Dear Editor,

The graduation season will soon be upon us, and as has traditionally been the case, many of the editors of the Campus Times will be writing their final column, a sort of journalistic version of The Beatles’ “ In My Life.”

And though these will be the last words you’ll see from me in this publication, I too will be handed the obligatory faux diploma at this May’s commencement, rather than bore you with tales of my college exploits, I would rather focus on the future, not just my own, but that of the entire University.

I’ve noticed an alarming trend here at the university: the majority of my peers seem to be intellectually bankrupt.

On a weekly basis I encounter juniors and seniors who cannot successfully locate Israel or Iran. Upperclassmen that haven’t a clue as to the identity of Jean Jacque Rousseau or Freidrich Neitzche. Students who cannot name important political figures such as Karl Rove or John Roberts.

And what is truly alarming about this is that most of these students don’t even seem to want to learn, as is evidenced by class after class of unfinished reading assignments.

I would blame this void of intellectual curiosity among the students for the sorry state of many of my classes.

The University of La Verne faculty has been among the best I could hope for. They muscle through class after class of deadweight students to reach the few of us who really want to capitalize on this educational experience. And perhaps for some of our faculty, we few are the only thing that keeps them here.

Surely professors like Jonathan Reed, one of the foremost experts on biblical archeology in the country; Ian Lising, chair of the World Universities Debate Council; and the superb educators found in every department La Verne has to offer could find more engaging students elsewhere.

Access to professors of that caliber might keep students like me here, but such a gift is squandered on much of our student body.

So I am graduating with a load of students who seem to have figured out that the doctor who graduates at the bottom of his class still receives the title of doctor; and they’re fine with that.

But I am not.

There’s always talk at the end of the year about a senior gift to the school from the graduating class. But this senior wants a gift from school: Dr. Morgan, please raise our admission standards; I want my degree to mean something 10 years from now.

John Patrick
Senior

Dear Editor,

Ten years ago I would have agreed with everything in this editorial
(“ $82 million RED campaign rip off,” March 30), as a former Campus Times editor I’ve written many similar pieces.

However, now that I work in non-profit fundraising, I’ve realized the value of what Motorola, Gap and Apple have done for this campaign.

If you really look at it, they donated over $100 million of their money for the marketing of this campaign. Would you really know anything about the RED campaign if it weren’t for the flashy commercials and ads from celebrities about it?

While Time Magazine reported that the campaign has raised only $18 million in cash, these corporate donations make the money raised over $118 million. The donation of gifts of this kind is invaluable to non-profits.

While it would have been a nice philanthropic gesture if they had given $100 million in cash to campaign, they would have had to spend some or all of that $100 million cash gift on marketing anyway or they wouldn’t have received the publicity they did.

Large corporations like Gap, Inc. and Motorola have charitable giving foundations that donate millions of dollars to education, community, health care and environmental groups.

Why didn’t your editorial mention those gifts instead of making it seem like these companies were wasting money and ripping off the people this campaign helps.

Additionally, these campaigns bring more public attention and awareness to these problems than there was previously.

You quote Time Magazine as saying the campaign had raised only $18 Million; when did the campaign start? It takes time for any campaign of this kind to raise money and I think maybe you should be praising these companies for their support of this cause instead of criticizing the way they have decided to donate their resources and time.

Heather Morales
Class of 1998