As someone who strongly believes in the importance of student discussion, I would like to point out a few things that tend to get ignored.
We are on a college campus. There are different opinions. People respond differently to everything. While it is beneficial to point out relevant issues, it is not beneficial to berate the individual people who decide to write in about these issues. A well-outlined and intelligent argument is far more convincing then is a "Joe is wrong because I firmly believe Joe is wrong" type response.
For the conservatives out there, consider the opportunity to learn about things such as The Vagina Monologues, pro-choice groups and religious criticism - your opportunity to effectively arm yourself for life after college in the real world. You don't have to accept things you don't believe in, but understanding them will make you more effective in combating them.
For the liberals out there, don't consider every conservative statement an attack on our liberty. You have an important job - opening up this campus to new and possibly groundbreaking discussion on gender, politics and religion. Don't ruin your role by spending your time conservative bashing.
We work on a system of checks and balances. Despite personal abhorrence for one side of the argument or the other, each side would cease to exist if the other did.
Just remember that what will make some people laugh will inevitably make others annoyed. Some like yellow, some like green. Some are Democrats, some are Republicans. Whatever you do you will inevitably annoy someone. We're not working for unanimity, but we are looking for common ground. Try to foster our similarities rather than ignore them and discuss our differences rather than having shouting matches across a wall.
Laura MillersophomoreMcGlinn HallNov.9
