Letters to the Editor

‘Nova’s Pro-Life Movement might be misleading

To the Editors,

Two recent articles in the Villanova Times implied only pro-life people should be invited to speak at Villanova. This position concerns and upsets me. Let me explain.

Many people, especially politicians, claim to be pro-life when in reality they are only anti-abortion. They do not consider all life sacred.

Each year, as I walk in the March for Life in Washington, I often come across some groups chanting such things like “kill the abortionists.” Perhaps Steve Woolford says it better in “A Publication of the Seamless Garment Network.” “I wandered the D.C. Capital for about 40 minutes before I found the Seamless Garment Network banner amidst the tens of thousands gathered for the March for Life. As I passed through the crowd, I noticed some puzzled looks responding to my sign: Please Respect All Life, the unborn, the children in Iraq, death-row inmates, families in Afghanistan. As I marched down the street, I passed a pro-life crowd calling “Execute the baby killers.” Does this sound like pro-life to you?

To me these same sentiments are also true of many politicians whom the Pro-Life Movement would have us support. Many of these same politicians consistently vote against pro-life issues. For example, they vote to increase the arms race, to extend the death penalty, to support the School of the Americas and to continue the embargo on Iraq. They also seem to consistently vote against such bills as food stamps for legal immigrants, increased funds to the WIC program, civil rights bills and other social welfare programs.

Recently there was an outcry by some on campus because Senator Mitchell spoke at the Peace Conference. Not only did some protest, but some students in the so-called pro-life group went so far as to make obscene and threatening phone calls to school secretaries. Again I ask “Does this sound pro-life to you?”

Who should have spoken at the Peace Conference, some so-called pro-life politician who votes consistently against pro-life issues including the Peace Movement?

Until the Pro-Life Movement changes its name to the Anti-Abortion Movement, or educates their followers to respect all life, do not insist that only so-called pro-life people speak on campus. Remember, abortion is not the only pro-life issue!

Bill PohlhausClass of 1961

University allows corporate America to objectify us

To the Editors:

I am writing this letter in regards to the prostitution that students on our campus engage in nearly every day. I am talking about promotions, ads and gimmicks that our University allows within the confines of our school, all in the name of profit.

Today, as I passed through the Quad, I noticed a large stand sponsored by a notable toothpaste company, offering students prizes merely for testing their product. What’s wrong with this, one may ask?

Students get free goods for valuable market research. To be honest, not much. However, it is merely one example of how corporate America continues to

objectify college students across the country. Credit card companies appear to be the biggest perpetrators of this crime. These promoters completely lack ethical responsibility when it comes to dealing with college students. My first day of school as a freshman, I recall one credit card company offering free T-shirts for applying for a card. Does this company ever stop to consider the implications of putting a $1,000 spending limit in the hands of an impulsive, financially irresponsible 18-year-old? Of course not!

To be fair, my beef is as much with the University and the students as it is with many of the companies that arrive on our

campus. Are we that desperate for a $5 cotton T-shirt that we will proudly brandish a corporate logo and turn ourselves into a walking billboard? And shame on the powers that be for allowing promoters to enter what should be the safe confines of our University.

Now, some may call me a hypocrite. “Kevin, you’re a business major. You should understand. Don’t you also trounce from class to class with that tiny little American Eagle logo on your shirt pocket?” To be fair, I do understand the importance of market research. However, a University, a place that prides itself on higher education,is not the place to do it. You want to find a bunch of college kids, go out to the bar. Stay off of my campus. Secondly, I too have been known to sport brand name clothing from time to time; however, I wear what I wear because I enjoy the product and I feel comfortable supporting the company. I plead for the students of our community to prove to themselves that they do have self-worth and are not merely the pawns of profit-oriented corporations. And as for University officials, shame on you! How can one claim to promote good values in your students, while allowing such degradation to befall them? We as a University are stronger than this. Let’s prove to the society that so often condemns us as apolitical, uninterested slackers, that we are not, in fact, sell-outs.

Kevin M. Haigh Class of 2002