Letter to the Editor 2, 10/24/08

Dear Editor, ‘ ‘ ‘ Wednesday’s Pitt News reported that the Student Government Board agreed to… Dear Editor, ‘ ‘ ‘ Wednesday’s Pitt News reported that the Student Government Board agreed to provide funding to bring Jesse Lee Peterson to Pitt. SGB made a decision to bring Peterson, a Fox News political pundit, to Pitt at the request of the College Republicans but refused to bring CNN political pundit Donna Brazile, whom the College Democrats requested. What is this campus supposed to think about its Student Government Board when it supports getting Republican political hacks on campus but refuses to support Democrats? Even more appalling is the decision to bring Peterson, an individual who said in 2005 that ‘if whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ SGB told the College Democrats that their request wasn’t properly put together and went out of their way to explain that Donna Brazile was not a good enough speaker for Pitt, arguing that Brazile couldn’t draw a crowd. Apparently SGB believes that Peterson, unlike Brazile, can draw a crowd. SGB has done a disservice to the University’s reputation. This is yet another example of the SGB’s failure to represent the students at Pitt. These outrages aren’t going to stop unless students get mad and start talking. Writing letters to The Pitt News isn’t enough ‘mdash; I’m asking students to write to SGB in order to start making it hear our voices. Andrew Sabo College of General Studies