Having read through the Daily this past month, I have ran across the word "dorm" on many occasions referring to our residence halls on campus.
Our residence halls are not dorms. We have 16 residence halls on campus. Dorm stems from the latin word meaning "sleep" - indicative of a place with lots of beds to sleep in. Here, at the University, we have residence halls, a living-learning community which enhances a student's education through different means from student affairs.
Thank you and please change your wording. Remember, we have residence halls on campus.
Adam Thodey
Engineering graduate student
I realize that James Miller only has 4,500 characters to work with for his column, but this should not prevent him from writing a well-written column. Not only was his last column ("Republican bullies target the most basic of freedoms," 9/18/96) rather poorly written, he makes the error of lumping together Republicans, conservatives and anyone else who disagrees with liberal policy into a conglomerate of intolerant, uneducated fools.
While I agree with Miller that the Defense of Marriage Act is a serious violation upon the civil liberties of Americans, I do wish he could have made a coherent argument. His column was devoid of logic, purpose or even order. How he even comes up with "This is not like affirmative action ... where conservative legislation has to be really creative to avoid the Constitution" is beyond me, as it really doesn't make sense. Affirmative action is not constitutionally mandated (no matter what the Residential College tells you).
His stereotypes of conservatives were foolish and show either a genuine lack of knowledge about the makeup of the Republican Party or simply a desire on his part to brand all conservatives as evil evangelical Christian zealots, who, when they are not organizing militias and buying large caliber weaponry, are controlling the higher echelons of government in an evil attempt by Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole to keep the oppressed, huddled masses down. And even worse, he wasn't even funny in his column when he was making fun of conservatives. It really isn't all that hard, especially with people like Pat Buchanan. But to lump all Republicans and conservatives in the same boat is a grievous error. It would be as if a conservative described all liberals as Marxist-Leninists: simply not true!
I would hope that when Miller writes his column Wednesday he decides to approach his topic with prudence and intelligence, instead of continuing to write columns as poor as (this). In today's world, one finds that most of the bullying is done by those on the left side of the political spectrum.
Benjamin Kepple
LSA junior
To the Daily:
Thursday's column by Dean Bakopoulos ("The right revolution is dead," 9/19/96) seriously tarnishes the image of the Daily. It is dismaying to think that a well-respected and first-rate campus newspaper once run by a worthy and intelligent liberal named Tom Hayden has lowered its standards to the level of the idiotic rambling submitted by Bakopoulos. It seems that Bakopoulos perfectly fits the role of the ultra-liberal whiner who, instead of arguing intelligently about anything, has decided instead to use his genitals in place of his mouth (urinating on chalked sidewalks).
However, I will refrain from directing any more personal attacks and instead provide some food for thought for the community.
The Republican Party is truly an all-inclusive political organizations.
While more controversial members of the party, as well as other extreme right-wing entities, comprise a tiny fraction of it, Bakopoulos seemed to forget that it also is home to such diverse and talented public servants as Colin Powell, black Rep. J.C. Watts, Rep. Susan Molinari and Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Nancy Kassebaum.
One of the convention delegates from Massachusetts is an openly homosexual African American.
On the other hand, the radical left includes some of questionable characters as well. Included are the University's own Unabomber, who uses mail bombs to spread his ultra-liberal message about extremist environmental protection. Let us not forget Louis Farrakhan, who pledged his support to some of the most dangerous anti-American dictators in history.
I would like to remind everyone that Clinton signed the welfare reform bill into law and has consistently opposed gay marriage.
It certainly will be interesting to see which way Clinton swings should he receive a second term. We can only hope that he will join his dozen or so friends who have ended up in prison during his administration.
Let me conclude by putting the liberal forces at the University on notice. The 140-student turnout at the College Republican mass meeting is sign of things to come, and it is obvious that Bakopoulos feels threatened by it. The Republican tide may not sweep America this election, but the conservative message is being spread everywhere. I consider myself a Republican; yet both of my ears sport silver earrings, I love my sister and support her lesbian lifestyle, and I have protested the Klan on two occasions. This doesn't quite seem to fit Bakopoulos' profile of a conservative. We are not conformists like everyone else in East Quad; we instead recognize our differences and build on them. I look forward to the battle this fall.
Evan Knott
LSA sophomore
Once again, the University College Republicans will forge ahead to implement our unwavering commitment to the eternal, yet oft disregarded, principles of family, community, property, the organicity of our culture, personal initiative, clarity of purpose. We support personal activism and not complacency, economic growth and capital production and not redistribution of wealth, organization and not anarchy, idealism and not materialism.
Our model of democracy, ladies and gentlemen, subsumes hard work, responsibility and vigorous self-action. We decry the passivity of de facto socialism espoused by demagogues whose bankrupt social policies have denigrated entire nations. We celebrate equality along the marathon of life - but equality at the starting line, and not in the outcome of life's every race.
The effectiveness of any political organization is wholly dependent on the quality and commitment of its leadership. This year's newly-elected officers will strive to provide the vitality, strength and vision necessary to nurture and propagate these ideals of proven, enduring legitimacy at the University, and to do so in the face of spurious opposition at intramural, municipal, state and national levels.
Let us forever be mindful of the glory of America - a glory rooted in the unprecedented idealism of her founders. Most deservedly did she serve as a model for nation builders throughout the ages! We College Republicans will seize the challenge of the seemingly impossible, bolstered by the force of our unmitigated faith in the future of America.
Elias T. Xenos
LSA sophomore