2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: Letters to the editor
- Page 1 of 1
A letter from SGA
To the Student Body,
I would like to clarify a few points from last week's article (11/11/04) about the resolution in SGA.
The petition that SGA voted in support of (as of 9/16/04) supports a petition to ban less-lethal weapons until certain precautionary measures are taken to ensure their proper use.
The resolution does not address the withdrawal of any Boston Police officers. Also, Suffolk University SGA has passed no legislation regarding the Boston Police Force.
It was discussed and then withdrawn. SGA's efforts have been centered on providing outlets for students to respond to the death of Victoria Snelgrove and getting as much information to the students as possible.
Regardless of the form these responses take, our goal is to have a conscientious and educated student body.
The motion to pass the resolution on less-lethal weapons was first made on Nov. 9th and voted on Nov. 16th.
It was the Board's decision that the resolution be tabled one week in order to encourage dialogue on campus, and ultimately strengthen it. SGA strongly encourages students to voice opinions to their representatives throughout the year.
It's your school and therefore your voice that needs to be heard. All representatives' contact info is available at sga.emerson.edu.
-Emily Garr
President,
Student Government Association
Questioning the dispute
Dear Editor:
The fact that Emerson is continuing to attract higher-caliber students is obviously a testament to the quality of education and instruction at the institution (Another Smarter Freshmen Class, September 9, 2004).
This, of course, is directly attributable to the quality of Emerson's faculty and the role they play in the academic governance of the institution.
This is evidence enough that the administration should not seek to undermine the faculty's academic freedom in contract negotiations. It also again raises the question that the administration has continually failed to answer:
What is wrong with the current contract arrangement with the faculty and why is the administration seeking to bust the union over academic governance?
-Owen L. Eagan III
MA, Political Communication, '97
Another flu rebuttal
Dear Editor,
In response to the Katherine Owens letter of November 11, 2004, which was in turn a response to William Glucroft's article on a potential flu crisis:
Influenza has, more than once in history, been a killer of people en masse.
The Great Influenza pandemic early in the 20th century killed more people than we will ever know. Why won't we know? Because people were dying at such an alarming rate that towns and cities couldn't bury and burn the dead fast enough to count them.
While present-day influenza seems most deadly for the elderly and infirmed, it should be noted that the Spanish flu of 1918 was particularly devastating to young, healthy adults.
As to the "abnormal" people whom you must be lumping in little sanatoriums in your mind...you need to understand that influenza is communicable. That means it spreads easily from person to person (sort of like idiotic decrees that if you've made your sick bed, then lie in it).
And though you may be a "normal, healthy person" you may still be the O'Leary bovine responsible for alighting someone's house aflame when you, in your superior physical condition, have somehow managed to forget to wash your hands before visiting old lady MacGillicutty...who already has a runny nose because her 86-year-old immune system is a little more interested in bedtime than checking out Dr. Mercola's web site on pill-free living.
Don't get me wrong; I'm a ten year vegetarian and lifetime environmentalist and am fully aware of the evils of what we put in our bodies and environment. I also understand the concerns about over-medicating ourselves.
You are right to an extent: viral strains are adapting at greater rates than we can fight, due in part to the fight itself. But let's not fault a sickly person with her illness while we saddle her up with guilt. You'll have to forgive me if I quote some numbers from a little more authoritative source, like the Center for Disease Control (CDC) :
"About 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of flu." (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm)
The CDC further states that influenza can strike any of us and can make some with chronic health problems even worse (asthma being one such problem). So when they throw out some numbers, it's probably centered on more than simple dismissals from someone who bucked the crack Emerson vaccination system with a bible in her hand. And though influenza may not be your killer, depending on who you are, it can be the accomplice that means the difference in you getting away or getting dead.
And though not religious, I am fairly certain that the people who wrote the Bible some two thousand years ago make no mention of man taking up a syringe against his fellow man in order to inoculate him.
-James Hollis
Graduate Studies in Theater Arts Education (1998)
Alumnus
Thanks, volunteers
Dear Editor,
I am writing to compliment and congratulate the Emerson College community for outstanding Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts. Students, faculty, and staff collaborated to register new voters, provide information and perspectives on candidates and issues, help students navigate the absentee ballot process, and even help physically transport students to the polls (thanks to Student Life's Voter Van). A special thanks goes out to Erin Taylor, who helped spearhead the non-partisan "2004ward: Every Vote, Every Voice" campaign and the various events and activities that it entailed.
The variety of student organizations and Resident Advisors who advanced these efforts should be congratulated for their energy and enthusiasm, The Beacon should be proud of the excellent election coverage and GOTV information, and Student Life and the college administration and faculty deserve thanks for their leadership, efforts, and support.
Regardless of how one might feel about the election outcome, all of us should feel very encouraged and empowered to know that the 18-29-year-old generation showed up at the polls in large numbers.
Initial exit poll reports presented discouraging information about the youth vote, showing that the percentage of youth voters compared to other age groups stayed steady (from 2000), at about 18 percent. However, that percentage is misleading; the total number of people who voted in this election was significantly greater than in 2000, and because the "pie" of total voters is so much larger, that 18 percent translates to millions more 18-29-year-olds. In fact, an estimated 4.6 million MORE 18-29-year-olds voted this year than in 2000, and that amount does not factor in the thousands of absentee ballots that are sent in from colleges and military posts. The Emerson community's energy and enthusiasm around GOTV contributed to this exciting increase, so congratulations and keep that momentum going for local and mid-term elections.
