Letters to the Editor: Including Staff, Ethical Addictions, Gender and Shakespeare, UN, and Sex.
April 7, 2007
STAFF VOICES SHOULD BE INCLUDED
Dear Editor,
Just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading the Mars’ Hill. The past few years have seen a marked improvement and you do deserve the awards the paper has received.
In your recent issue the main topic was “the great divide” and I noted that a number of quotes were solicited from faculty and student life staff (who are the people on campus most students know).
These folks tend to be quoted more than any other. However, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are many other staff on campus who have made significant commitments to the Lord to be engaged in the mission and vision of the campus. These folks have opinions as well and I believe are quite capable in articulating them. May I encourage you to consider widening your net and engaging them in discussion about issues of the campus when you next seek to do so.
Keep up the good work!
Bill Norris
Director of Employment and HR Administration
ETHICAL ADDICTIONS LOVES TWU STUDENTS
Dear Editor,
The quote from the article “Ethical Addictions may close its doors” (MH, Mar. 27), that says “EA - and Langley City - hasn’t always loved them (TWU students)” is completely untrue - for EA at least; I can’t speak for the City.
Neither our staff nor we have ever had any reason to dislike any TWU students. Quite the opposite.
The comment about Trinity students being “mistaken” for drug dealers came from a struggle that we as EA have had with some merchants in the downtown core. It was EA that was being “slagged” by these merchants, not Trinity students. It was during a time (in early 2004) when there was a concerted effort to get us closed down, and we were being branded as being a lightning rod for drug dealers and vandals in the city.
My wife took one of the merchants that was leading the charge against us into our shop when there was a large contingent of students in for coffee and study hoping to show that we had a RESPECTABLE clientele. The merchant took one look around and said “See, look at all the drug dealers in here - you should be shut down.”
There was nothing we could do to come against the accusations that we were the source of the city’s problems of homelessness, crime, drugs and youth violence. It was even stated at a public meeting held about us that there was no crime in the city until EA opened its doors.
Fortunately the attitude toward us has changed dramatically, and the specific merchants that were against us have long since left town. Unfortunately, the impression given by the publicity remains in the mind of our landlord - which is in part the reason why our lease is not being extended.
Our staff has ALWAYS appreciated TWU students - we installed our wireless network primarily to appeal to the need for off campus aids in assignments and to enable research in a less studious atmosphere. As an aside, we have always had TWU students as part of our staff.
As for the comment about the tendency to “view themselves better than everyone else” - it is addressable to all Christians as they move into the world. It is my constant desire that we as Christians demonstrate our difference not by making others feel that they are not as “good” as we are, but by our willingness to accept others - all others.
We need to be different by the degree to which we accept people as they are. Christ accepts everyone regardless of how far they may have risen or fallen. Jesus was scandalous in being willing to talk to even the most unclean. In Langley City we have an opportunity to embrace as broad a spectrum of society as any city in North America.
Most people in North America that live their lives outside the church doors, have had some negative experience that leads them to feel judged by us people inside the church. We as Christians have our work cut out for us; and we may have to be very deliberate in our expression of acceptance to break through the belief that we will judge instead.
Having said that - we must be genuine in our acceptance of others or we will be seen as frauds. But that is worthy of another entire article.
I just wanted to set the story straight.
John Enns
Owner, Ethical Addictions
GENDER IN SHREW TROUBLING
Dear Editor.
On Thursday the 22, we enjoyed a fine production of the TWU Drama department, The Taming of the Shrew. The directing was strong and the acting was terrific. The first half was hilarious. This production appeals to us by adding 20th century costumes and music.
The second half was sobering and in the end even troubling. We saw Kate bullied into subservience through food deprivation and threats of violence. My feeling was that a comedy turned into a tragedy, but we were supposed to think it remained a comedy. It is difficult to know what to make of a play where an earlier assertive and forcibly strong woman becomes a submissive servant under protest. We are left to ponder how to make sense of the misogynic behaviours in the play.
