Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

Last week I witnessed a crime on campus that took place out in the open and in full view of the students nearby. No, this was no wallet being stolen, or a simple case of littering. The crime that I witnessed was the crime of ignorance.

A young man came to the campus to distribute religious literature and preach his particular views to others. As with many people in his situation, he came prepared with a full load of speeches and sermons, ready to preach to anyone willing to listen. Upon finding a place on the grass just outside of the Paw Prints Bookstore in front of the MSU building, he promptly began the mission that he had come for on that particular morning.

While I cannot speak for all of the students on campus, I would hope that most of them would agree that an individual has the right to speak his or her mind on whatever religious views that he/she may choose to follow. One of the reasons this country of ours was founded was so people could be free to worship as they choose (within limitations of the law) and not be harassed or attacked for choosing to hold that particular view. Such was not the case with this young man who had come to our campus on that rainy January morning.

The problem was, instead of seeing students allowing this young man to go about his agenda, my disbelieving eyes saw this young man being harassed and generally made to feel unwelcome here on the GC&SU campus. I believe, like many others do, that I should be able to speak my views on whatever religion I follow without being attacked by those who would disagree with me. That young man was never given that chance.

What I witnessed was a disgrace. Insults were being hurled his way as if he was nothing more than a second-class citizen, below those around him. Sneers and jeers could be seen everywhere I looked. I found myself wondering if the only thing keeping this young man from being physically rather than verbally attacked was the public safety officer standing just a few feet nearby.

Is this what we have come to on the GC&SU campus? An intolerance towards the views of other people? I respect the fact that those who would jeer this young man would do so because of his views (some of what I was hearing, I admittedly wouldn’t want to hear again), but isn’t this supposed to be America? Isn’t this supposed to be a campus that promotes tolerance and respect of the views of others? That young man was simply preaching a gospel that he felt he had to abide by. His views may not have been the most popular around campus, but he still had a right to express them to others.

One thing I learned that Thursday morning was that there is always something on this campus, which is going to surprise you. Some days it will be the parking situation. Other days it will be the fact that people simply cannot put aside their immature behavior long enough to act their age. I thought the students here were supposed to be in college…isn’t it about time some of them start acting like it?

Alex Cain
Senior, GC&SU

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 31 2003. Filed under Letters to the Editor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry