THE TARTAN Sept.

21, 2011

INSIGHTS

11

Letter to theEditor: Demonstration opens eyes to opposite sex

ay that Im in my freshman year at Radford University and have never really drank before I started college. During orientation, I went to a party and got wasted. I made a bad choice and had sex with someone I had just met that day. Im pregnant and I dont know what to do. Im 8 weeks along and I dont want to have the baby. I come from a working family and we dont really have much money. Im here on scholarship and am the rst in my family to attend college. I met with Planned Parenthood and was offered many options, one of which was abortion. If I have the baby, Ill have to withdrawal from all my classes. I dont have much money and my family doesnt either. I saw the demonstration on campus and I feel really bad about my choice. I want to go to pharmacy school, but I if I keep it Ill have to drop out and apply for food stamps. The only jobs I am quali-

ed for are minimum wage and I would barely get by, if at all. I think I had unrealistic expectations about my ability when I attempted to come to this school and I should just have the baby. I guess people pay taxes to help people like me. Its inevitable I will be on welfare with a high school education and a baby to support on my own. The recent demonstration on campus in regard to Pro Life was ethically wrong. This demonstration used fear tactics to argue the Pro Life side. Cascading campus with pictures of dead fetuses is no way to get a point across. Using an argument based on pure emotion instead of fact in no way shows me a legitimate argument from the Pro Life side. There are a multitude of circumstances that can result in pregnancy. Date rape, rape, drunken decisions, or simply low self-esteem. As a male, I feel that life is full of variables and having an unwanted

baby has severe social and economic implications. A friend of mine is pro life but holds a liberal stance because she feels that, we live in a free nation and have the right to do what we think is right about our bodies. I feel I should have no input into the choices women make in regard to their bodies. As a male I feel I have no right to tell woman she must have a baby. Luckily I was not an unwanted child. I simply see no reason to give birth to someone when they cannot be sufciently supported. Both sides of the political spectrum have severe issues with our current welfare state. By taking the stance that a woman must have a baby regardless of circumstance, we are perpetuating this vicious cycle of under-cared for children.

[ ]
FRANCIS SMITH
is a junior majoring in Fashion Merchandising

Ask me anything!

Dear Frankie

I currently found a job here on campus and I am a full time student. Now, its great to have extra money in my pocket, however it takes a huge toll on me; mentally and physically. How do you handle having a job and juggling being a student as well? Sincerely, Work Study Stressed Dear Work Study Stressed, Well, its hard working and being a student; there is a lot you have to juggle and time just isnt on your side most of the time. So, whats a student to do when things seemuncontrollable?

P. Devon Schall

Letter to theEditor: New student overwhelmed by club presentation

Well, I would say that maybe its time you to prioritize. Never take on more than you can handle; it never turns out well. You need to make sure that school is a main priority, I mean it is the reason you are at Radford University. Second, you need to act like computers and delete, le away, and re-organize that scattered mess you call work and school. It does you no good to not be able to gure out when your next assignment is due when you also have to try and focus on the customer whose been calling your name for assistance for the past ve minutes. Another good idea is to get some much needed rest. Shut down that motherboard (your brain), and take in some Zs where they are needed; and no, not during class. Finally, when all is said and done, enjoy it all. Be grateful that you have the job you do; (warning: Im going to sound like a mom for just a second: ) I cant tell you how many times that so many people complain about their jobs and forget that you are getting paid. You, my dear, are getting paper like Chris Brown says, while others are still struggling to nd a job. So, enjoy the fact that you can make it rain a little more, even if by just a dollar. Overall, dont stress and take too much on, try and re-organize your life, and enjoy it all because you never know like Project Runway says, one day youre in, the next day youre out. Hope this helps, Frankie

