Letters
A simple request
As one of the peaceful majority
of dorm residents fed up with
sub-human behavior, I would like
to address two different groups of
dorm residents. First I want to
speak to the people who dump
ashtrays in the halls, blast stereos
from windows, pull bathroom
stalls from ceilings, drop used
toilet paper on the bathroom floors
(yes, really), break windows and
lights, steal filters from drains, cut
telephone cords, shred phone
books, leave trays on cafeteria ta
bles and scatter food everywhere,
steal from other residents' rooms
and clothes dryers, and likewise
multilate the dorms.
Although you have always been
the first to complain about the
food, the staff and other students,
you feel privileged to turn our
dorms into pig stys. force us to live
in them and even pay for your
damages. You seem to think
that your destructiveness is funny
or that it doesn’t even matter. But
why should anyone have to dean
up after you? With your attitude
I'm surprised that you ever
learned to wipe yourselves; it’s
only a slight extension of your
character.
You must have a lot of selfish
ness or hostility to care so little
about our feelings and our right to
ive in deoent dorms. Perhaps you
are unable to even understand my
opinion. I ask only that you move
from the dorms into your own
homes so that you can vandalize
to your hearts’ content, hurting
no one but yourselves.
I aim my second plea to those
intimidated dorm students who try
to rationalize other people's de
structiveness by such excuses as
“he was drunk," “he has a lot of
energy," or “he didn’t premeditate
it or anything, it was just an im
pulse,” as if this makes it right.
Why are you rationalizing their
behavior? If you’re afraid of of
fending them just remember that
they don’t care if they demolish
your residence or cost you money.
I adjure you to allow yourselves a
little indignation and stop deceiv
ing yourselves by numbing your
r
sense ot right and wrong.
Lyneil Chase
Junior, Journalism
and Ester Hamermesz
Graduate, Architecture
Israel not racist
The letter I write today is di
rected to the May 8th letter of one
Sioux Thompson who has, as
have so many other Arab students
lately, directed his persuasive ef
forts to the alleged "Zionist ra
cism” of the State of Israel. Since
I, as these writers, am also sensi
tive to the issue of racism, I be
lieve that a complete evaluation of
the issue can only be fairly made
when one remembers to consider
the plight of the Jew in Arab na
tions where they have resided
since the institution of the Dias
pora 2,000 years ago.
Saudi Arabia allows no Jews, ft
goes as far as excluding Jewish
employees of American com
panies and American Jewish
military personnel. Libya and
Algeria have tong since eliminated
their Jewish populations. Most of
the Jews of Eygpt fled that country
due to fear and coercion. The for
merly large Jewish populations of
Syria and Iraq have been reduced
to a handful of ghettoized and
brutalized people, severely re
stricted in their daily lives; hos
tages who are not allowed to
emigrate. Jewish life in Yemen no
longer exists. The story of the
Kurds in Iraq and the non
Moslems of the Sudan are equally
unpleasant. Yet, in their recent
demonstration at this University,
Arab students ironically proc
laimed, “Jews Yes, Zionists No,
Racists must Go!!” Zionism, the
Jewish movement to return to the
ancestral home, is the antithesis
of racism in that it is a reaction to it.
Zionism will exist as long as racist
attitudes prevail in the minds of
men toward the Jew. The State of
Israel, where Jews can live freely,
is thus a necessary reality.
Paranoia? Yes, but justification is
found in review of every genera
tion since the Babylonian captiv
ity.
Furthermore, the “Oriental”
Jews of Israel, those who the wri
ter in question refers to as
Letters
Letters
“second-class citizens” in their
own society are primarily Jews
who have been driven out of the
aforementioned nations and have
been welcomed into Israel. They
are among the strongest Zionist
supporters of the State of Israel for
they have come to the realization
that their only hope for a fair and
judicious life lies in the future of
the Israeli State.
