USAC’s voter project costly, lacks
planning
While I don’t usually find myself criticizing USAC’s
actions, I am unable to withhold comment regarding Tuesday’s
feature photograph of USAC’s implementation of a disturbingly
foolhardy plan (News, “Voters share a common thread,”
Nov. 7).
USAC’s plan to string up 1,500 Polaroid photographs of
students who pledged to vote lacked any form of fiscal
responsibility.
Many consumers are aware of the disturbingly high cost of
Polaroid film in comparison to standard film processing.
Spending an obscene amount of money to produce 1,500 exposures
of Polaroid film for a relatively minor voter awareness project
clearly displays an extreme disconnect between reality and whoever
dreamed up this scheme.
However, as USAC turned out not to be permitted to go through
with this project because of a standing university policy that
objects cannot be hung from trees, a far more noteworthy question
needs to be asked: Was there no effort to determine if this project
could be done in the first place?
This is not an issue of presence of mind ““ it is an issue
of some shred of common sense, which USAC seems to be lacking.
Saul Wyner Fourth-year, Cognitive science
Article illuminates fraternities’
goodwill
It was refreshing to see Saba Riazati’s article about
fraternities (News, “Big parties can cost a pretty
penny,” Nov. 1).
The author shed light on an aspect of the Greek system that many
people do not recognize.
Sadly, most students associate fraternities with parties and
associate sororities as the sister organizations who attend those
parties.
However, there are many aspects of a Greek organization that
people fail to recognize, particularly philanthropy work.
The article mentioned the fundraising activities fraternities
participate in, but readers should also be aware of the many hours
of service they do that do not raise monetary funds, but contribute
greatly in terms of service and time.
Although I have never been a member of a sorority, I have
attended these events several times. Each time, I was pleased to
see the houses were busy doing volunteer work.
I’m truly glad that an article about fraternities does not
only focus on parties, but extends the topic to include other
important aspects of the Greek system that are equally, if not
more, important.
Alina Akram UC Santa Barbara alumna
“˜Day of the Dead’ needs
clarifications
Remembering and honoring the dead with dignity is important.
This is why it is irresponsible to try to create a nonexistent link
between deaths in Iraq, the ongoing conflict between the Israelis
and Arabs, and a devastating earthquake in Iran.
One is a war, the other is an on-going conflict, and the last is
a natural disaster.
The flags placed in Meyerhoff Park on Wednesday by Conciencia
Libre, a UCLA student group whose purpose is to raise awareness
about global issues, created the impression that what happened in
these three situations is linked and equivalent.
The planners of this exhibit neglected to mention why these
flags were all put under the banner of the “Day of the
Dead.”
If the goal of the event was to remember the dead in the Middle
East, the planners should have mentioned the 1,123 Israelis killed
by terrorists in the last five years alone .
I hope that in the future, the group will take care to explain
their intentions more clearly and to provide a complete picture of
the situation they present.
Leeron Morad Fourth-year, Microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics President, Bruins for Israel