Lack of social scene creates Greek tensions
Editor:
Regarding the two different opinions printed in the April 15 Guardian on the UCSD Greek system: Although this debate reveals the inherent differences and tensions between Greek and non-Greek students, the true problem lies in the fact that the social scene for the average UCSD student is almost nonexistent. Because of this, students are placed between a rock and a hard place when evaluating their social lives. Do we enter a fraternity or sorority that can be too intense or seemingly exclusive for some, or do we struggle nightly to find an entertaining social scene amongst friends? Even despite the existence of non-Greek social clubs like the Ultimate Frisbee team and religious organizations, these groups still cannot possibly appeal to the huge population of average students who are just bored on the weekends. Until a student can easily find a party without having to belong to some type of club, I fear the tensions and resentment toward Greeks and other social organizations will continue to perpetuate.
— Alan Haimowitz
Thurgood Marshall College
freshman senator
Some students value discussion sections
Editor:
To provide another point of view regarding discussion sections in the April 15 Guardian, we would like to share some of the generally positive opinions many UCSD students have expressed regarding TAs and their sections.
The Center for Teaching Development maintains a file of questionnaires completed by students in section. Following are some representative comments from actual questionnaires. These comments were selected from both mandatory and optional attendance sections.
Representative student comments:
“She promotes analyzing characters and motive and encourages one to examine language in society and realism in relation to playwriting.”
“She expands on material the professor didn’t cover and she focuses on more difficult parts. I wish she could teach lecture.”
“He always has a current article which relates to the class in order to get students to think about how the class applies to the world today.”
“He frequently provides similar examples, which teach the concepts, not memorization.”
“Having someone so knowledgeable and enthusiastic introduce me to the subject makes it exciting and really sparks my interest in her world.”
“She has a great sense of humor and is very energetic. She also uses examples other than those discussed during lecture, providing real-world examples.”
“She is always prepared and is an exceptional teacher. She provides students with specific examples from beyond the classroom.”
“She is good at incorporating complex thinking into activities which involve the entire class.”
“Our discussions are invigorating, and he helps us see different points of view, opinions and interpretations.”
“Discussions are very engaging and interactive.”
“He gets us to actively participate and discuss the material among ourselves. If we miss any key points, he lets us know.”
“Asks students how they arrived at certain solutions to ensure they aren’t simply plugging into an equation. Very interactive with us, which is great!”
“Offers information beyond what is required for the course, which is greatly appreciated and shows a desire to promote learning.”
“Emphasis is not on right answers or memorization, but rather on understanding. She is great about promoting that ideal.”
“Many of the questions she puts forth require deeper thinking on the given topic.”
— Rosalind Streichler
director, Center for Teaching Development
Chauvinist letter relied on inaccurate data
Editor:
This letter is in response to Adam Bronstein’s misleading Letter to the Editor in the April 19 Guardian. In his letter, Bronstein falsely accuses feminist groups of perpetuating the “dangerous myth that the vast majority of domestic violence victims are women,” citing the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and the A.S. Women’s Commission’s “Take Back the Night” as two examples of groups and events that promote this “myth.” Since the FMLA and “Take Back the Night” are not solely concerned with domestic violence, but mainly deal with issues of rape and sexual assault in general, I will address issues of both domestic violence and sexual assault in this letter.
Using outdated statistics source from the 1980s that was based on faulty reasoning, Bronstein writes, “it has been shown that women attack their partners at roughly the same rate as men.” In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, “intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women” — of those victimized by an intimate partner, 85 percent are women and 15 percent are men. In other words, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. Furthermore, even when men are victimized, 10 percent are assaulted by another man. In terms of rape and sexual assault, according to the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1998), a total of 17.7 million American women have been victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (14.8 percent completed rape; 2.8 percent attempted rape), compared to 2.78 million American men (about 3 percent). According to the 2002 National Crime and Victimization Survey from the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2002, seven out of every eight rape victims were female. Hopefully these accurate and credible statistics will correct Bronstein’s chauvinistic, unfounded and poorly-researched statements.
— Mary McQueen
president, Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
