Letters to the Editor

Community relations fault of both sides

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to the April 11 editorial regarding the Harrisonburg City Council elections. I have seen the issue of student/community relations from both sides, as a JMU student and as someone with ties to the community. It is true that JMU students do much for Harrisonburg. It also is true that many local residents unjustly view all JMU students negatively. Before condemning Harrisonburg for not doing more for JMU students, though, perhaps students should consider the role they have played in alienating people who have called the area home for generations rather than for 36 months. Many students treat Harrisonburg as a community that exists solely for their benefit because they shop.

This imperialist attitude is not new, but unfortunately it seems to have grown over the past decade. JMU students should understand that the "I shop at Valley Mall so this town's mine" attitude is a poor way to encourage harmonious relations with the local citizenry. Treating Harrisonburg natives as "townies" and "rednecks" who should genuflect to their great benefactors (as though Harrisonburg would cease to exist without them) is also unlikely to endear students to local citizens.

James Gillispie ('91)
alumni

Holocaust event promotions not meant to insult

To the Editor:

Six million people killed. Six million lives extinguished. Does that offend you? It should. Do you want to think about it? Maybe not. But the fact remains that it happened. Last week was Holocaust Awareness Week, and it was a time for understanding and learning about the horrible events that occurred during World War II. Hillel's objective in organizing the events for Holocaust Awareness Week was to open people's eyes to the horrors of the past in order to make better the future.

The flames on the commons certainly were not intended to be offensive. They simply were intended to grab attention, which they did.

The word Holocaust means "destruction by fire," so the flame would seem an appropriate symbol for associated events.

However, symbols carry different meanings for different people, and we sincerely apologize for any offense taken as a result of these promotions.

Evan Schwartz
sophomore, IDLS
Amelia Cohen
freshman, physics