Students
voice opinions on war
By Francis Ricafort
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
Cal
State Long Beach students voiced their opinions
on the pending war on Iraq Tuesday night
at the USU Beach Auditorium. The town hall
meeting was organized by Associated Students
Inc. to provide students a forum to share
their opinions on the war with other students.
Andrew De Lara, new student orientation
commissioner, who helped organize the event,
thought it was important to have an open
discussion on the war.
“This is a matter of great importance, we
are all affected by this — our lives and
our economy,” De Lara said. “It’s important
students have a forum to talk about the
war and voice their opinions.”
Students signed a speaker sign-in sheet
if they wanted to speak on the microphone
in front of the audience. They then received
two minutes to state their opinions and
comments on the war.
A.S.I. Sen. Lauren Haverlock, who co-organized
the event, did not want the town hall meeting
to be a debate about the war, rather a peaceful
forum for people to voice their opinion.
“We do not want to have students debating
on the issues about the war, this is just
a place for students to speak their opinion,”
Haverlock said.
Some students chose to sit and listen to
other students, while others went to the
microphone multiple times. Usama Kahf, a
finance major, who is opposed to the war,
spoke several times.
“We have to take a stand against the ware
before it starts,” Kahf said. “We are going
to be the cause of the war. There is no
evidence, the government has lost its credibility.”
Deborah Coelho, psychology major, was also
opposed to the war. “I am against the war
on Iraq, I don’t think that violence is
the answer.”
The majority of the students who spoke on
the microphone were opposed to the war.
Dr. Renee Cramer, a political science professor
moderated the meeting.
“It surprises me that more people that are
in favor of war are not here,” Cramer said.
“College students in California historically
tend to be more against war.”
Although the majority of students who spoke
were against the war, there were a few who
were for the war. Jason Garthoffner, an
art major, spoke in favor for a war against
Iraq.
“It is the president’s responsibility to
protect the people of the United States,”
Garthoffner said. “It is valid to take out
Iraq. The case against Iraq has been made.”
This was the first town hall meeting organized
for students to speak about the pending
war on Iraq. Haverlock hopes there will
be more town hall meetings on the war.
“Hopefully we can organize more town hall
meetings so students will always be able
to give a perspective on their views,” Haverlock
said.
Not only did some students want more town
hall meetings on this issue, but also more
involvement.
“There should be more people, more professors,
and student faculty involved in these discussions,”
Coehlo said. “I would definitely attend
another meeting.” |
