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Letters to the Editor
Haiti destroyed with U.S. help
Haiti's democracy is being destroyed as you read this and we're being lied to about it. Most people will skip over this because they don't care about Haiti or don't have any idea what I'm talking about. Some people will read this and think I'm crazy. But I have to say it.
Here are a few things that the mainstream press has failed to mention: Aristide, a Catholic Priest, came to prominence in Haiti by inspiring the poor to organize and resist their oppression and poverty. Aristide is Haiti's first democratically elected president and won 67 percent of his country's vote. The U.S. has financed and trained rebel forces that have and are currently massacring hundreds of Haitians. The U.S. admitted to telling Aristide he had to resign if he wanted to leave the country safely. President Aristide is currently under the guard of U.S. and French guards.
There is so much more to tell. There is a long history of U.S. military interventions in Haiti and many other countries for that matter. I believe that the U.S. removed Aristide, a democratically elected president. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's time to wake up. If you think I'm crazy it's probably because you believe everything our government is telling you. As U.S. citizens we need to do better than that. The best place to find the truth is in alternative media.
I love the United States. If you do too you will educate yourself on the damage our country is doing so we can unite and fix our wrongdoings. If you need a place to start, try www.activeopposition.com or www.democracynow.org, which I read every day.
Rebecca Goerz
Junior
Community Psychology
Response to 'RAs forge affinity'
I am writing in response to the article, "RAs forge affinity." My RAs did nothing of the sort my first two years on campus. Although I expressed interest in floor and hall programs, my opinion was never asked, my RAs never made me feel like my presence was important, and they never said anything more to me than, "Hi, how are you?" I decided to become one myself my third year. I wanted to do for my residents what my RAs never did for me. However, I also know, through both my experiences as a resident and as an RA, that there are many RAs that do not do all of the things they are supposed to do.
First, RAs are supposed to get to know their residents as individuals. I feel that many RAs get to know their "good" residents, while the "bad" ones are often looked at with indifference. This lack of respect on the RAs' part perpetuates these people's negative attitudes and behaviors and results in continued disrespect for RAs. It is my belief and my experience that by reaching out and getting to know these people, RAs have the power to turn a negative situation into a positive one.
Second, RAs are supposed to build a community and floor unity through floor activities. How can this be accomplished when RAs don't even know their residents? Why would any resident attend an activity for which their input was never asked - an activity that was planned by someone who looks at them with indifference? I feel that RAs need to get input from all of their residents-ask for ideas, tell them about floor funds, ask them to help plan programs.
Lastly, RAs are supposed to enforce the rules and policies of Residential Life. Well, if there is no relationship between RAs and their residents, there is no respect between them either. I wonder why it is "popular opinion" that the only thing RAs are here for is to discipline their residents.
Tiffany Berchin
Junior
Spanish
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