letters to the editor

Sissy in poor taste

To the Editor:

In a letter to the editor last week, the author argued that the word sissy is unrelated to homophobia by giving a dictionary definition. Psycholinguists have found that word usage is much more relevant than that. I am a gay man. I have been called a sissy and faggot several times in my life. The circumstances for each epithet were quite similar. Both words are used against men seen to be unmasculine and both words are used against men thought to be homosexual. The usages of both epithets are related. I agree with a student's right to write such a thing on the sidewalk, but I think it was in poor taste. And I did feel hurt when I saw students encouraged to vote for a candidate because he was not a sissy. I know how the word is used and whom it is so often used against.

Edward Schaefer

Professor of mathematics and

computer science

The true liberalism

To the Editor:

When I first read David Wonpu's article, "Are you a liberal or a so-called liberal?" I thought it was satire. It just had to be a joke, right? To my dismay, I realized Wonpu was entirely serious.

Liberalism as a political philosophy has nothing to do with being "agents of change seeking to educate a perpetually ignorant world." What liberalism is can best be explained by examining its Latin root: liber, which means to be free. Therefore, liberalism is a political philosophy that emphasizes individual rights. Political values such as these should be widely accepted by members of both the left and the right because the United States is, after all, a liberal democracy. The distinction between liberals and conservatives in the United States, therefore, is not one of liberals and non-liberals but rather one of degree. On the left there are welfare liberals who advocate increased governmental action to improve peoples lives, and on the right there are classical liberals who believe government's duty is merely to ensure property rights and a national defense.

Since Wonpu clearly knows nothing about what liberalism actually is, his article can be dismissed as self-righteous ramblings of someone who has never reflected on political theory.

James Tait

Classics and political science '08

Club volleyball should continue

To the Editor:

I hope the article, "Teams feel slighted by club sport switch," helps with recognition and campus awareness. If the Santa Clara Athletics Department is correct with its interpretation of NCAA rules, there are hundreds of women's club volleyball programs across the nation that are not in compliance. While it is true that not all programs are "housed" in the athletics department, many of these clubs work in concert with one another.

Santa Clara women's club volleyball is a top tier club program and the NIRSA national tournament in April will have a glaring absence if this interpretation continues to be applied. Women's club volleyball has always operated with purpose, organization, integrity and a high level of competitiveness. They deserve the opportunity to continue to represent Santa Clara at the local, regional and national level. They also pay for such an opportunity in the form of tuition and fees, a portion of which goes to athletics.

Dan La Bar

NCCVL Commissioner