Letters to the Editor

To whom it may concern:

First of all, I was really happy to see an article addressing female student harassment on campus. I think there is a very unsafe environment sometimes for naive female students here on campus.

However, I found Millicent Lynch's Op-Ed piece "Harassment leaves some students feeling unsafe" a little questionable. The whole article made the construction staff working here on campus sounds like boorish misogynists. She even questions the safety of walking past them everyday, making her whereabouts known to them.

I have known construction workers most of my life. My recently deceased grandfather was one and many of his sons became construction workers. Being around a construction site is nothing new to me and I have found that living near one is nowhere near the hell Lynch describes.

For the most part, extremely loud construction is held off until 11:00, so only those who get to sleep in past 12:00 are affected. To say this is annoying is being unreasonable.

As for the harassment, my friends and I have yet to find anything questionable. The men have been conscientious and polite. They are mostly quiet, preferring to work than to kid around with college students. I was even happy to see that there is a woman construction worker on the staff.

I'm not saying I don't believe that there isn't any harassment, there is always the danger of that. I'm just saying that if a girl is harassed, she needs to report so that actions against the perpetrator can be dealt with. Dealing with it in silence or blaming the entire staff is not the answer.

I do like Lynch's work, she is always articulate and interesting. I just hate seeing a stereotype perpetuated. There are always a few bad apples in a bunch, just look at our college community. Saying that an entire group is responsible is not the way to solve anything.

-Rebecca Dawson



I awakened early this morning and I asked myself, “Isn’t Halloween over?” The shrieking of a chainsaw and the screeching of an electric drill were loud and clear before 7 a.m. as usual. I guess even though it’s November, everyone in Village III still has front-row seating in what sounds like a sequel to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

I’m sure everyone who doesn’t have the pleasure of waking to this nightmare every morning at the crack of dawn might have just been waiting for us over here in Village III to start complaining. So here it is.

When I was informed of the ongoing construction that would be practically under my bedroom window, I anticipated noise. I emphasize the word “noise” as sounds that one might identify as “banging,” “hammering,” “thumping,” or maybe even “thwacking.” This doesn’t include the constant yelling and what appears to be horrific squeals from any and every accessible power tool as it is rammed against metal.

Now I don’t doubt that this interpretation might seem a bit exaggerated to those foreign to VIII. I assure you that since the air conditioning has been turned off and many people are forced to keep their windows open for ventilation, it is possible that I might be belittling the effects of this daily wake-up call in someone else’s eyes.

I would also like to note that the construction has not always been this disturbing. Now, with the “race against time” to make the row houses available to students in January, the construction continuously begins earlier in the morning and has extended from Monday through Friday to a full seven days a week. I know that complaints will not stop the construction, but I decided to voice my opinion because this situation is getting increasingly worse and more ridiculous.

I don’t mean to give the impression that I don’t care about moving students from Lake Wright to campus. I think that it’s important to give all students access to campus that they paid for. At times I just question who is concerned about the students in North, South and Teagle, the students that have paid to live through sounds comparable to the set of a horror movie. I understand that this situation will continue, but I feel compelled to speak on behalf of the cast members. I guess, there is a positive side to all of this, even if I’m not getting sleep. I now have an extended vocabulary of Spanish swears and the ability to identify countless power tools by sound alone. And if Leather Face himself jumps out of a bush with his chainsaw to kill me, I’ll simply ask, “Where’s your hard hat?”

-Elizabeth Delude