Letters to the editor:

Posted on November 15, 2007

Against the spirit of safety at JMU

It seems to me that the handling of the mysterious Jackson Hall incident by the university has been contrary to the spirit of security policies put in place since the Virginia Tech shootings. I am not sure why we have not been told as much as can be told without compromising the investigation.

We were more than proud to quickly put in place a warning system with great fanfare regarding the tests of that system. I got an e-mail alert regarding an off-campus robbery a couple of days ago. But the university security and administration have nothing to say about an alleged group of men, possibly armed, found in a building on campus. This was weeks ago—plenty of time for the rumor mill to churn. If we are concerned about our image regarding campus security, this is a terrible misstep. Being the parent of a student and also a faculty adjunct, I would feel much more secure with a timely and responsible notification of the JMU community about the facts of this matter.

Perry Neel
adjunct instructor, philosophy & religion

There is more to a hero

When did the word “hero” become so narrowly defined that it no longer includes people who are remembered for their achievements and qualities? The definition of the word explains that a hero is one who we admire for his or her qualities. So, why then, is Matthew Shepard, who had the courage to admit his socially-unacceptable secret, not worthy of our admiration? Did Rachel Scott, who professed her faith in the face of death, “simply pass away”? When did dying for something you believe in become anything less than heroic?

Forgive me for not understanding why their positive actions should be forgotten or publicly degraded. We may not owe them reverence, but how about a little respect? Bravery and honesty should be qualities worth admiring in other human beings. And what about the mother who comes home from a weekend of radiation treatment to get rid of cancer, and despite feeling sick, scared and tired, she makes dinner for her family? Is the mother who manages to stay positive in the face of an uncertain illness a hero? Without a doubt, yes—at least, she is to her daughter.

Kate Miller
senior, SMAD

Some celebrate the “insignificant” everyday

Peter Weems’ article “Celebrating the Insignificant” is by far the most outlandish and offensive editorial that I have come across in my four years as a student at JMU. Not only is it false in nature, but it is obvious his lack of ability to identify with any of the subjects written therein. 

Until you have stood beside a cancer victim in the midst of chemotherapy, losing all of her hair, dignity and sense of beauty; until you have held a weeping friend who feels as though she can never be intimate or friendly with a man again because of sexual assault; you will never know the fortitude, the courage, the resilience that they have proven. Celebrating them in their determination to live and function as normal is not near enough what they deserve for that which they have undergone.

Though I may not know each and every victim of disease and violence, I will continue to purchase that bracelet or bumper sticker, because I know that as equally as my one voice is heard amongst millions of Americans, so does my $1 in the effort to make our world a better place.

Chelsea A. Gurney
modern foreign languages