LETTERS: Baker is not the only Greek voice

To the Editor: This past semester, we have been privy to many rather baffling and somewhat sophomoric rantings of the eloquent Baker. It was not until the March 24 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian, however, that we realized the supreme intelligence driving such an influential member of the student body. The genius does not lie solely in his notable quotables, however. His extensive knowledge and expertise abound in his initiatives directed both for and against the University. Our personal favorite was his challenge that any raids of fraternity houses by the LCE would result in Greek leaders writing letters to major U.S. newspapers declaring that Penn "basically sucks." We have often observed President Bill Clinton uttering such grievances against our great nation, and it has obviously worked for him. In fact, we have dated this political tactic all the way back to Jefferson, when he declared, "We the People of the United States of America, which basically sucks?" Yet another brilliant maneuver by Baker was his insight into the crooked means by which fraternities and sororities have been milking the student body for illegal party funds. Baker was quoted as saying, "Right now we have no money [although] we did get away with charging for half a semester [so] houses aren't totally broke." Yes, we seem to recall a similar tactic employed by President Richard Nixon back in the 60s. "I am not a crook. We did, however, receive illegal donations, so I'm not totally broke." We do not mean to berate or demean Baker for his actions, nor do we intend to elicit jokes at his expense. Our sole purpose of this is to challenge the notion that Baker's opinions are representative of the Greek system as a whole. He must realize that his statements will be quoted, and his mandates will be followed. In addition, Baker's comments have become not only a topic of conversation and dispute, but are evolving into a blemish on the Greek system as a whole. A bit of tact and discretion is all we ask. In addition, Baker might want to consider taking a less adversarial stance toward both the University and other regulatory bodies. Baker is our voice, and right now, we wish we had a gag. Robert Glazer College '98 Alpha Epsilon Pi Robert Fechner College '98 Alpha Epsilon Pi Recycling plan for Dubois House not Ware To the Editor: I appreciated the article on residential recycling in Friday's DP ("Residential recycling program expands to Ware College House," DP, 3/28/97). However, there were a few points I wished to clarify. The program, which has proven successful at Van Pelt College House, is set to be expanded to the W.E.B. Dubois College House next fall. The article incorrectly listed Ware College House as the next site for expansion. Although I initially proposed to add Ware College House, Physical Plant convinced me that the Dubois College House would be more suitable, since it is structurally identical to Van Pelt. It also has its own collection facilities, which make it much simpler to evaluate the results. Secondly, by expanding the project one residence hall at a time and using volunteers from the recycling committee to distribute the bins and information, I have been able to keep the start-up costs quite low. The funds have been raised by the Environmental Group through a fundraiser involving one of the other committees. I would like to thank the DP and the residents of Van Pelt for their support. I hope this project will help to simplify the process of recycling and therefore encourage more students to participate in the future. Lori Werfel Wharton and Engineering '99 Available help to quit smoking To the Editor: There has been a recent uproar about the dangers of smoking and its financial and social implications. Currently, over 22 states -- including Pennsylvania -- are now attempting to recover money from tobacco companies for smoking-related health expenditures. Claims were made that tobacco companies did not properly disclose the health risks of cigarette smoking. However, despite years of publicity on smoking and the associated health risks, people continue to smoke. Look at Penn students for instance. A spring 1996 Penn survey described in the DP ("Nursing seniors study U. smoking, DP, 4/1/96) found that 41 percent of Penn students smoke. Yet, 96 percent of the students surveyed believe that smoking is "unhealthy." Rather than laying the blame on the purveyors of cigarettes, let's look at why people smoke and what can be done to discourage initiation of smoking or encourage smoking cessation. The Penn survey found that unlike national statistics, the majority of Penn smokers smoke cigarettes for social reasons and believe they will not become addicted. 66.5 percent of the students intended to quit after graduation, yet it is estimated that 1/3 to 1/2 of young adults who smoke become addicted. Penn students do not see this as a problem. Instead of waiting to argue over who pays the medical tab for the health consequences of smoking, students have the opportunity and resources to stop smoking now and prevent occurrence of the plethora of illnesses associated with smoking. 22 percent of the surveyed students tried to quit, but only 4 percent used Penn resources. Five other Nursing students and I contend that Penn students are unaware of resources available at Penn and are trying to reach out to those students who are interested in quitting, but don't have the support or resources available. Please visit our Web site at www.sas.upenn.edu/~jkantor for interesting facts about smoking and you, and learn about Penn resources (including the patch for free). Debbie Kantor Nursing '97