A call for unity

I am expressing my sincere condolences for the victims of the tragedy in Mumbai, India. In 1956, I was the vice president of the International Club at the university. In those days, we had members of all nationalities in the largest independent club on the campus. In those days, there were not separate clubs, one for Indian students and another for Pakistani students. I understand that the International Club no longer exists, and instead there are clubs that are divided and separated from one another by their countries of origin. I deplore this move away from what used to be. In the International Club, we were able to have differences of opinion, but we all got along well socially – some even met their future spouses there.

Fred A. KahnUniversity AlumnuSClass of 1960Former Diamondback Columnist

A unified SGA

Michael Lemaire’s Dec. 4 article, “SGA rejects changes to VP elections,” completely misrepresented the leadership relationships that exist in the Student Government Association and inaccurately conveyed my opinion as an independently elected executive. I did not feel that the amendment was “directed at [me].” It was well-intentioned, and as Jonathan Sachs and Andrew Steinberg said, it aimed to give “every SGA a chance to maximize their year.”

I am very upset that this article suggested a great deal of miscommunication within the SGA and that it resurrected past parties with which we no longer associate ourselves. As the leaders within SGA have asserted many times, elections are far in the past and have had no effect on relationships within the organization. In the article, I said that “real leaders work together around a common goal despite different ideologies. If you are good leader, then you can work with anyone.” Sachs’ account of the SGA’s success this semester in the State of the SGA address Wednesday night is a testament to that statement. Sachs, Jason Hofberg, Sterling Grimes and I, along with other leaders in the organization, are on the same page and have worked collaboratively on many initiatives – and that will not change.

Joanna Calabrese Senior Vice PresidentStudent Government Association

Housing selection process

I support the push by the Residence Hall Association to institute a new housing selection process. The current system of room assignment involves hundreds of freshmen and sophomores running around the ballrooms in the Stamp Student Union, trying to arrange a group selection. The process is totally disorganized and confusing to those underclassmen who are less experienced with the process. Exploitation of the system is commonplace, as large groups form the day of the housing meeting in hope of flipping the odds in their favor. Simply walking around the Student Union asking potential roommates alone or in a pair if they have a low enough priority number is all it takes to ensure that you and your group of six or seven can get housing regardless of your own assigned number. The chaos of lowerclassmen trying to escape the tortures of the high-rises also means that line-cutting or lying to the organizers is also common. By the end of the whole mess, many students leave unsatisfied with their assignments, feeling cheated out of their dream South Hill suite or apartment despite their seemingly low priority number. If the priority number system is to remain, these loopholes and dishonest practices need to be stopped. Hopefully, an online system will not only make the process much less stressful, but it will also ensure that room selection is much more fair.

Mark Glaros SophomoreLetters and sciences