New engineering building at Sac State is good news, not just hype

Letters to the Editor New engineering building at Sac State is good news, not just hype | Opinion Sacramento State President Luke Wood speaks at the annual fall address in the campus' University Union Ballroom on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Sac State received $150 million for a new engineering building in Sacramento, promising inclusive site selection and design after years of campus need. julian.zhu@sacbee.com Sac State's good news ' Luke Wood pledges a new engineering building for Sac State. Hype or substance? | Opinion ,' ( sacbee.com , Aug. 27) The need for a new engineering building at Sac State has been a known priority for many years. President Luke Wood announced the exciting news that the university received $150 million funding for this, and he identified an inclusive process for site selection and building design. Obtaining this money is good news, despite this article's characterization that the announcement was hype. Stanley Stewart Sacramento Expansion, not cuts ' California's outdated rooftop solar subsidies harm communities of color | Opinion ,' ( sacbee.com , Aug. 25) Solar credits have already been cut by 75%, yet utility wildfire costs and shareholder profits rise. All bill costs deserve the same scrutiny — not just solar. If the goal is protecting renters and low-income families, the solution isn't further gutting clean energy incentives, but expanding access to these communities. Jenny Folkesson Executive Director, SolarWAVE Action What NEM actually looks like ' California's outdated rooftop solar subsidies harm communities of color | Opinion ,' ( sacbee.com , Aug. 25) I am a rooftop solar owner and customer of PG&E, which did not provide any capital that financed the installation of my solar array. I arranged for 100% of the financing. I am a Net Energy Metering (version 2) customer, which allows me to sell any excess power that we generate to PG&E, at their discounted wholesale rate. My excess energy goes into the 'grid' and PG&E sells it to my neighbor at their time-of-use metered rate. PG&E is the beneficiary of my subsidy. Three times a year, I have to finance the cleaning of the array, and I have replaced one inverter. I financed those costs, and PG&E continued to be the beneficiary of my subsidy. Greg Sparks Davis Not an answer machine ' Are students allowed to use AI on classwork? Here's how Sacramento educators monitor use ,' ( sacbee.com , Sept. 18, 2023) Sacramento City Unified's rule against the unapproved use of artificial intelligence for assignments and research is a reasonable starting point, but schools shouldn't treat AI only as a cheating problem. Students also need to learn how to use it without outsourcing critical thinking skills. As a student, I think schools should teach students to attempt work first, ask AI for targeted support, verify facts and explain their work in their own words. Clear, assignment-level expectations can make AI a learning tool instead of an answer machine. Keerat Singh Sacramento Understanding mental illness ' Lindsay Clancy killed her kids. Why are women defending her? | Opinion ,' ( sacbee.com , Aug. 24) Lindsay Clancy has and will continue to experience incredible grief at the loss of her children. Putting her in jail will not bring them back to life. Diane Wolfe, M.D. Carmichael