Tuesday, November 11, 1997
Letters
Pledge’s death not ‘senseless’
This is in regards to Michael Daugherty’s Nov. 3 article,
"Losing one’s life to absolute meaninglessness runs rampant." I am
the sister of Brian Toshio Sanders, the Lambda Chi Alpha pledge who
tragically lost his life in Lake Mead on May 17. Since his passing,
my family and I have struggled with the pain and heartache of
losing a member of our family. We have been determined to find the
truth and have spent countless days and nights trying to discover
what really happened on May 17.
According to Daugherty, my brother was "getting wasted and
having a good time." From what my parents and I have been
officially informed, it is incorrect for Daugherty to assume that
Brian was in any way intoxicated. Contrary to what Daugherty
states, friends and family know what actually happened on May
17.
I feel that it is important that the UCLA community be aware
that my brother’s death was not a "senseless" death due to
excessive alcohol consumption. Brian is a true hero who sacrificed
his own life in attempt to save a drowning fraternity member. He
exhaustively dove for 20 minutes up to depths exceeding 10 meters
to rescue Brian Pearce, who had not resurfaced from a dive. My
brother died in the most unselfish and heroic way – to save another
human being. In Daugherty’s own words, "There are very few things
that I can think of that are truly worth dying for, and all of them
involve making a sacrifice for some greater good." Nothing could be
more deserving of this statement than my brother’s final
sacrifice.
Christine H. Sanders
Fifth-year
Psychology
Foolish little USAC needs to get real
USAC, guess what? You are only a simple student government,
marginally more important than those which you undoubtedly served
on in high school. Do you actually think you can take on a
multi-national corporation such as Nike and win? Do you think your
actions mean anything to the majority of students at UCLA?
The answer to both questions is no. Unfortunately, most students
will never care about student government, and your myopic actions
will continue.
It will not be until they wake up and see where their funds are
going that they will put an end to your grandstanding. Until then,
students and alumni alike will continue to be amused by your little
attention grabs, wondering what you think you are actually
accomplishing.
Charles A. Moore
UCLA alumnus, 1986