BYU’s non-compliant health is an inconvenience
BYU’s recent decision to remain non-compliant with the Affordable Care Act was a shameless play in political pandering at the expense of their students. Spokesman Todd Hollingshead said, “There are a number of government imposed requirements that we don’t feel are necessary to provide good health care for our students.” These requirements are, specifically, caps on how much students are required to pay, new termination requirements and free contraception. Now Hollingshead has a point. Free contraception may not be needed at BYU to provide good healthcare (though, if we’re completely honest, maybe it is). But the net effect is that perfectly healthy students like me are being forced to buy health insurance from the university and then being fined anyway by the US government. The total this year is $600 that I didn’t want or need to spend, while remaining compliant would have had minimal cost for the university. Next year that net cost will increase.
The question must then be asked: Is BYU really doing this for the students’ benefit? I returned home this year from an LDS mission, too late to buy health insurance from the Obamacare insurance marketplace. To comply with the government and BYU, I bought BYU’s health insurance, which I most probably will not use. Certainly come January, I will drop this now-worthless health plan, in favor of subsidized, compliant plans from the marketplace. Thank you BYU. I expect a refund any day.
— Daryl Larsen
Provo
Students should want to be modest
I grew up Mormon but more importantly I was converted at a young age when I read the Book of Mormon for myself in order to discover if this really is the true church. It is. I then had a desire to dress well and respect my body so that others might respect me. I wanted to please God in everything I did. Whenever my church leaders went on a modesty rant, as it was very popular to wear short shorts and short skirts with cowgirl boots in Texas, I was always annoyed. Mormon girls should want to be modest rather than having to be modest.
I believe that one should be modest because he/she wants to be, not because church leaders or parents tell them to. I feel the same way with anything that applies in the gospel. You shouldn’t pay tithing because you are told to, you should pay it because you have a desire to. The same goes with modesty. Girls and boys should want to be modest in order to respect the bodies that God blessed them with.
— Diana Garcia
El Paso, Texas
Modesty, the Lord’s standard
I disagree with the statement that modesty reflects only “the quality or state of being unassuming or moderate in the estimation of one’s abilities.”
The Lord’s missionaries are daily miscategorized by this definition because of the undeniable testimonies which they humbly bear.
Modesty in clothing and appearance is spelled out unmistakably for us in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet.
The only right answer to the problem of immodesty is to exercise our faith in the Savior by foregoing popular modes, and not press the limits on questionable clothing and appearance. We can easily miss wearing inappropriate apparel if we aim for excellence rather than fussing about where exactly the line is between the Lord’s minimum standard and the forbidden roads of the worldly.
The fact is, the Lord has no “minimum standard.” He requires that we strive for excellence (see Romans 8:8, Hebrews 11:6, and Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-33).
We need valiant men and women who stand for virtue rather than letting the finger of scorn bully them around! Homemade is not too poor if it allows you to preserve your integrity in a world of shrinking morals. I may not be able to give you an exact figure for the length of facial hair for men or atmospheres of pressure that clothing can exert on your skin before it crosses the line – but your commitment to live the honor code should be crystal clear. This is only possible if we aim for excellence in keeping the Lord’s standards.
— Seth Stewart
Evergreen, Colorado
