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Editor:
We are writing in response to Jeff McCuen's letter ("'Minorities' should just stop whining," Sept. 11) regarding minority issues on campus. We would like to inform Mr. McCuen of some resources he may not have been aware of at the time he wrote his letter. All of the following are openly available to Mr. McCuen: University Learning Center services, the Fall Transition Program, PEER, the First-Year Student Center at Bear Down Gym, the Writing Center, the Greek system, ASUA or anything not explicitly stating its purpose as "minority" support.
If he is a first-generation college student and/or is receiving need-based financial aid, he is even eligible for programs offered at Minority Student Services regardless of his ethnicity. We encourage him to keep an open mind while he is here at the univ ersity, since it's obvious he has a great deal to learn.
We would like to pose the following question: Is the act of voicing concern inherently considered whining? And if so, is he not whining?
Also we would like to inform Mr. McCuen that there is no such thing as "reverse racism;" the term itself implies difference and reveals his racist attitudes.
If Mr. McCuen feels like his community of Scots is failing him by not providing heritage groups and/or scholarships, then he should appeal to them as we appeal to ours. Does Mr. McCuen believe that the existing services for "minorities" were already here when the university was established? We certainly hope not, as many of these services were created due to student activism. Mr. McCuen complains of not having a Scottish resource center on campus. If he finds this problematic, why does he not get involved and begin to establish such a center.
Finally as a citizen of the United States, one assumes a responsibility to face our history. Each of us as individuals are responsible for addressing the racist legacy of our country. This is precisely what these, or what Mr. McCuen chooses to call our "m any more rights and opportunities," are aimed at correcting.
Also, if he had a sense of his own history, even if scarcely by watching that wretched Mel Gibson film "Braveheart," he might have the inclination to empathize with his fellow victims of European empiricism. We hope that Mr. McCuen and those who are engag ed in his perspective take the time to appreciate those perspectives held by others. We challenge him not to fall into the practice of using simple prejudices to explain the wonders of history and of life as a whole.
Sonny La Motte, psychology senior
Arezu Kazemi, psychology senior
Eulalia Gonzales, family studies junior
Carlos Chacon, exercise and sports sciences senior
Christian Munoz, accounting and finance junior
Dawn Dineyazhe, special education and rehabilitation senior
Chris Chavez, mathematics senior
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