Posted by: Chuck Anziulewicz
Article: "Tufts celebrates Coming Out Day one day early" (Oct. 11)
Post: The importance of "coming out" to friends, co-workers and family members cannot be understated. There is nothing in heterosexual experience that comes close to it.
Coming out is probably more important than any amount of legislation or legal opinion to our progress as a community, since it demonstrates to those we know and love that we are just as decent and productive, just as capable of conducting our lives with dignity and humility, as our straight counterparts.
Just 20 years ago, most Americans were not aware of personal acquaintances who were gay; today, most Americans ARE!
And with that knowledge naturally comes greater acceptance and support.
THAT'S why National Coming Out Day is so vitally important.
Posted by: Dan Hurwit
Article: "New federal law aims to help low-income university students" (Oct. 9)
Post: How are we to know whether this a good thing for students or a bad thing operating under the fascade of some amazing program? I don't know.
I know for a fact that without private lenders even with the increase in federal pell grants and stafford loans I would not be able to afford this university, even given the very substantial university financial aid package that I have.
The idea of government funded education is great - but only if it can provide an equivalent service to that of private lenders. If lenders stay in the game then, okay. It seems hard to believe though that they will continue to be able to provide their unfortunate but necessary service with such a huge cut in their funding.
If private lenders become too few or too stringent and or stingy in their policies it sounds like the government is saying that everyone can go to college but not that everyone can go to ANY college. The less affluent will end up with fewer options (i.e. less access to private universities like Tufts) and things will become more a case of, everone will afford some college, but you can only go to those that you can afford at the time.
I guess this may be a step in the right direction but I don't know if it addresses the real issues. I'd love to hear some more people who know what they are talking about (professors, university presidents, etc.) comment on what's going on. Right now the idea of college lies in somewhat of a utopian place--if you can get in and are willing to pay at some point than you can go. I'm afraid things are going to get a little to "real" in making education follow more closely the constructs of capitalism.
But who knows?
Dear Editor:
I would just like to congratulate the Daily on an excellent lineup of sports columnists this year.
Will Herberich and Danny Joseph have really been stepping up their game, writing compelling and informative columns.
Well done, Daily.
Tom WilliamsonClass of 2010
