Stater board needs to clean under carpet

Dear Editor:

I find it funny how the Stater editorial board covered Ann Coulter’s “faggot” controversy at the CPAC Conference but failed to cover Bill Maher’s statements about the assassination attempt on Vice President Cheney’s life last week. I do not condone Coulter’s comments about presidential candidate John Edwards, but I also do not accept how the editorial board just seems to sweep Maher’s comments under the carpet. Ignoring Maher’s comments while devoting editorial space to Coulter’s couldn’t be because Coulter is a conservative and Maher is a liberal, could it?

For those of you who read sources outside of the Stater, you probably heard about Maher’s comments last week regarding Vice President Cheney, as credible sources cover all aspects of the news. When Cheney visited a military camp in Iraq, a bomb went off relatively close to Cheney’s location, which was later confirmed as an attempt on his life. On his show “Real Time,” Maher claimed the world would be a safer place if the assassination attempt had been successful. As a matter of fact, Maher claimed “I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact.” Apparently to the Stater, calling a presidential candidate a faggot is worth coverage, but a news analyst wishing our vice president had died is worth passing over.

Ann Coulter is one of the few conservatives who allow people to stereotype the Republican party as a party full of bigots. Although the board thinks otherwise, the vast majority of conservatives rejected her statement about Edwards and all three leading GOP presidential candidates called for her to apologize. Have you heard anyone on the left calling for Maher to take back his comments? No.

My point is, you have someone dropping the “f-bomb” and you have someone advocating the assassination of our vice president. If the former is covered, doesn’t the latter merit attention?

Neal Casper

Senior political science major

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Delta Zeta DePauw reports are wrong

Dear Editor:

The articles which have been published regarding the Delta Zeta chapter at DePauw University and the university are inaccurate and grossly mischaracterize the situation.

The facts are: Delta Zeta DePauw members voted in August to close the chapter at the end of the 2006-2007 school year. The intent was for Delta Zeta to close and reorganize to return at a later date. Delta Zeta national representatives immediately came to campus and met with members of the chapter and the DePauw administration.

The university indicated that Delta Zeta, which has been on the DePauw campus for 98 years, would not be guaranteed a return. Then Delta Zeta followed the university official’s recommendations to undertake a membership review.

This review was to see which women could commit to the rebuilding of the chapter. Those women who could support the rebuilding process were asked to remain active. Other members, who no longer wanted to engage in day-to-day recruiting and commit to the rebuilding process, became alumnae members of the sorority. The sole basis of the decision and the membership review was the women’s commitment to actively recruit.

It is here in communicating the results that Delta Zeta made a mistake. Delta Zeta misjudged how these communications would be received. Delta Zeta deeply regrets that. On Dec. 2, we informed each woman by mail whether she would be relieved of responsibilities to recruit and become an alumna member or remain on active collegiate status. In hindsight, Delta Zeta national leadership should have once again returned to campus and communicated the results in person with each woman.

Finally, we are offended at suggestions that decisions made at DePauw were related in any way to our member’s races and nationalities. We are proud of the diversity of our members and alumnae nationwide, which reflect the mandate in our Constitution that members will be selected solely on their merits and without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin or handicap.

Delta Zeta would like to sincerely express to the Kent State students, faculty, and community that we are proud to serve as a social, philanthropic and academic Greek organization on campus. We are proud to be Delta Zeta!

Gamma Kappa Gamma Chapter of Delta Zeta Sorority,

Kent State University