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Letters to the Editor
Poster article has wrong focus
It was with a certain disappointment that I read the Chronicle's article and editorial about the upcoming Lobby Day organized by MSUSA and the language used by the SCSU Student Government on the posters on campus. I can only imagine what reasons led to the editorial board focusing on the language of a publicity poster, rather than the issues.
It is sad to see that in times where students have lost their state work-study, seen the virtual elimination of childcare funds and been severely disserved by the state grant program (whose funds have run out) that the Chronicle could only find the matter of word choice on a poster to focus on. Clearly an attack on students is the answer.
The 46 percent figure remains a possibility so long as no clear alternative plan is presented. As of today, there is none. We are presenting the worst case scenario because it is a possibility. Hope does exist, though, in the form of student participation. Unfortunately, it seems that the Chronicle has chosen to demonize the Student Government rather than identify the people who are hurting students on a continual basis.
Ethics is a funny thing to define. I believe that choosing to make headlines by beating up on fellow students rather than helping those truly hurting students could fall into the area of questionable ethics.
Yorgun Marcel
State Chair, Minnesota State University Student Association
Lobby Day flyers did mislead
I told people that (the statement on the posters) was bull crap also, but a lot of my friends believed it.
I would just like to say thank you for setting people straight. It is too bad that there are not more newspapers like the Chronicle. Not only do you address major issues, but you also let the people know the truth. Thank you.
Anthony Long
Freshman, Biology
Patriotism means participation
In the post-9/11 society people are so quick to claim their love for America. They display the American flag outside their homes and in their cars, but many of those same people can't seem to make it to the polls on Election Day. Where does true patriotism lie? If being patriotic is just displaying the flag and supporting our government and military in times of crisis, patriotic is something I am not. Yet, I still consider myself to be a patriot. I do take an active role in America, I vote, I go out of my way to find out about American policies and law, I watch the news, I write letters to legislators about things I do and do not agree with. I find these actions to be the most patriotic a citizen can have, but many people would consider me un-American because I don't have an American flag and because I do not support our government on many issues, including the war on terror. To many I am just another unpatriotic liberal who should stop complaining and support our president and military.
In a country where voter turnout is so low and the average citizen knows more about what happened last night on Joe Millionaire than they do about American foreign policy, do most Americans have the right to call themselves a patriot just for the pure fact they love living here? For me, the greatest way to show love for your country is to take an active role as a citizen, stay informed and exercise your right to speak out when you think the government is being unjust. So again I ask, where does true patriotism lie? In the flag, or in the vote?
Maggie A. Parham
Freshman, Political Science
King selected for parentage
I applaud the University Program Board for bringing Martin Luther King III to SCSU. But I don't quite understand why they did it. I went into the Atwood Ballroom last Wednesday night, thinking I was going to hear about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I was disappointed. Although King made some valuable comments, they were merely his own opinions. Unfortunately the opinions of King have little effect on me. Although I'm a person of color, I failed to see why I was sitting there listening to another man's opinions. Then I realized that I was only listening because he was the son of the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, of the 1960s. I disagreed with many of the things mentioned during his speech. I felt compelled to write this because I feel that King disregarded my opinion as ignorance. King made a few negative comments concerning the Confederate Flag. He believes that it should be removed from all public places in the South. He said he supported the NAACP's boycott on South Carolina. I disagree, and I commented on why I disagreed. I think the Confederate Flag represents history, independence and courage. I think it should be celebrated throughout the South. King attributed my beliefs to being ignorant and young. He felt that since I had not been directly affected by the symbol, a symbol he considered racist, that my opinion wasn't valid. I walked away thinking that if I were a white student expressing my beliefs he might have reacted differently. But since I'm a person of color, I should not be supporting the Confederate Flag. I would hope the next time the UPB decides to bring a person to SCSU, that the person is brought because of his or her own achievements and not because of their mother or father.
Matt Hayward
Freshman, Mass Communications
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