Dear Editor:
Twenty-nine Rogoffs are listed on a piece of paper with notes about the day they were killed by the Nazis. This looks all too similar to a list made by Darfurian refugees documenting their families' murders. In 50 years their grandchildren will visit a memorial to their family killed in Darfur, just as I did for my family that perished in the Holocaust. After the Holocaust we proclaimed, "Never again." Now, as genocide takes place in Darfur, as hundreds of thousands of Darfurians have been killed, raped and chased from their homes, we must say, "Not this time."
In July 2004, the Holocaust Memorial Museum declared a genocide emergency in Darfur. In September, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell called the crisis in Darfur genocide. Yet not enough has been done to stop the violence, and the situation continues to worsen.
We watch genocide unfold, and only after the killing ends do we acknowledge our inaction. "If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different," said former Sen. Paul Simon after the failure to stop genocide in Rwanda.
College students across the country are calling one another to action for Darfur. After a meeting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum last fall, Georgetown students formed STAND (Students Take Action Now for Darfur), now a national coalition creating awareness and activism for Darfur.
Through letters, nationwide fasts and vigils, students are taking a stand against genocide. In February, the Committee on Conscience - which guides the Holocaust Museum's genocide-prevention efforts - held a National Student Conference, providing a venue for education about Darfur, networking and developing plans of action. Four hundred students from 90 schools across the country attended and made a commitment to effect change in Darfur.
Today at 3:00 p.m., thousands of college students will observe a minute of silence for the people of Darfur. More information about Darfur and how to get involved is available at www.committeeonconscience.org. In the recent movie "Hotel Rwanda," a journalist remarks that when America sees the images of the massacres, "They'll say 'Oh my God, that's horrible!' And then go on eating their dinners." We cannot allow genocide to take place on our watch. Take a stand and tell the world: "Not this time."
Lisa Rogoff University Outreach Coordinator Committee on Conscience U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Dear Editor:
For all of us who have been disappointed by the way the administration has handled the sports situation this past week, it was refreshing to see a department, and two administrators in particular, continuing to fight for and work with the students Tuesday night. Gail Hanson, Faith Leonard and the Office of Campus Life did what no other administrators would - deal with the student body face to face. While they are far from key actors in the situation, they were willing to come meet with the student body and have a respectful dialogue. For that they deserve the student body's and the administration's appreciation and respect.
Andrew Lewis Junior, SIS
