Emergency spring break housing needed

My roommate and I are both sophomores living in a North Campus dorm. Knowing that we needed to be out of our building by a certain time on the Friday leading into spring break, we booked our flight far in advance, allowing ample time to leave the building before the deadline.

After all this planning, it was a blow to find out mere hours before our flight was due to take off that it had been canceled because of inclement weather, as were most other flights to areas in the Northeast. We both managed to book spots on the next available flight to Long Island, a 4 p.m. flight the next day. Yet we found ourselves with another problem: We needed somewhere to spend the night.

Our resident assistant told us we still needed to be out of the building by 7 p.m., and a sign on the door of the dorm told us our options were to go to the Stamp Student Union, which would be open until 10 p.m., go to the Eppley Recreation Center, which would be open until 9 p.m., find a friend on South Campus or in South Campus Commons or stay at a hotel. Luckily, we have friends who live on South Campus who offered us a place for the night, but, had we not been able to find anyone, we would have been left virtually stranded in College Park.

I understand that the school has limited options at this point. If dorms need to be shut down, it’s not realistic for students to demand to be allowed to stay there. However, there ought to be a more solid backup plan for students who are not lucky enough to have friends they can call on South Campus.Perhaps the Student Union could stay open all night for students who have nowhere else to go, or the lounges in dorms on South Campus could be available for students to stay overnight. Even something such as setting up a system where students on South Campus could offer to “host” students for a night could be incredibly helpful. I know there are many logistical difficulties to work around, but I feel confident the university could come up with a better backup plan than “find someone or stay in a hotel.”

Jenna SchultzSophomoreSpecial education

Doug Duncan’s appointment a victory for university

I was pleased to read yesterday’s staff editorial praising the selection of Doug Duncan as vice president of administrative affairs. Duncan’s impressive record as county executive reveals a man of dedication, effectiveness and absolute commitment to education – a perfect fit for the university.

On Duncan’s watch, Montgomery County saw the creation of nearly 90,000 new jobs, the reversal of urban blight in downtown Silver Spring and the formation of “DNA Alley” (the Interstate 270 corridor has been dubbed this by Time Magazine because its leading role in biotechnology research). Most relevantly, Duncan increased overall education funding by 95 percent, fostering some of the best public schools in the nation.

This success is a testament not only to Duncan’s leadership ability, but also to his proven tenacity when it comes to getting a job done. As The Diamondback pointed out, he has already drawn praise from the company likely to play a major role in developing East Campus – a company with which Duncan has a long standing relationship – for his determination.

With a background like this, Duncan has the ability to help affect major changes on the campus and take College Park to the next level. We are lucky to have snagged such a qualified and distinguished leader. It’s about time someone “thought bigger” about College Park.

Melanie ShareSeniorGovernment and politics

Self-righteous protesting

This is in response to Hicham Yaktin’s letter “Why we protest” in Friday’s issue of The Diamondback. You’ve got some good points. We are inexorably mired in a war, and no end is in sight. Thousands of people have died, and any death is a tragedy. These are indeed problems that need solutions.

But you lose me when you claim to have the answer. You act as if withdrawing the troops is the magical cure-all that will solve the world’s problems. Sorry, but Iraq wasn’t some fairy tale land of happiness before America showed up. And it won’t be a fairy tale land when we leave.

I’m not saying I support the war. Honestly, I don’t know or care enough to have an opinion. But I do know that the answer isn’t clear-cut. Don’t get so bent on protesting and “making a difference” that you care more about getting the “win” than staying in touch with the reality of the situation.

And my ears are deaf to your self-righteous attempts to motivate people like me to join in protesting. Every American troop over there voluntarily joined the military knowing he or she could end up in Iraq. So if they feel strongly enough to risk their lives for the cause, more power to them. It’s not even in the same ballpark as a draft, so your comparisons to Vietnam are useless.

I have no qualms staying safe over here (or as safe as one can be in College Park). If I really wanted to do something good, I’d join the Peace Corps and go help the people in Africa. As it is, I’m way too busy trying to decide if “selflessness” even exists to undertake any action that doesn’t directly benefit me. Protest all you want. I’ll be drinking or having sex.

Sean ColemanJuniorMarketing

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