Letters to the Editor

Student group deserved better coverage

I am glad you realize that AIESEC wins this category almost every year, but by now the Daily staff would think, "hmm ... maybe this is an organization we should find out more about?" Instead, the Daily staff has, year after year, written an equally ignorant blurb about AIESEC without trying to find out what exactly we do. So to save you the trouble of actually doing journalistic research, I'll tell you.

First off, the name AIESEC is a French acronym which translated into English means "International Association of Students in Economics and Commerce." AIESEC is the largest student-run, not-for-profit organization in the world, with over 50,000 members in 88 countries worldwide. It was founded in 1948 when young leaders from several war-torn countries decided to form an organization that would promote peace and cooperation through the exchange of ideas, culture and people. There are over 40 local committees in the United States alone, and AIESEC Michigan has always been one of the strongest, providing an example of leadership for the rest of the nation. Last year, we were nationally recognized as the No. 1 local committee in the United States.

All of AIESEC's activities revolve around the development of globally minded leaders for the future. One of the ways in which we do this is through the physical exchange of people across countries. We promote the importance of a culturally diverse workforce through working with companies in the area (e.g., Ford, Chrysler, JCI) who benefit in gaining an international perspective. Currently, we have about 20 interns from other countries working in the United States, and we take care of every aspect of their stay to ensure that they have a chance to show us their cultures and to learn about American culture. In addition, we help students at the University find paid internships abroad. Every student who has ever gone through AIESEC's international traineeship exchange program has said that it was a life-changing experience for them, just ask Helmut Kohl.

The scope of our operations are too broad for me to go into right now, but if you care to find out more, please feel free to visit our website at http://www.umich.edu/~aiesecmi, and maybe next year (if we are named Best Student Group), AIESEC will actually have a semi-decent caption. Thanks.

Vivian Tong
Vice President
AIESEC Michigan

Muslim holiday overlooked in Daily

One of the problems that plagues this diverse campus is a lack of knowledge on many subjects, including religion. I believe that just informing students of faiths and traditions is the first step in making this campus a more friendly and comfortable place to be.

Iftekhar Ahmad
LSA Junior

05-05-98