Unfortunately, the sudden influx
of the Oriental Jews into Israeli
cnriatv has rreated a class an
tagonism; however, this is a
sociological phenomena which
will occur in any culture made up
of a mixture of people from diverse
cultural backgrounds. Unlike the
chasm which separates Blacks
and Whites in America, Israel is
slowly but surely effecting an al
leviation of the problem. Intermar
riage between Jews of the Euro
pean and Oriental extraction is on
the increase, thus a blending of
the two cultures is inevitable and
equality is foreseeable.
Hegaraiess, nowever, ot the re
lief of class differentiation within
Israeli society, this point remains:
as long as such “racist” discrimi
nation exists in nations around the
world toward the weary Jew, there
will always exist that need for, and
thus the continued realization of,
the Israeli State as a haven for the
persecuted descendents of the
ancient sovereigns of the land of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
David Berne
Sophomore, History
_—opinion —
SUAB: an exciting year ahead
Submitted by
Gary McMahon, SUAB Chair*
person, 1978-1979,
Mike Lockwood, ASUO Execu
tive Coordinator,
Cathy Teamen, SUAB Chair
person, 1977-1978
SUAB is moving. The Student University Affairs
Board has been a part of the ASUO since 1974. This
spring, however, two constitutional amendments
were passed by voters in the ASUO elections, both of
which will greatly increase the potential of the Rep
resentative branch of our student government. The
first of these amendments liberated the position of
Vice President for State and University Affairs to the
sole responsibility of State Affairs. This shifted the
weight of University Affairs Strictly to the Board,
eliminating much needless ambiguity.
The second amendment rearranged the 18 con
stituencies of the Board to 17 constituencies and 1
chairperson, allowing the chairperson to focus on the
smooth and continuous administration of the Board.
In addition, the 11 newly elected members have a
feverish enthusiasm similar to the new ASUO Execu
tive. This contagion of enthusiasm and drive means a
iot in any government, and it means even more in
student government where it's so rare.
One of the areas in which SUAB expects to expand
is in the initiation of legislation before the University
Senate and General Assembly. Because of the po
tential important issues students can bring before
these bodies, this becomes an important goal, in
spite of the fact that very little legislation has been
sponsored by SUAB in recent years. Another area in
which SUAB expects to expand is that of student
involvement. This will be accomplished in several
ways: increased student activity in University Faculty
and Departmental committees, organization and ac
tive participation in academic student unions, and
active solicitation of often neglected student
grievances.
The key to an effective and responsive Student
University Affairs Board is student involvement. The
18 members on the board will be easily accessible
through the maintaining of at least 5 posted office
hours each week. These will be held in their respec
tive departments, the Information and Grievance
Center, and in Suite 4, in the EMU. Because it is
unfeasible for the SUAB representatives to contact
each person in their departments, it is up to you to
take the time to find out who your representative is
and when and where you can talk to them. SUAB is
ready to take a more active role in University affairs,
but the only way they can accomplish this is through
constant student feed-back.
The 1978 Board members are:
Harold McLean.Law
Anamaria Bell .Journalism and Speech
John Koford.Business and Economics
Open.Business and Economics
Jess Barton .Education and CSPA
Mitzi Primak .Education and CSPA
Open .P.E., Recreation, Health, and Dance
Robert Wah .. Biology, Chemistry, and
Pre-Health Sciences
Open.General Science,
Physics, Math, and
Computer Science
Open .Architecture
Salena Baker. .Fine and Applied Arts,
Art History, and Art Edu
cation
Mike Haddock.Psychology, Sociology,
and Anthropology
Kevin Pope.Psychology, Sociology,
and Anthropology
Jim Pasero .Political Science, His
tory, and Geography
Elray Stewart Cook .Music
Carrie Winegar .English, Languages,
Geology, Philosophy,
General Humanities,
Linguistics, and General
Arts and Letters
Josh Smith.Undeclared
Gary McMahon .Chairperson
The open positions will need to be filled in the
Fall ASUO election, so if you are looking for an in
teresting and informative way to spend the next two
years, you should seriously consider running for the
position representing your major.
Expect an exciting and productive year!
1
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