LETTERS/YOUR VIEW: Don't denigrate Tobin's life

To the Editor: Our esteemed past executive editor, asserting his view about students taking responsibility for their behavior, made such inhuman comments as "Tobin doesn't deserve commemoration for a careless act that negatively impacted both himself and the entire Penn community." Michael Tobin and every person who affects others and passes away deserves commemoration. The young man who died had a mother, a father and brothers. They love him and in the process of grieving, his family, his friends and those whose lives he touched will commemorate his untimely death regardless of the effects it had on our campus. It is unfortunate to witness such a lack of emotion. In a time where our efforts should be focused on providing comfort, we allow our "leaders" to become impersonal, to attack personal issues as though they were given permission to without the slightest regard for the feelings of others. Unfortunately, our campus has been shaken by a real trauma that has affected people whether or not they knew the victim. Instead of preaching responsibility, as Michael Mugmon does so condescendingly, I would turn the tables and say that it is you, Mr. Mugmon, who is irresponsible with your forum of speech. Had you not completely ignored the emotional implications of your words, you may have been effective. Instead, it is you who has negatively impacted yourself and the entire Penn community. Sara Rubin College '99 Opiates for the masses To the Editor: One thing is painfully clear from the campus hullabaloo about alcohol: The undergraduate community at Penn has a serious drinking problem. How else can we interpret claims like Noah Bilenker's ("Political band-aids," DP, 3/31/99), that the University is "forcing us to drink in our rooms"? Anyone who believes that he is being forced to go off campus to find drink, or forced to drink alone in his room, obviously cannot imagine an alternative to drinking. If you fit this description, you're an alcoholic. See a specialist, but don't blame the University for forcing you. Furthermore, Siona Listokin's claims that "We like to drink. And we like to get drunk" ("Mother Rodin and martial law," DP, 3/31/99) do not square with her claim that students mostly use alcohol responsibly. When you're drunk, you don't act responsibly. More seriously, this is the one issue that has shocked students to action. Issues like the University's control over the lives of small businesspeople in West Philadelphia and the sweatshop question that arose only weeks ago apparently pale by comparison. As Hillary Aisenstein ("A lame spectacle," DP, 3/31/99) attests, the University has repeatedly made decisions without consulting students, but student leaders haven't held rallies then. Coming now, protesters' histrionics about martial law, communism and fascism look foolish. The message they're sending is clear. As long as the administration keeps our opiates flowing freely, we won't make too much noise when they get tricky about policies that really matter. Steve Winick Graduate Arts and Sciences '98