Your Voice | Letters

Together, we can make a difference

To the Editor:

Is it possible for Penn to be red, blue and . green? It certainly is, and contrary to the argument of Jenny Zhan's column ("To hell with saving the world; it's a waste of time," 11/02/07), our personal choices do in fact impact the state of our environment.

This weekend the Penn Environmental Group is launching a landmark off-campus recycling initiative. On Sunday, Nov. 11, we will be distributing recycling bins to all of the houses between Sansom and Baltimore, from 38th to 42nd Street. This campaign represents a tremendous step in increasing the environmental consciousness of Penn and is a perfect example of how your individual actions can make a difference in promoting the health of our planet.

Harass your roommates when they don't recycle. As individuals it is easy to become overwhelmed by the world's environmental problems and feel powerless to overcome them. But our individual actions do add up. Let's work together to reduce our collective footprint on the planet.

Eve Richer College senior

The value of DuBois College House

To the Editor:

Initially, I grappled with writing this response because to an extent merely responding gives such an article credibility. However, I felt that the remarks made in Meredith Aska McBride's column on Wednesday ("A DuBois College House for the 21st Century," 11/07/07) were far too offensive to not address.

In an ideal world, I would not have to justify the value of having programming that is reflective of my history and culture. I wouldn't have to justify the utility of having a place on campus that functions not as my "safe space," but as a resource.

But, as Wednesday's column pointed out, this is not the world we live in.

I question why the existence of DuBois in particular is such a point of contention. Aska McBride cited that what differentiates DuBois from other places on campus is its "disproportionate amount of black students."

Applying similar logic, wouldn't the Quad, Hill, high rises, and frankly almost every College House in this University be deemed homogeneous with a "disproportionate amount of one race," thus making "all other dorms less diverse as a result"?

So why is DuBois specifically cited? I still don't quite understand the reason, especially given the fact that the programming in DuBois is not intended to solely "appeal" to black people but rather to educate all students about different facets of black culture. It is not designed to exclude, but rather include people interested in such topics. Further, a broad spectrum of students (international, Asian, White, Hispanic, etc.) reside in DuBois, making it arguably one of the most diverse college houses on campus.

Aska McBride also stated that "the responsibility for ending racism [shouldn't] rest with those who are primarily on its receiving end." However, if she truly believes this, I challenge her to be more proactive in her quest for deeper cultural understanding by questioning her own beliefs and immersing herself in these environments, rather than merely critiquing from a safe distance; the fact that the "overwhelmingly black focus" of DuBois makes Aska McBride feel uneasy is probably a good place to start. Real change must come from within.

Chi-Chi Achebe College sophomore

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