Staff editorial's argument flawed
I have some concerns about your staff editorial, "A sick system." Your argument for requiring students to purchase health insurance is that without the requirement, few would do it.
By that logic, we should require all members of the Class of 2011 to wear beanies - complete with propellers - since I, for one, have never seen anyone at AU do that voluntarily, either. The issue here is whether health insurance is good for each student and whether that good outweighs the importance of free choice.
It should be noted that elsewhere in D.C. (and 49 of our 50 states), few if any people are required to have health insurance. And you've got a rough row to hoe here. As you yourselves have pointed out, for many students it's either pay for health insurance or pay the rent and tuition on time. Can you show us that it's so important for every student to have health insurance that some should pay serious late fees and even risk eviction and/or deregistration as a result?
Flu outbreaks in dorms are a serious problem. But since flu is a viral illness, all we can do once flu hits is treat the symptoms. On the other hand, any student who wants to make sure he or she doesn't get the flu can get shots on his or her own. At most, we can require that every student get them like we require other shots. I do not see how health insurance helps here.
I am certainly open to arguments as to why it should be a condition of enrollment that every student have health insurance from somewhere. However, I have yet to see any in The Eagle.
Jeffrey Deutsch Class of 1988 School of Public Affairs
Sports coverage leaves something to be desired
Let's be frank - AU is not exactly a school overflowing with pride and spirit. Many people - and don't pretend you aren't one of them - point to no real unifying sport or team.
And can you blame them? For all of our recent educational lives, we've unified behind a common cause. Athletic programs in high school helped foster spirit, pride and inspiration, so why don't they here at AU?
The AU men's basketball team scored a huge victory on Sunday against Colgate. Down at the half for only the fourth time all season, the men came thundering back against Colgate's home-court advantage to take the game, 68-60. The game helped solidify AU's position atop the Patriot League for the first time in four years.
So, what is our deficiency? We have a winning team (16-10 overall), and yet the stands are empty. And this student-run newspaper's coverage was embarrassing - placing the Colgate game on page seven, between a video game review and the classifieds.
We blame everything for the lack of spirit here - AU Athletics, The Eagle, the SG, the constant losses and the lack of time. But that blame is largely misplaced. When one really looks for the culprit, you need look no further than yourself.
Make no mistake: To those fans who do attend our games, to our student athletes, this criticism is not directed at you. Your dedication and support is admirable, and others should follow your lead. But to the spiritless majority, I implore you: The next time, instead of complaining about the lack of school spirit at AU, head down to Bender Arena on game day. Take a look at the players giving it their all, take a look at President Kerwin in his usual seat, take a look at the devoted few who have dressed up and painted their faces. And then take a seat. Or better yet, stand. Because we're building an athletic legacy and school spirit that we can really be proud of.
Our men are headed to the Patriot League Championship game this year. They just may get to March Madness. And maybe they'll go down in the first round. Or, just maybe, they'll be the dark horse, the big surprise this year. But if they aren't, at least they'll end the season to a sell-out crowd of AU Eagles - all on their feet, giving our team the recognition, support and respect they deserve for what has already been one hell of a season. The next AU basketball game is Saturday at 2 p.m. versus the Lafayette Leopards.
Carl Seip Junior, School of Public Affairs
Students can engage 'global powerhouse'
Throughout U.S. history, and today all over the country, students are active every day, creatively seeking change in their schools and communities. At AU, student activism has a proud history of committed groups of young people working for social justice.
Activism around university investments has been an effective tool used by student activists for decades. In the 1980s, students staged sit-ins and rallies to demand that universities end investments with companies that funded South Africa's apartheid regime. Divestment was a key factor leading to the fall of apartheid, and AU was one of many universities that divested. More recently, divestment has been used in campaigns against the military regime in Burma, genocide in Darfur and human rights abuses at Coca-Cola plants. AU has been involved in all of these campaigns.
When students make demands involving university contracts and endowments, companies listen and respond.
But there are more constructive ways to engage a company than refusing its business. AU is a major investor. Its endowment is currently at $400 million. As a shareholder, AU has an opportunity to influence the policies of the companies in which it invests. For example, there is a shareholder resolution on which AU can vote that demands that Coca-Cola create a human rights board to investigate serious allegations of abuses at Coke plants.
This is one opportunity for AU to positively engage a global economic powerhouse. Currently, students and faculty lack a voice in issues of AU's investments. AU will not share information about its endowment with the campus community. This is why the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition and concerned faculty are advocating for the creation of a Corporate Responsibility Board. This board would be made up of faculty and students and would be a permanent body that would hear concerns brought by the AU community and make recommendations to the administration about responsible investment practices.
Currently, several other universities around the country, including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College and Williams College have set up similar bodies. Paying attention to how our endowment is invested is one of the best opportunities the AU community has to live out its mission of "ideas into action, action into service." To learn more about responsible investing, student activism and Coke, attend a panel discussion with professor Leslie Gill and United Students Against Sweatshops on Monday at 8 p.m. in the basement of the Kay Spiritual Life Center.
Casey McNeill Senior, School of International Service College of Arts and Sciences
