To the Daily:
I am writing this letter just 15 hours after learning that my friend and co-worker, Arati Sharangpani, was aboard the fallen Comair jet.
She was a beautiful person and strong leader. She touched the lives of everyone that she met. She will be missed dearly but remembered forever by all who knew her.
While I was happy to see the positive article in the Daily on Friday ("Markley RA dies on Comair flight from Cincinnati," 1/10/97) filled with loving quotes that demonstrated her friends' respect and love for her, I do have some concerns.
I understand the need to inform the student body of such a tragedy.
Unfortunately, there was not enough time between 9:45 p.m. last night (Thursday) when some of us heard the news and 8 a.m. this morning (Friday) for all of her friends to be told. While the majority did know, there were some who found out about the death of a friend while flipping through the Daily, waiting for class to begin.
I feel that such news should be conveyed to friends in a sensitive, personal, private way. I guess I don't really know what the solution is - to wait until Monday may have been too long from a news reporting aspect, but on the other hand, it would have ensured that those close to her were told in a more personal way.
Second, I was very upset that Daily reporters were attempting to interview some of Arati's residents just minutes after they had been told about her passing.
Arati was a model resident adviser and thus had the love and respect of all of her residents. They were understandably upset and in no mood to give a comment to the Daily. Also, we as a staff had a group meeting to express our grief and emotions but a few of the staff members were unable to participate because they had to attend to the Daily reporters and make sure that they did not harass the residents.
The reporter kept asking for more details. I understand that it is your job to report but please, what more did you want to know?
All any of us knew was what we saw on television.
The information that you needed for your article should not have taken more than an hour of interviewing with grief-stricken co-workers.
I think that the Daily needs to take a closer look and perhaps change their methods of obtaining information in such tragic cases.
I am grieving the loss of a friend and beautiful human being.
Rajeshri Gandhi
School of Education
To the Daily:
This letter is in response to your Jan. 9, 1997 article on the Ann Arbor City Council's vote concerning the armory ("City Council votes to rezone armory into apartments").
Ann Arbor has been ranked as high as fifth in this year's lists of best cities in the United States.
Recently the city was rated as one of the safest and healthiest in the country for women. Last Wednesday's City Council vote on what to do with the armory proved that Ann Arbor is not safe or healthy for its homeless men and women. It is easy for our coffee merchants, shop keepers, and deli managers - in the name of profit and respectability - to turn away transients looking for an hour of shelter, but it is not so easy for this city's homeless to find rest.
The City Council's 9-1 vote seemed easy enough for all but Tobi Hanna-Davies (D-1st Ward). Converting the armory into a shelter would have been a bad decision for a city concerned about its image.
It would have threatened to populate the downtown area with people who have little disposable income, it surely would not have helped the city's bond rating, and our national ranking would slip.
This January brings us the end of welfare and food stamps. With the Council's vote, it also signals the end of hope for many of this city's homeless.
Where are our priorities as a community?
Our City Council has answered for us. Move on and clear out!
We will have no homeless in Ann Arbor.
Adam Snow
School of Social Work