Shakespeare wrote in a time where gender lines were merging. Wives of early modern Europe undertook jobs, activities, and attitudes seen by many to be manly. This raised questions as to what it meant to be masculine. Many men reacted with hateful words and actions. On one level, Shakespeare’s Taming was part of the early modern revolt against autonomous wives seen in Thomas More’s Utopia. More saw uppity women like Kate as implicated in the political instabilities of his time and disliked competent and self-assured women working at “male” tasks in the household. These same caricatures of uppity women show up in the infamous witch trials. It was easy to defeat strong independent women with charges of witchcraft.
I wondered how people at TWU responded to the cowering Kate. We are of course seeing similar phenomenon in today’s gender picture. Many men find the terrain of masculinity similarly confusing and fearsome. Moreover, some seek to intimidate their wives through economic and physical power.
Still, thanks to the drama department for a play that entertained and raised questions about gender relations, which troubled me more than they soothed.
John Klassen
Professor of History
FROM MARSHILLONLINE RE: TUITION INCREASES
What I have a problem with here isn’t so much the tuition increase in and of itself, but rather the fact that Academic Scholarships are exactly the same as when I first came to TWU in 2003. Shouldn’t those be going up slightly too?
- Left by Chris
In 5 years, the tuition will be unsustainable for the university. That is my prediction. If tuition keeps rising, students will shop elsewhere.
- Left by Jonathan
RE: “THE JOYS OF SEX”
Great article. I think what’s interesting is that when many Christians see a breast and some sexually suggestive language they become immediately turned off (some secretly turned on) by a piece of media, that may be using a “provocative” concept such as sex to elucidate a much wider and rich concept - that of life itself. They really miss out on the bigger picture and see that media only as “dirty” or “impure.” Millions of women (and some men too!) identified with those four characters and the things they experienced together. There was lots of meaning found there, and we can’t deny that. It’s really frustrating to see that people can’t look past the sex. Isn’t sex repressed enough as it is in Christian circles?
- Left by Logan
THE UN IS NOT USELESS
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to Ms. Endacott’s article “The Decline of Dialogue” in which she has drawn several conclusions about the United Nations based on very little factual information. Firstly, I appreciate her frustration, agree that the UN is not perfect, and can be rather procedurally cumbersome in facilitating multi-lateral dialogue. That being said, I still believe Ms.Endacott has painted a misconstrued and pessimistic view of the UN.
The experience upon which Ms. Endacott is basing her conclusions was the Model United Nations simulation on March 10. This simulation was a grand total of 5 hours long (including a lunch break), comprised of undergraduate students and was attempting to simulate the UN Peace Building forum. I would challenge any seasoned UN Ambassador do the same task in 5 hours or less and I expect they would also be met with frustration.
Ms. Endacott also complains that “the ability to actually converse felt stifled by procedure” and “one had to wait for their turn on the speaker’s list” in order to speak. Perhaps a more thorough understanding of parliamentary procedure would have enhanced Ms. Endacott’s MUN experience. During the 5 hour simulation there was not a single instance of moderated debate, which would have allowed delegates to speak simply by raising their placard, instead of following the speaker’s list. Unfortunately, without some kind of procedure, there is simply no other way to have an orderly discussion with 40 some people; would Ms. Endacott prefer a shouting match? Ms. Endacott accuses the structure of the UN as stifling debate yet I would argue the simple fact that so many varying nations representing widely diverging interests can meet together for multi-lateral discussion is a very feat in itself.
No, I am not surprised either that not a single resolution was passed. But it is not the fault of “emphasis on procedure and order”, rather a combination of time constraint, ineffective use of parliamentary procedure, and the fact that each country is there to represent their government. While the UN has many faults, I completely disagree with Ms.Endacott that “dialogue is not pursued.” In fact, I would say at times dialogue is pursued too ardently with little action to show for it. However, that’s another article.
Sincerely,
A concerned advocate of multi-lateral dialogue
Now you go...
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