Readers weigh in: IU's Kinsey Institute, Todd Young column, school lunches

Here's what community members had to say in three recent letters to the editor we received. Submit your own thoughts here.

Kinsey Institute, a part of IU's history that provides essential research in human sexuality, must stay tied to IU

As an Indiana University alumnus, I oppose a proposal to the IU Board of Trustees to separate part of the Kinsey Institute from IU in order to appease extremist state legislators like Rep. Lorissa Sweet, R-Wabash. The Kinsey Institute has had a home on the Bloomington campus since 1947, and the late Herman B Wells, the longtime, internationally-distinguished IU president, and his IU trustees protected the institute from critics, religious zealots and scheming legislators.

In the words of Wells in his 1980 autobiography, "Being Lucky":

"Time has proved that the defense (of the Kinsey Institute) was important, not only for the understanding of sexual activity, but also for the welfare of the university. It reinforced the faculty's sense of freedom to carry on their work without fear of interference, and it established in the public mind the fact that the university had an integrity that could not be bought, pressured, or subverted.”

Wells noted that a university's reputation is measured by its courage, integrity and impartiality in the protection of its scholars.

The Indiana legislature’s blocking of state funding to the Kinsey Institute, or any university program for that matter, is reprehensible. These are dark days when politicians attempt to ban books from schools and defund significant research at universities.

Brian Will

Granger

Adding plant-based options to school lunches helps serve every students' needs, but USDA make this difficult

With Indiana’s meat and potatoes culture, those on plant-based diets for health needs, religious beliefs, climate concerns and other reasons are often misunderstood and overlooked. I see my high school peers struggling to find options in the cafeteria every day. In turn, most end up forced to bring their own lunch, and the issue goes unnoticed. The problem is that the National School Lunch Program is a nationwide program responsible for serving all children, not just those without any dietary needs.

A few years ago, I started noticing nearly all the cafeteria options had some form of processed meat or were smothered in cheese. This left me asking why, when so many students weren’t able to consume them.

Last year, I reached out to my school’s dietitian, and we’ve since added some plant-based options to the menu. However, we found ourselves severely limited by United States Department of Agriculture guidelines. USDA has made it difficult to implement whole, nutritious plant proteins, leaving dedicated cafeteria staff with no option but to continue serving foods that don’t serve students’ needs. It’s time for the USDA to alter their policies to make school lunch truly united, inclusive and nourishing for all students.

Nancy Zhang

Carmel

Todd Young offers well-reasoned idea and solutions, separating himself from other politicians

As I began to read Sen. Todd Young's column in the Star this morning, I almost didn't finish it. First, because I am tired of the in-fighting in Washington. The assaults by both parties on the other seems to demonstrate only how much press they can generate instead of governing. However, I'm glad I continued to read.

Without going into detail, Sen. Young offered what seemed to be well-thought-out ideas and solutions for many of our conflicts, not just overseas, but in D.C. Do I agree with any of or all of them? Of course not. I’m a registered Democrat, but what I agreed with was he always seems to offer well-thought-out plans for solving issues with only one or two slams at the other party.

Young is a good example of what I thought we ask all our representatives to do in Washington — and pay them to do I might add — to use their experience, intelligence, compassion and understanding of the constituents they represent. I thought we sent them to speak for us via their knowledge and experience. To decide what they deemed the best answer to our problems, not to pad their own resumes, pockets and careers.

Now as I follow Young's career, I hope that he does not succumb to, as my British friends say, the lure of power, prestige and upper mobility. As he continues to sort out what he thinks is best, will I always or often agree? No. But I will vote for him in the hopes he continues to demonstrate what our democracy is supposed to be. Todd Young is an educated, experienced senator and hopefully a role model for others in both parties.

Janie Adcock

Plainfield