2008 Woodie Awards
Letter:UNM students possess powerful voice; use it
Issue date: 2/5/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Editor,
I arrived to school on Monday morning where I discovered that Sen. Kerry would be speaking in the Student Union Building. Then I learned I was assigned to take Kerry to the top floor on the elevator. Long story short, the elevator froze for what seemed like an eternity but was probably two or three minutes. So there I was, stuck in an elevator with Kerry and UNM President Louis Caldera.
So, here was my chance. The president of our university and the next likely president of the United States, forced to listen to me for a good three minutes. What would I say? Would I finally give Caldera a piece of my mind regarding the weapons research taking place on our campus? Would I tell Caldera that the majority of students do not support more and more ties to nuclear weapons labs that he is creating?
And would I ask Kerry why he voted for a war that has taken the lives of hundreds of Americans and thousands of innocent Iraqis? Could I find the courage to tell Kerry he was horribly mistaken when he voted for the Patriot Act?
Of course not. I'm a wimp. I just stood there.
But we can be silent no longer. I encourage everyone (myself included) to find your voice. We are living in dangerous times that require resolve and action. We are living in an era where we at UNM are feeling the effects of America's imperialistic attitude.
Tuition will rise, while UNM creates more weapons. Our friends will be shipped off to wars that are fought for corporate profits. The Peace Studies Department will collapse, while electrical engineering will continue to flourish with its new weapons technology.
So, if you are looking for a venue to challenge the status quo, if you want to stop the way our state, country and University are run, and if you want to build an alternative to this elitist corporate system, you have options. Get involved.
Check out the College Greens at www.unm.edu/~greens. We can make a difference, and we will find a voice to tell those in power how we feel. And we don't have to be stuck in an elevator to do it.
Trey Smith
College Green Co-chairman
I arrived to school on Monday morning where I discovered that Sen. Kerry would be speaking in the Student Union Building. Then I learned I was assigned to take Kerry to the top floor on the elevator. Long story short, the elevator froze for what seemed like an eternity but was probably two or three minutes. So there I was, stuck in an elevator with Kerry and UNM President Louis Caldera.
So, here was my chance. The president of our university and the next likely president of the United States, forced to listen to me for a good three minutes. What would I say? Would I finally give Caldera a piece of my mind regarding the weapons research taking place on our campus? Would I tell Caldera that the majority of students do not support more and more ties to nuclear weapons labs that he is creating?
And would I ask Kerry why he voted for a war that has taken the lives of hundreds of Americans and thousands of innocent Iraqis? Could I find the courage to tell Kerry he was horribly mistaken when he voted for the Patriot Act?
Of course not. I'm a wimp. I just stood there.
But we can be silent no longer. I encourage everyone (myself included) to find your voice. We are living in dangerous times that require resolve and action. We are living in an era where we at UNM are feeling the effects of America's imperialistic attitude.
Tuition will rise, while UNM creates more weapons. Our friends will be shipped off to wars that are fought for corporate profits. The Peace Studies Department will collapse, while electrical engineering will continue to flourish with its new weapons technology.
So, if you are looking for a venue to challenge the status quo, if you want to stop the way our state, country and University are run, and if you want to build an alternative to this elitist corporate system, you have options. Get involved.
Check out the College Greens at www.unm.edu/~greens. We can make a difference, and we will find a voice to tell those in power how we feel. And we don't have to be stuck in an elevator to do it.
Trey Smith
College Green Co-chairman
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