-Jen Greer, Coordinator of Service Learning
To the Student Body,
I would like to clarify a few points from last week's article (11/11/04) about the resolution in SGA.
The petition that SGA voted in support of (as of 9/16/04) supports a petition to ban less-lethal weapons until certain precautionary measures are taken to ensure their proper use.
The resolution does not address the withdrawal of any Boston Police officers. Also, Suffolk University SGA has passed no legislation regarding the Boston Police Force.
It was discussed and then withdrawn. SGA's efforts have been centered on providing outlets for students to respond to the death of Victoria Snelgrove and getting as much information to the students as possible.
Regardless of the form these responses take, our goal is to have a conscientious and educated student body.
The motion to pass the resolution on less-lethal weapons was first made on Nov. 9th and voted on Nov. 16th.
It was the Board's decision that the resolution be tabled one week in order to encourage dialogue on campus, and ultimately strengthen it. SGA strongly encourages students to voice opinions to their representatives throughout the year.
It's your school and therefore your voice that needs to be heard. All representatives' contact info is available at sga.emerson.edu.
-Emily Garr
President,
Student Government Association
Questioning the dispute
Dear Editor:
The fact that Emerson is continuing to attract higher-caliber students is obviously a testament to the quality of education and instruction at the institution (Another Smarter Freshmen Class, September 9, 2004).
This, of course, is directly attributable to the quality of Emerson's faculty and the role they play in the academic governance of the institution.
This is evidence enough that the administration should not seek to undermine the faculty's academic freedom in contract negotiations. It also again raises the question that the administration has continually failed to answer:
What is wrong with the current contract arrangement with the faculty and why is the administration seeking to bust the union over academic governance?
-Owen L. Eagan III
MA, Political Communication, '97
Another flu rebuttal
Dear Editor,
In response to the Katherine Owens letter of November 11, 2004, which was in turn a response to William Glucroft's article on a potential flu crisis:
Influenza has, more than once in history, been a killer of people en masse.
The Great Influenza pandemic early in the 20th century killed more people than we will ever know. Why won't we know? Because people were dying at such an alarming rate that towns and cities couldn't bury and burn the dead fast enough to count them.
While present-day influenza seems most deadly for the elderly and infirmed, it should be noted that the Spanish flu of 1918 was particularly devastating to young, healthy adults.
As to the "abnormal" people whom you must be lumping in little sanatoriums in your mind...you need to understand that influenza is communicable. That means it spreads easily from person to person (sort of like idiotic decrees that if you've made your sick bed, then lie in it).
And though you may be a "normal, healthy person" you may still be the O'Leary bovine responsible for alighting someone's house aflame when you, in your superior physical condition, have somehow managed to forget to wash your hands before visiting old lady MacGillicutty...who already has a runny nose because her 86-year-old immune system is a little more interested in bedtime than checking out Dr. Mercola's web site on pill-free living.
Don't get me wrong; I'm a ten year vegetarian and lifetime environmentalist and am fully aware of the evils of what we put in our bodies and environment. I also understand the concerns about over-medicating ourselves.
You are right to an extent: viral strains are adapting at greater rates than we can fight, due in part to the fight itself. But let's not fault a sickly person with her illness while we saddle her up with guilt. You'll have to forgive me if I quote some numbers from a little more authoritative source, like the Center for Disease Control (CDC) :
"About 36,000 Americans die on average per year from the complications of flu." (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm)
The CDC further states that influenza can strike any of us and can make some with chronic health problems even worse (asthma being one such problem). So when they throw out some numbers, it's probably centered on more than simple dismissals from someone who bucked the crack Emerson vaccination system with a bible in her hand. And though influenza may not be your killer, depending on who you are, it can be the accomplice that means the difference in you getting away or getting dead.
And though not religious, I am fairly certain that the people who wrote the Bible some two thousand years ago make no mention of man taking up a syringe against his fellow man in order to inoculate him.
-James Hollis
Graduate Studies in Theater Arts Education (1998)
Alumnus
Thanks, volunteers
Dear Editor,
I am writing to compliment and congratulate the Emerson College community for outstanding Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts. Students, faculty, and staff collaborated to register new voters, provide information and perspectives on candidates and issues, help students navigate the absentee ballot process, and even help physically transport students to the polls (thanks to Student Life's Voter Van). A special thanks goes out to Erin Taylor, who helped spearhead the non-partisan "2004ward: Every Vote, Every Voice" campaign and the various events and activities that it entailed.
The variety of student organizations and Resident Advisors who advanced these efforts should be congratulated for their energy and enthusiasm, The Beacon should be proud of the excellent election coverage and GOTV information, and Student Life and the college administration and faculty deserve thanks for their leadership, efforts, and support.
Regardless of how one might feel about the election outcome, all of us should feel very encouraged and empowered to know that the 18-29-year-old generation showed up at the polls in large numbers.
Initial exit poll reports presented discouraging information about the youth vote, showing that the percentage of youth voters compared to other age groups stayed steady (from 2000), at about 18 percent. However, that percentage is misleading; the total number of people who voted in this election was significantly greater than in 2000, and because the "pie" of total voters is so much larger, that 18 percent translates to millions more 18-29-year-olds. In fact, an estimated 4.6 million MORE 18-29-year-olds voted this year than in 2000, and that amount does not factor in the thousands of absentee ballots that are sent in from colleges and military posts. The Emerson community's energy and enthusiasm around GOTV contributed to this exciting increase, so congratulations and keep that momentum going for local and mid-term elections.
-Jen Greer, Coordinator of Service Learning