Letters to the editorBuilding strife
Editor:Several points should be made regarding the "Thundering
distractions vex
campus," Nov. 3 article.
If the reason for construction is to bring buildings such as
Public
Policy up to seismic standards, why are these buildings
currently used?
In the case of Public Policy, dozens of faculty were recently
moved into
the building prior to the completion of the construction work.
Since when
does the installation of classroom seats constitute a safety
measure,
anyway?
Anyone who was on campus during the summer should be acutely
aware that
the work pace during the intersessions was lackadaisical at
best. It almost
seems that construction was put on hold until students and
faculty returned
to campus.
There are actually committees of bureaucrats deciding matters
such as
what color the linoleum floor in the Public Policy building
should be.
Meanwhile, officials such as Charles Oakley seem unable to
determine
when particular classrooms are in use, so as to schedule
construction in
those areas at other times.
Oakley, or whoever is responsible for the unbearable
interruptions (not
mere distractions), needs to understand that education is the
primary
purpose of a university, and to begin looking for solutions
instead of
excuses.Peter Tokofsky
Assistant professor
Germanic languages
Don’t wallow
Editor:I admire Aaron Howard, ("No apologies for questioning
American way, Nov.
10) in his search for "truth" as evident in his article.
I agree with most of his world-view. However, in the spirit
of
continuing our re-education of race issues in America, I
sincerely don’t
want Howard to slip into the trap set by those trying to
dismantle any
positive gains made by the Civil Rights Movement.
One example from Howard’s article: He stated, "… after all,
we’re all
Americans anyway … right?"
If that’s the case, why can’t I get some love on affirmative
action from
these same whites and Asians who want to pump up this "American
ideal?"
The Asian Pacific Islander community of activists, teachers,
parents,
laborers, professionals, students and other similarly aware
people
supported and participated in the Civil Rights Movement, and
they certainly
support affirmative action today.
That legacy has passed on to future generations. Did you not see
York
Chang get arrested for affirmative action? Did you even go to
the rally?
If you didn’t, why didn’t you go? If you did, did you not see
the many
faces from Asia and the Pacific Islands?
Did you ignore these faces as the wealthy politicians and media
owners
do every single night when they make a show about affirmative
action?
One good thing about my high school history class was that I
read and
saw videos on the Civil Rights Movement. I even heard speeches
by Dr. King.
Unfortunately, Asian Pacific Islander activists were
"invisible." It was
only when I took Asian American studies classes at UCLA did I
realize facts
to the contrary.
Aaron, don’t let some stupid traps slow you down in your search
for the
truth. The truth exists, but only humble and open-minded people
can swim in
it. Everyone else is wallowing in the mud.Thomas Hong
Second-year
Law
viewpoint@media.asucla.ucla.edu
viewpoint@media.asucla.ucla.edu