Rodents deserve respect too
No one wants to live with uninvited rodents in their rooms, but
I was appalled to read that innocent creatures are being painfully
tortured and killed through the use of glue traps and poison
(“Mice
take up residence on Hill,” Viewpoint, April 25). Can you
imagine how awful it must be to starve to death while your body is
unable to move, or to suffocate on your own blood? There is simply
no need for this kind of inhumanity towards such humble and
defenseless beings. In case students and the housing office are not
aware, there are humane methods of pest removal that should always
be employed before lethal means. Wake up, UCLA! And don’t
leave your food lying around if you don’t want a few extra
“roommates.”
Christina Johnson Second-year Law student
No dollars for drug offenders
Albano’s letter (“Drug restrictions on financial aid
would mostly affect low-income students,” Viewpoint, April
25) is highly offensive to California taxpayers. Albano states at
the end of her letter that “education is a right, not a
privilege.” However, higher education is in fact a privilege.
According to state law, all residents of California are guaranteed
the right to a high school education, but no further. Albano should
have checked the state codes before she made such a statement.
Also, in response to Albano’s question regarding where
financial aid money should go instead of to convicted drug
offenders who refuse a few hours of treatment, I say give it to the
millions of law-abiding residents who need it but who for one
reason or another are denied aid. It is entirely irresponsible of
the Financial Aid Office at UCLA to give taxpayer money to drug
offenders who refuse to reform their ways, while denying aid to
hard working students who have never been convicted of a crime. I
sincerely hope that this will be addressed by the California
Legislature, as the UCLA FAO seems to be out of control.
I agree with Albano that current restrictions on financial aid
affect mainly low-income students; however, unlike Albano, I do not
wish to reward drug users who refuse treatment. If students want to
receive tax dollars to pay for their educations, then they should
have to play by the rules, plain and simple.
Howard I. Chernin Third-year Spanish
linguistics
Recognize privilege, admit racist T-shirts are
wrong
I am writing in response to the letter by Ian Marquis
(“Racism exaggerated,” Viewpoint, May 1). I am appalled
by the obvious ignorance and lack of empathy on the part of
Marquis. He is right about being a Caucasian male, and he has
clearly displayed his privilege throughout his letter.
The Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt should not be taken as
something trivial, and simply laughing at them will not rid society
of racism. The absence of racist ““ yes, racist ““ images
and logos would be more of a realistic solution for the racism that
still exists.
It is true that “your brain is a filter through which you
see the world,” but Marquis must realize that those offended
by this particular occurrence are not purposely creating a
“racially saturated filter.” But Marquis does not deal
with race on a daily basis. He is not constantly reminded of his
race each time he walks on campus, drives his car, or applies for a
job or school. He is Caucasian.
Marquis fails to realize that these student organizations he
speaks of have been formed in response to the racism that he so
easily fails to see. It is because of the inequalities and
discrimination students face that groups such as Samahang Pilipino,
ACA, ASU and JSU have been formed. For him to trivialize the
experiences of minorities by starting a “White Student
Union” just for the sake of starting one would be
ridiculous.
Marquis is right, if it was “Smith” instead of
“Wong” there would not be such a large uproar. But does
anyone think A&F would ever print a T-shirt stating that? Of
course, not. The problem here is that the company took it upon
themselves to exploit a minority group because they thought they
could profit off of it. The problem is that people such as Marquis
see no problem in perpetuating racist ideologies. The problem is
that Marquis cannot acknowledge his white privilege. It is truly
upsetting to think that Marquis is one of the “esteemed
alumni” this University produced.
Emily Richards Fourth-year Political
science