am a new student to Radford Univeristy. I am excited to start a new chapter in my life and take advantage of everything the university has to offer. I expect an enriching academic experience as represented by materials provided by the Admissions Ofce, which state: We rely on the diversity of our student body, faculty and staff as well as our common bond of pursuing knowledge and deeper understanding in an open and nurturing intellectual environment shared by all. The event that took place on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in front of the Bonnie makes me question whether I can rely on this statement and whether the academic environment offered at RU is truly an unbiased one. On my way to purchase refreshment at the Bonnie, I was confronted with an enormous, bright orange sign that read Warning Genocide Photos Ahead. As I approached, I was assaulted by dozens of 6-foot high photographs depicting detached limbs, bloody bodies, mutilated womens breasts, bodies hanging from trees, dead bodies piled haphazardly, bodies in mud, swastikas, and much, much more. I felt confused. I could not imagine what was happening or why I was being assaulted by these violent and difcult to look at images. I felt nauseated. There was no way to avoid looking at the photos; they were so big and the entire display, overwhelming. After a few moments I was able to un-

derstand that this was an anti-abortion group and that the event was actually sponsored by an ofcial University Club, the Radford University college Republicans. I do not nd this reassuring. I do not feel that being forced to view violent images that make me feel nauseated fosters a nurturing intellectual environment. Does RU maintain an anti-abortion stance? This is the impression that was given, since the only view represented was that one. Shouldnt alternative views have been presented at the same time, to give an opportunity for intelligent and reasoned thought, or inspired debate, and to provide a deeper understanding of the issue? It took me a while to notice the very small and insignicant signage indicating the sponsorship of the Radford University College Republicans. I would have never written this letter, if it hadnt been for the nature of the presentation. If there had been yers on a table containing these photographs, I would have had the choice of looking at them or not. This was, decidedly, not the case. First, there were 6-foot high signs announcing genocide, which, in some way, was associated with the stated purpose of this event (though the connection was not clear). Putting up warning signs that something horrible is ahead, and then making it impossible to ignore violent photos, is just wrong. Where was I to get my lunch if I couldnt

go near the front of the Bonnie? This is in one of the most frequented places at the school! This was a visual and psychological assault. I do not understand the school administrations decision to allow this sort of presentation on campus. Further to the above objection, the references to genocide contained in the exhibit simply trivialized those truly devastating events, insulting the sensibilities of African-Americans, Jews, Rwandans, Cambodians, Native Americans, etc. If the shock value of the photographs wasnt sufcient, there were swastikas. This information was not a positive statement on diversity. I welcome the opportunity to be exposed to different views and even controversial ones. That is why I am here. This presentation was inappropriate and inconsistent with the stated intentions of the school to provide a healthy, diverse, and rich academic environment. I do hope that there will be an explanation that might help me understand why the administration allowed such a presentation to take place on campus and what benets it offered to the students. It was traumatizing, it distracted me from my studies, and it made me want to leave. If this is the norm at the campus, I would like to be informed of such future events in advance so that I can avoid being subjected to such disturbing images.

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Facebook: Fun or fundamental in reconnecting?

he majority of the population either has, heard of, or knows someone who has a Facebook. However, a considerable percent of these people utilize this communication device with only those in their own immediate community. Many people do not take advantage of the fact that, thanks to Facebook, they are now able to connect with people all around the world. Only a limited amount of people, including Kattia Liebers, native of Costa Rica who now resides in Philadelphia, are able to say that they have reunited with those they thought were originally once lost forever. When her son, Jared Liebers, was 5 years old his father, Kattias ex-husband, ed the country with him to escape the custody battle over Jared.

An experience of separation like this is an age-old story known by many across the world, but the ability to reconnect with the loved ones they had lost is an advanced concept to many in older generations. Kattia heard nothing of her son, or his survival, until over a decade later when she received a message on Facebook asking Hi, is this Kattia Chacon Sanchez by any chance? After numerous exchanges she realized that this was, in fact, Jared, her long lost son. He recently moved to his mothers house in Philadelphia after he had been living in Israel with his father for the past 12 years. Facebook, of all things, made this reunion possible; something that merely a decade ago would have only been a dream. Modern technology, such as Facebook, has made, and will continue to make, reconnecting with familiar and new people all around the world much simpler than in the past. This newfound ability should be employed to the best of its ability to stay in touch with loved ones whether they be in your local community, another state, or halfway around the world. Email: [email protected]

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