Letters to the editor

ODK president clarifies Homecoming situation

Due to the recent emergence of… ODK president clarifies Homecoming situation

Due to the recent emergence of speculations regarding the “cancellation” of Homecoming king and queen elections, I feel that it is my responsibility to clarify any confusion that may have arisen. In the articles regarding ODK’s stance on Homecoming (September 18, 2002), The Pitt News misrepresented the current situation regarding the status of this contest on our campus.

ODK is a leadership honorary that focuses on recognizing campus leaders and uniting those students under one organization, so that the members may collectively work toward promoting leadership in all phases of campus life.

The ODK adviser, Joyce Giangarlo, and myself see this year as being a huge turning point for ODK. Pitt students can expect to witness new ODK-sponsored events that will promote the development and recognition of student leaders.

At the request of my adviser, I began to research Homecoming king and queen events at other schools of comparable size and makeup to Pitt to determine (1) the status of Homecoming king and queen elections, (2) the criteria for selecting Homecoming royalty and (3) the organization responsible for the execution of this event.

Researching an issue does not elicit change. Never, at any point, have I said that the event of electing a Homecoming king and queen would be canceled. Several options are available that will allow this occasion to remain as one of Pitt’s annual campus events.

Colleen Lamb

Omicron Delta Kappa President

CBA/CAS Senior

Going to war not simple

In his article, Will Minton feels the entire world revolves around America and the world should be thankful that America is around to bring “enlightened” opinions.

Being a “super power” in this world brings on many responsibilities. It’s not as simple as attacking when we don’t like something or some other country. We cannot just declare war on everyone who doesn’t agree or comply with us. We need to be able to make educated decisions with our military strength and foreign policy.

Another wrong point in his article is when he states, “Yes, we just fought a war in Afghanistan…” When did this war end? I think this is one of the main points for our government right now. Would we be spreading our troops too thin in trying to fight more than one war at a time? Is it necessary to fight two wars at one time?

He also has the courage to say that people will die in war but that doesn’t matter. If it is this simple, Minton, why not join the army and back up your words? Put your life on the line for this simple issue. Go to war and then tell us, including the ROTC population at Pitt, how simple this issue really is. How simple it is to just declare war and send troops over to die.

Minton has absolutely no facts to back up any of his comments and therefore comes across an ignorant American, who thinks war is the solution to all foreign policy problems.

Tracy Tymoczko

CAS/CBA dual major