Letters & Submissions
To the Editor:
I was outraged by the comments made in the "Hidden
Racism Exists Within the Student Body" article regarding
the belief that non-white members are merely tokens. As a
non-white sorority member, I would strongly disagree that
non-white members are not made to feel welcomed and
especially that they are tokens. I think the writer should
have taken more time to interview, or at least talk to more
then one person regarding this issue before making such
general sweeping statements.
If you have not gone through the recruitment process, which
I doubt he has, and if you don't interview people who may
conflict with your ideas, which it doesn't appear he has
done, then you should not be allowed to write about things
you know nothing about. My sisters have created a wonderful
environment for me and all of the other girls in my pledge
class, regardless of their race, instead of seeing me as
non-white they see me as a person. Maybe non-whites don't
rush white sororities because they don't want to; not
because they aren't being encouraged to. Maybe they
don't rush because they have mothers, fathers,
grandfathers, etc. who were members of historically black
fraternities and sororities. Did the author ever consider the
fact that Elon is predominately white to begin with? This
could explain why there aren't that many non-whites in
white sororities. These and other questions are left
unanswered after reading the article. I feel in the future,
there should be more research done before an article is
printed in The Pendulum.
-Raechel Hester, Class of 2006
To the Editor:
I read the article in this past Thursday's edition of
The Pendulum. I had an experience with a Town of Elon cop
also who was rude and unruly. On Thursday night I was pulled
over in front of McMichael for a stop sign violation. The
officer said that I did not stop at the stop sign on Lebanon
and Antioch. However, all of the passengers in my car were
astonished to see what the ticket was for. The officer asked
for my license, registration and what not. I complied with
his request, however, he asked where we had been coming from,
a question that didn't really matter. I mean come on, it
was a Thursday night. I answered his question with the
correct answer, Cantina. The officer then proceeded to be
rude and asked if I had been drinking. He didn't card
anyone else in the car, he specifically asked me. Under
normal circumstances I would have complied but the officer
was rude when I told him that I had not been drinking, I was
under 21 and that I do not drink. He proceeded to give me a
ticket for failure to yield at a duly erected stop sign. I
asked when he returned with the ticket where the district
court was and where the district attorney's office was.
He answered Graham. I didn't push the issue any more
because his rude attitude was getting to me. I was just
amazed that he actually gave me a ticket. The weird part
about it is that he was sitting in his police car right
beside the arch by the Honor's Pavillion and couldn't
see if I had stopped or not because of the wall that blocks
the view of the stop sign.
– Zachary Pope, Class of 2007
To the Editor:
I'm writing in response to Jason Pressberg's study
abroad critique of Greek racism. I know who his tour guide
was, and interestingly enough, dated an Albanian last year
when I went on that same trip. 90 percent of the people
living in Greece are not Greek; those are the number of legal
residents there. If you remember the parking situation, most
of the cars that take up majority of the streets are not due
to people who live down the street, but people who have
driven into the country to work in the area. I know the story
from both sides, and the Albanians want as much as the Greeks
to go home, but not before they've made money for their
family first. Kostantinos told me last year that it is like
the Hispanic population in America. Some Greeks embrace the
idea, being indifferent because they are wealthy enough that
this large population does not affect their paychecks. The
issue in bigger cities like Athens and Thessaloniki are that
there just isn't any room, and most of the merchants and
restaurants that families have depended on for centuries are
being competed with an influx in Albanian illegal residents.
It is not hatred; there just is no proper vehicle that people
take, so between Greece and Italy, these immigrants learn as
many languages as they can, leaving home at 18 and taking
moderate jobs to take money back to the family. There is
nothing fair about either situation, so why is it that you
criticize the Greeks when both parties have a right to be on
edge. At least, this is my understanding from my Albanian
boyfriend.
The truth is, Miltos (Dashemire) doesn't want to be in
Greece any more than the Greeks. Albania is very beautiful,
despite the idea in most people's minds. They have
crystal lakes, ruins that are just as marvelous, and are some
of the most open and honest people. I think Greek people feel
violated but in no way do they HATE Albanians. The only joke
I remember hearing when I was in Greece is that the Olympic
stadiums were being built with foreigner's hands, which
isn't totally untrue. If you knew Greek people enough,
you'd know they make fun of everything. They are loud and
stubborn, and it's no doubt I have those qualities as a
Greek American. Please don't misjudge an entire culture
that, after the Turks left, has been desperately rebuilding,
had most of their treasures stolen by the British and have
preserved enough respect for you to have taken a trip abroad
when the only person I think the Greeks really can't
stand is Bush, which you can read from all the graffiti on
the walls of the streets. How can you use the word HATE, when
you can't even speak Greek? You talked with one person
and noticed who worked in the kitchen and who worked at the
front counter and assumed they despise people because of the
way the country is run? Have you heard of them being
deported? The Greeks are a hell of a lot more tolerant than
the United States, so does that mean you are a hateful person
for living in this country? Maybe I read wrong, but I
don't think you know from three weeks of being there,
what a country is like. If you'd been on a semester
abroad, maybe I'd believe you were more of an authority.
– Angela Ragouzeos, Class of 2005
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