Tuesday, April 9, 1996Home front
Editor:
Despite the fact that the United States is one of the richest
nations in the world and is able to feed everyone in it, it is
estimated that 3 million people are forced to sleep in cars, under
bridges, in shelters and on the streets. This homeless population
makes up more than 10 percent of the U.S. population. As a matter
of fact, one in four children under age 6 in the United States
lives in poverty, and 75 percent of the poor population itself is
made up of women and their children.
Yet for the longest time, the American people have put the
homeless issue on the back burner. Although we realize that the
homeless problem is just one issue among many that we face today,
this is not to say that we should simply give up hope and not try
to exert any effort that would have even the smallest impact on the
homeless.
Any time that we help in any way to alleviate a homeless
person’s pain, we are just one step further in helping the
situation. We students at UCLA are one of the most resourceful
groups around, in terms of the free time that we have compared to
other busy working people; we also have more access to information
than others.
One of the ways we can relieve the homeless population is by
volunteering our time and educating ourselves about homeless
issues. The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and
Homelessness, along with the California Public Interest and
Research Group (CALPIRG) and Hillel, will hold its 12th Annual
Hunger Cleanup this Saturday and Sunday (April 13 and 14).
The hunger cleanup is a work-a-thon which provides both
invaluable volunteer power for important local programs and
resources which these programs need to continue throughout the
year. We will work at various sites, such as St. Joseph’s Shelter
in Venice and the West L.A. Shelter. We will also help Habitat for
Humanity build houses for low-income families.
The funds collected will be donated to the St. Joseph’s Shelter
in Venice, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and
Homelessness and grassroots, community-based, international
projects.
Any individual or organization is welcome to join on one or both
days. We will meet at the Bruin Bear at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday
(Sunday’s time is yet to be announced). The event will last until 2
p.m. For more information and to obtain the pledge forms needed for
this fundraising event, stop by the CALPIRG table on Bruin Walk.
You can also call Luan at (310) 794-3399 or the CALPIRG office at
(310) 397-3404. Come and join this fun, worthwhile event!
Florence M. Lim
First-year
Dance/world arts and cultures
CALPIRG
"As the UC turns"
Editor:
It has been over a month since my last letter, and so it is time
to bring everyone up to date. Many of you may know by now that the
month of March was quite an active one for the University of
California.
First off, there were many student protests and demonstrations
against the regents’ decision on affirmative action. Several
students were arrested, at one point or another, and that saga
continues.
Aside from that, Regent Ward Connerly asked for a full-scale
investigation of the student government’s use of "postage, vehicles
(and) computers." This was in response to a joint University of
California Students Association and California State Students
Association visit to his office, which he alleges caused damage to
his lawn and sprinklers. This is another drama to keep an eye
on.
Our good friend Ward also says that despite his adamant
conviction about outreach programs in July, he has had a new
revelation. So, he will no longer support efforts on this front.
Well, well, well …
But all of this news pales in comparison to the granddaddy story
on the scene  regental preferences! If you have been keeping
up with this story, you already know that Tom Hayden has called for
a public hearing on the matter for April 22. What will come of this
scandal, I do not know. There is no scheduled regents meeting in
April, but if something comes up, I will no doubt inform you all of
any news. Peace.
Edward P. Gomez
Student regent
False feminism
Editor:
After reading John Foxworthy’s response ("Riding gender fence,"
April 3) to Elizabeth Rich’s column ("A little submissiveness never
hurt anyone," April 1), I noticed two things. First, he criticizes
her for creating dualism that "never really existed" when she is
obviously supporting dualism that is evident in our cultural
messages, advertising and modes of behavior (even if that doesn’t
cover the range of all behavior or culture in the United
States).
I admired him, at first, for his seeming feminism, even though
his letter was dripping with disrespect. However, one line was
salient in the letter: "Individual critical thinking,
unfortunately, is nonexistent among women." This statement belies
the author’s own educational shortcomings. Obviously, he has not
been exposed to the writings of bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, Toni
Morrison or Trinh Minh-ha, among others.
Moreover, in the dorms or on campus, he must have avoided the
many independent, intelligent, articulate undergraduate and
graduate women with whom I have come in contact.
Lastly, as a graduate student, I find that some students have a
rather instrumental view of their undergraduate education.
Therefore, in the political theory classes for which I often am a
TA, some students do not like the focus on critical thinking, which
seems unstructured, disorganized and therefore unpredictable
regarding grades. However, I never noticed that women made up a
larger percentage of those students than men.
Avoidance of critical thinking in this context seems to be a
response to what is perceived to be a muddy area in comparison to
empiricism. On the other hand, some women, more than some men, do
respond to the texts presented in political theory precisely
because they can relate to the authors who are resisting the norms
of their times. In fact, among graduate students, more political
theorists are women.
I do not think that Foxworthy has made a positive contribution
to the discussion of women’s roles in society any more than
Elizabeth Rich.
Katy Arnold
Graduate student
Political science