LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Carelessness

To the Editor: Upon reading the article describing the proceedings of the service, I was hurt to see the lines of my very difficult and heartfelt remembrance quoted completely from someone else. From a paper so widely read and highly regarded, I feel let down that even after others expressed their dissatisfaction with your previous negligence, more care wasn't taken to get simple facts straight. Maybe none of you were lucky enough to know Emily, and maybe if you did, you would understand why this has upset so many of us. Alexandra Caccavella College '98 The Plan Needs Enforcement To the Editor: Glenn Bryan's column (Penn and the Community: A Partnership for Clean Streets, DP 9/6/95) presents a desperately needed project, but it doesn't work without tough means of enforcement. I've been aghast at the trash and garbage scattered around houses and sidewalks, left unattended and accumulating over a period of weeks. The problem is widespread, but the primary culprits are the rooming houses and fraternity houses immediately west of this campus. Clean surroundings are usually the mark of owner-occupied homes. When the occupants are temporary residents, responsibility plummets and so does housekeeping (as well as sidewalk maintenance). The partnership will fail unless th University rises above naive idealism. The administration must lay down strict rules for building owners, real estate managers, and fraternities. These people must provide proper, covered trash receptacles, out of view of the sidewalk, and must police them to eliminate litter. Failure should bring a stiff fine. Continued failure should forfeit their privilege as sanctioned realtors or lessors. Housekeeping is the owner's responsibility. Let them instruct and police their occupants to cooperate. I think you'll begin to see cleaner streets. Charles DeMirjian Senior Associates Program We Are Not 'Kids' To the Editor: I hate to say it, but once again, I am utterly disgusted with a DP columnist. Let's have a little lesson here, from one of the great thinkers of our time: Dennis Leary -- if you don't know what you are talking about, shut the hell up. I am never shocked or surprised when I hear people talking about how snotty Ivy League students are. Not only do they think that they know everything, but they will not hesitate a moment in letting you know this fact. Okie dokie Penn. Let's have another lesson about Larry Clark's film Kids -- this film is NOT ABOUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOU! Unless, of course, you started smoking, drinking and having sex when you were in junior high. I cannot stand it when people try to relate to things that they have absolutely no experience with or knowledge about. For example, we can all hang out here at our spectacular school and pontificate about how immoral and twisted society has become. Wow. We are really cool now, aren't we. We sound really high and mighty, not to mention educated. The one positive comment that I have heard about the film is that the viewer was shocked. Good. It means that Clark is hitting the target he intended. A wake-up call is what he wanted and it sure looks like he has succeeded in shaking people up. Here's a wake-up call for Penn: As we all go about our egocentric days here, making sweeping vacuous generalizations under the guise of opinion -- think for a moment about what you are saying. Do you have any idea what you are talking about? MARSHALL WIELAND College '97