooding from heavy rain. We always hear that repairs and help are on the way, but it never seems to reach the areas that need assistance most.
We do not know what challenges life will throw at us, but we do know that with dedication to succeed, discipline to find a solution and focus to get it done — and with a relentless fury and determination — that problem will be solved.
I ask that the Union Heights community grant awarded to The Sustainability Institute by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency be reinstated so the institute can return to the substantial work that will provide affordable housing, home repairs and flooding prevention. No one needs a handout, but anyone can use a helping hand. Why punish the Union Heights area for trying to help itself?
This is America, the most affluent nation in the world, and we’re dealing with approved grant funding being terminated, stopping the progress of the much-needed work of Project 218.
Just because we were once treated like animals doesn’t mean we have to live like animals. All men are created equal.
MICHAEL BONAPARTE
North Charleston
Protect tenure
In Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s op-ed column last week about university faculty and tenure, she fails to grasp a key purpose of higher education: exposing adult students to a wide range of ideas and disciplines. Evette and censoring legislators in South Carolina want to dictate course content and library holdings. They advocate teaching simplistic, kindergarten-level material, thus shortchanging students of informed citizenship.
Tenure allows the pursuit and teaching of knowledge despite the shifting preferences of either the far right or the far left. Professors earn tenure only after teaching and/or researching effectively for several years. It grants the freedom to research and teach their discipline without political interference from administrators or politicians.
An example of the need for tenure is climate change. To people who have taught chemistry, biology, meteorology, physics or thermodynamics, it’s clear that the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by burning fossil fuels is largely responsible for climate change and ocean expansion. However, without tenure, some faculty would be fired for pointing this out.
Knowledge calls upon us to fix problems, not hide them or kill the messengers. Politicians are even targeting historians and librarians who are experts and make valuable contributions to learning and education. Their tenure should be protected. The lieutenant governor’s screed shows a lack of understanding of the importance of tenure to the excellent worldwide reputation of American universities, which attract some of the best and the brightest.
LAWRENCE MOORE JR.
Folly Beach
Send us your letters
What’s on your mind? Join our community conversations and let your voice be heard by writing a letter to the editor. Letters can be a maximum of 250 words, and are subject to editing for clarity, tone and libel. They must include the writer’s name and city for publication, and a daytime telephone number for verification. Email your submissions to letters@postandcourier.com or fill out the form on our online portal.