Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

It both shocks and appalls me that Mr. Gomez would, in the Nov. 14 issue of the Campus Times [“Letters to the Editor”], lay the blame for campus misspelling and illiteracy at the foot of the English Department. Does Mr. Gomez not realize that individuals are ultimately responsible for their own actions? Would Mr. Gomez wish to blame the psychology department for personality disorders or the art department for a student's lack of creativity? My point was merely that individuals are responsible for and should be held accountable for their own actions. My point was merely that public demonstration of illiteracy on the campus of the University of La Verne is something that should be commented on and condemned. I should like to believe that neither SAE nor Mr. Gomez would advocate public illiteracy. I should like to believe that there are certain minimum standards of grammar and literacy to which everyone on this campus might adhere. I should like to believe that Mr. Gomez, who appears to be a graduate of this university, holds himself to a higher standard than he apparently does.  I hope I do not hope in vain.

David R. Werner
Chair, Department of English

Dear Editor,

I attended the NCAA Division III volleyball playoffs at your university. While I was there, I picked up a copy of the Nov. 7 edition of your Campus Times. I enjoyed reading the Campus Times, but two articles caught my eye. The two articles were: “Cockburn derides failure of media” by Bailey Porter, and “False letters lead to doubt” in the opinion section.

The reason the articles caught my eye was how correctly one article proved the other. Alexander Cockburn’s description of how “the public should get the news from multiple sources and question what the media supplies as news.” He also was reported to have said, “ The media needs to be held accountable for the content of their publications and broadcasts.”

This brings up the second article “False letters lead to doubt.” Although I completely agree that the colonel in the military used very poor judgment in writing letters for his troops. His misguided effort to tell the other side of the media stories that were being presented was wrong, and the military may have in some cases used the soldier’s names without their consent, which was also wrong, and this was correctly addressed in the media. Your Campus Times used spin to change the truth and stated “Names of soldiers were signed without their consent or knowledge.” This spin was there to leave the impression that all the soldier’s names were used without their knowledge.

I do not know your source of your information, but mine was from some ground troops in Iraq. My source stated to their knowledge any of the soldier’s names used with out their permission was a SNAFU, and there was not a plan to mislead anyone. FYI: the composer of the letter is also in serious trouble. Your Campus Times article makes Mr. Cockburn’s points very well and this Campus Times article is proof of that. Your Campus Times “is media,” and being a media source has a responsibility to not “spin” the truth. Hang in there and sort fact from spin. Be fair and remember there are always two sides to every story. As a media use both sides and be factual. Your Campus Times will be better as a result.

R. Patterson
Thousand Oaks