Letters to the Editor

Amanpour unexpected but respectable choice

When my roommate first told me Christiane Amanpour was going to deliver our Commencement speech, I was a little upset. What can we get from someone most of us have never heard of? It felt like a slap in the face my four years at $50,000 each would be lauded by a woman little known outside of the journalism sphere.

But after Wikipedia-ing her, I have to admit I applaud Northwestern's pick. No, she may not have the celebrity status of Katie Couric, but she is, first and foremost, a woman—and a woman who fought to pursue the career she wanted. She reported on the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (apparently Arafat hung up on her during an interview), Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Pervez Musharraf, etc.

We may not be able to tell our friends at Case Western Reserve University who will hear Katie Couric we're getting someone they've all heard of. But we will likely get our money's worth with Amanpour, and may even leave the address inspired—something those who listen to big-wigs and celebrities probably won't be able to say.

— Leslie Buller
Weinberg senior

Gordon took high road when handling stalker

Jeremy Gordon's cover story "Looking for the Face Behind the Troll" in the weekly detailed the struggles he faced at the hands of an anonymous stalker who relentlessly tried to derail his confidence and abilities. He did not ever turn this person into authorities, even after discovering his stalker's identity. 

While I can commend Gordon for taking the high road and refraining from stooping to his stalker's level, I have to wonder what made him not turn this person in. The stalker should face consequences for publicly, anonymously and continuously berating another human being.

Who cares if he apologized or if Gordon is really over it, because this person kept Gordon on edge for months, likely hurt his ability to trust others and always had him wondering who it could potentially be. Not to mention when writing stories, it may have affected his style, not wanting to include something in a story or blog for fear he would have to endure countless insults.

Voicing dislike for another's work is one thing, but doing it repeatedly and anonymously is cowardly, and frankly it gives you no authority, authenticity or influence. For you, Jeremy Gordon, I give you "props," because if it were me or many others faced with the option of turning this person in or not, most would have chosen the former and not the latter. 

— Zachary Von Eschen
Weinberg freshman

Blagojevich highlights temptations of politics
It's hard for most of us to fathom the temptations people in political positions face every day. When you climb that political ladder, you have not only a new set of responsibilities but a new set of friends, a new set of ambitions and maybe even a new set of women. Your social confidence explodes, and money becomes its own pollutant. Sometimes you don't even have to work to get money, and that's when the trouble starts.

Now I haven't read up on former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's case, and I'm not excusing him from responsibility, but we can start by acknowledging how treacherous navigating political waters is. The names Eliot Spitzer, Chen Shui-bian, Thaksin Shinawatra come to mind—all who were extremely popular when elected. Who would have thought?

— Deen Gu
WCAS '09

NU presents misleading numbers for living wage

The administration has knowingly misled the Northwestern community over the issue of a living wage. A little over one week ago, The Daily published a story about the living wage rally ("Supporters ‘rally, rant and rage,' Feb. 25), juxtaposing two facts in a blurb alongside the article: 1. There are approximately 50 NU workers who are paid less than $13.23 per hour, and 2. The total additional cost to the University is estimated to be approximately $3.3 to $4 million annually.

Today, the Northwestern News Center went live with a list of frequently asked questions about the Living Wage Campaign using the same figures. Both statements come from University spokesman Al Cubbage's media fact sheet and are intentionally deceiving.
Although both true statements, the figures cited by Cubbage (and used by The Daily and Northwestern Web site) include different numbers of workers. Roughly one percent of workers who are directly contracted by NU are paid below $13.23 per hour; however, the annual cost cited to implement a living wage includes both those contracted directly and sub-contracted by NU.

The administration cannot have it both ways. If the administration is going to claim a cost of $3.3 to $4 million, then this means the University is taking responsibility for all of its workers, both those directly employed and sub-contracted (University President Morton O. Schapiro has already gone on record stating all workers, both direct and sub-contracted labor, are his responsibility). Thus, the number of employees not making a living wage rises to near 90 percent of University contracted workers, according to local union representatives.

NU deserves a fair debate on this issue, especially when something so important is at stake—the fair treatment of NU community members, our workers.

— Michael Alperin
SESP junior
Coordinator, Living Wage Campaign
Co-president,
NU chapter of the Roosevelt Institute
Education co-chair,
Northwestern Community Development Corps

Ethics inspire discussion on capital punishment
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's speech on "ethics" was one for the books. However, his mere presence reminds us of the importance of ethics in our daily lives. Ethics, of course, extends far beyond the political arena.

For instance, one ethical gray area that has not received its due share of attention in recent memory is capital punishment. Is it ethical to execute the perpetrators of crimes so heinous they shake our society to the core? Or does society owe it to itself to retain "moral superiority" by not taking an eye for an eye in such a case?

There are certainly passionate arguments to be made on both sides of the issue. Capital punishment in the state of Illinois is still legal, although it was quashed through a moratorium issued by former Gov. George Ryan (who, ironically, is incarcerated for unethical behavior as well, but that story is for a different day).

However, whether we recognize it, capital punishment looms large over our modern American society. While most other developed nations no longer use the death penalty, capital punishment continues to be a mainstay of the American judicial system. Thirty-five states in the United States still legally allow the death penalty, and only 15 have outlawed it. This begs the question, is America lagging behind the rest of the world? Or does the country's more traditionalist stance reflect a commitment to a cultural norm?

Of course, that's not even to mention the fact that there are more than 100 examples of falsely convicted persons sitting on death row who were only exonerated when DNA evidence saved the day.

All of these questions should weigh heavily when considering the ethics of capital punishment in our modern criminal justice system. But the discussion is not occurring. It rarely makes a media headline these days. Few people question their representatives about it during a campaign. Can America afford to pretend capital punishment need not be dealt with?

No, I say. The people of America must discuss the issue. Is the death penalty still around simply because we are too lazy to stop it? Or is it still here because we believe in its merits as a form of justice? These questions must be answered definitively in order to move us out of this judicial limbo.

As students, we have the responsibility to bring these ethical issues to light. The Northwestern University chapter of the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network will be hosting a panel to address this very issue called Capital Punishment in Modern America: A Discussion. The panel lineup includes Rob Warden, executive director of the NU Center on Wrongful Convictions, a former death penalty convict freed by DNA evidence, and Deputy Chief Brian T. Sexton of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, among others. The discussion, moderated by sociology Prof. Thomas Durkin, is sure to be lively and all members of the NU community are invited to attend and voice their own opinion

The panel will be from 7-9 p.m. in Annenberg Hall, Room G15 on Wednesday March 10.

— Zachary Glasser
SESP freshman
Events planner, NU chapter of the Roosevelt Institute