Senior class gift should be more thoughtful, tangible
item
A good senior class gift is one that every undergraduate will
able to see, access and use. Giving money to the UCLA Fund
controlled by the chancellor (“Seniors give cash back,”
News, May 11) limits undergraduate access to it. Not only that, but
how many undergraduates will really appreciate their senior class
gift when they don’t even see it? A class gift should be a
thoughtful gift that enhances the whole undergraduate experience. I
feel that the committee has taken the easy way out by giving money
as opposed to a tangible gift.
Nhi Nguyen Fourth-year, microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics
Arranged marriages lack choice essential to meaningful
relations
In reply to Smita Saxena’s column “Arranged marriage
has merits” (May 13), I totally agree that unequivocal
respect and tolerance for arranged marriages must always be shown.
However, I do think arranged marriages are lacking compared to
non-arranged ones.
Non-arranged couples grow into love as much as arranged couples,
generally during a period of exploratory courtship before the legal
ceremony. I believe the point is that both adults in a marriage
share responsibility for its success or failure, something that
happens best with non-arranged couples.
Arranged marriages harken back to a less enlightened time when
women were literally considered to be negotiable property. Yet the
love of another is not an acquisition or planned estate. Loving
another involves an individually initiated, voluntary decision of
sharing and commitment at the very highest levels of human
experience. It should be a conscious desire to partner with
another, independent of potential material, familial or practical
advantage.
Love is a journey, not a falling. The magical chemistry of two
who somehow get each other involves choosing, as well as purposeful
co-piloting. Yes, choosing and being chosen creates more anxiety
than leaving the responsibility to others. But it is not a big
problem for most ““ it is simply part of the experience of
living and taking on all the major decisions of adulthood.
Solomon M. Matsas Former staff
Israel Independence Day coverage misrepresents
event
The Israel Independence Day was a joyous, peaceful celebration
of Israel’s statehood. I expected the Daily Bruin to report
on this day differently (“Independence celebration met with
protest,” News, May 13).
Instead of taking a negative approach by publishing pictures of
protestors, why not run happy pictures of dancing and celebration?
With 2,000 years of exile, Jews have been under the yolk of
anti-Semitism and oppression all around the world. Is it not worth
it to celebrate when Jews have a place to call their own?
This is not to say that protestors shouldn’t be heard
““ we live in a democracy, and people’s dissention
should be heard. But rather than portray the protest, we should be
positive that peace will come one day.
The Daily Bruin should have run some pictures related to
Israel’s independence and history, with a separate piece on
voices of dissension.
Esther Azal Third-year, political science and
history