Dear Editor:
How many scams can you stomach before saying enough is enough?
While the words “public education” couldn’t stop falling from the lips of our state’s elected officials, behind the scenes the Massachusetts state legislature rerouted your tax dollars right out of the higher education budget to God knows where, jacking up your fees over $2,000 this year. With emphatic assurances of success coming straight from the top, thousands of Enron workers were handed empty nest eggs after years of loyalty instead of solid retirement savings. And now, a scam to call our very own here at UMass – a proposal to appear on this March’s SGA ballot that would give your hard-earned fee monies over to Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) to improve “the environment and society.” Sounds great, right?
Before you sign on to this question going to the ballot, ask yourself what taxpayers, college students and their parents, and Enron workers just want to know, the literal million dollar question: where does the money go?
CFACT (www.CFACT.org) is a right wing organization that “puts people before nature.” It features briefing papers on such topics as “Recycling – Panacea or Municipal Nightmare” and “Light of Reality Doesn’t Shine Brightly on Solar or Wind”. Funded through a hefty amount of nuclear power industry dollars, the agenda of the organization is clear. But hey, more power to them. Who are they, anyway? What do they want to do here at UMass? What are the general programs they hope to promote? And why do they want a seven-dollar fee on the UMass term bill?
Let’s compare and contrast. Thirty years ago, students at UMass-Amherst were disturbed at the ability of special interests to manipulate consumers, infringe on public health, and unfairly influence our political process. They decided to start MASSPIRG, Massachusetts Student Public Interest Research Group, with a small waivable fee on the term bill, to fight for the public against the special interests.
Students were able to team up with lawyers, lobbyists and organizers to work on issues like clean air and water, better public health, and consumers’ rights. With a 30-year track record, MASSPIRG has been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of their program. Pairing student activism with professional advocates and organizers has definitely worked. That explains exactly where, and how your money your money is spent.
Now, I am not comparing the agendas of these two organizations. Political leanings aside, the point here is that with MASSPIRG, I know what I am getting for my money. With CFACT, according to the ballot question that you will soon be asked to sign, the need for and use of the funds is highly questionable and vague at best.
So, in the spirit of a good, old-fashioned consumer alert, I encourage you to take a pass when asked to sign for this ballot question. Let’s have a scam-free UMass for as long as we can.
Aaron Saunders, UMass Student
Dear Editor:
Steven Kenigsberg and I attended the same school for years, but we didn’t become friends until we shared a 24-hour train ride to summer camp in 1996. We lived in the same tent; Steve was so timid he barely said a word at first. He couldn’t even muster the courage to approach my friends and I and ask if he could join our tent for the summer. As he slowly began to open up, I discovered what a wonderful person he was. Two years ago, he and his father made Aaliyah to Israel, to carve out a better life – something that was not possible for them in South Africa.
This past weekend was one of the worst Israel has seen in months. As worshippers were leaving synagogue at the end of the Sabbath, a suicide bomber self-detonated outside, ushering in this coming week with carnage rather than joy. In Ofra, a terrorist sniper murdered ten people. On Sunday morning, at 7:30 a.m., Palestinian terrorists ambushed five Israeli soldiers just south of the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza Strip. Four were wounded; Steven was murdered as he stepped out of the jeep.
I was privileged to know, love, and respect Steven, who was younger than most of the students at UMass. Steven was not a religious zealot, although he respected and cherished his Jewish upbringing. Steve was a nineteen-year-old guy who should be kicking around a soccer ball and thinking about girls. He was not the ferocious villain that Israeli soldiers are made out to be. No, he was not born to kill.
When you hear that people have been killed, it hurts. When you see a face, hear about their family, it cuts you a little deeper. But nothing prepares you for the unnecessary murder of your childhood friend. Someone you not only knew, but also shared your personal space with for an extended period of time. The Islamic Jihad proudly claimed responsibility for the murder, releasing the following statement: “The Islamic movement and all the Palestinian people will not stop terrorizing our enemy all over the occupied land. We will avenge every drop of blood from our Palestinian martyrs.”
Steven was my friend. I will miss him.
I send my condolences to Steven’s family: Kevin, Marc, Joel, and Linda Ann; even in Amherst my heart is with you.
Steve, rest in peace, my friend. I pray that you are the last victim we have to bury.
Daniel Ginsberg, UMass Student