WEB EXCLUSIVE: Letter to the Editor 5, 10/9/08

Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the misleading and irresponsible column, ‘STAND… Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the misleading and irresponsible column, ‘STAND missing the full issue,’ by Giles Howard. As a longtime member and current vice president of STAND, I take issue with Howard’s assertion that our campaign is founded only on ‘naivete and baseless optimism.’ STAND, an organization whose correct name is STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and no longer Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, is the student division of the Genocide Intervention Network. If Howard had researched our organizations before writing his piece, he would have learned that one of the driving factors behind GI Net’s strategy is an assessment of why America and the International Community have continuously failed to respond to genocide ‘mdash; not only in Darfur but throughout the world as well. This approach thus seeks to foster the political will amongst the global community to oppose such atrocities when they occur, as well as the permanency of such a will to oppose them in the future. Similarly, an emphasis is placed on the creation of civilian protection programs to aid those caught in such conflicts. Through education, advocacy and fundraising, STAND aids in the efforts on a student level so that people understand not simply that there is a genocide going on, but that it has the devastating humanitarian effects that this mass murder entails. Advocacy seeks to give students the tools they need to create effective change. Similarly, our fundraising efforts go directly to Civilian Protection, giving food, water and protection to refugees and internally displaced victims of the Dafurian genocide. When interviewing STAND for his piece, Howard exhibited a lack of thoroughness, which has inevitably led him to false conclusions about both the Tents of Hope campaign and the group as a whole. Howard interviewed only one member of STAND for his piece without using a tape recorder or taking sufficient notes. Hence, he was unaware that Tents of Hope was a symbol of solidarity with the people of Darfur that will be taken to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 as part of a week of anti-genocide activism, fundraising and leadership training. It is not merely an art project taken on by idealistic college students. This Tent, and the organization it represents, is merely one part of a complex campaign to end genocide and strengthen the political will of the international community. My colleagues and I are well aware that there are other evils in this world. We are, by no means, supportive of injustices committed by any group, including our own government. However, as Howard fails to realize, it would be imprudent of us to try and take on every issue under the banner of a single campaign. In America, the best way to create change in our government is through elections. As we all know, one of the most important elections of our time is fast approaching, and the campus has been swarmed with such activity. The College Democrats and the College Republicans do a wonderful job with the issues of American politics and policy. STAND is neither the Democrats nor the Republicans; we stick to our own particular agenda in order to maximize our effectiveness on these particular issues. STAND and GI NET are relatively young organizations, founded in 2004. Since then we have gradually been broadening our focus to include the genocide in Burma, as well. Both organizations are working on compiling teams of specialists to look into and formulate action plans for other conflict areas. This process takes manpower, funding, and most of all, time. Ann-Elizabeth Young Vice President of STAND University of Pittsburgh