It is in disappointment that I respond to Chancellor John Silber’s letter in Monday’s Daily Free Press. My upcoming comments are in no way intended as an attack on the personal character of the Chancellor, as I have the highest respect for him as a leader in the BU community.
Although I personally support changes in the Guest Policy, I can respect the opinion of anyone who logically and thoughtfully presents opposing arguments. However, I felt that your letter was inappropriate and highly rhetorical. A sense of sarcasm and contempt was introduced by your use of phrases like “love nests” and “sessions of fun and games.” Unfortunately, rhetoric rarely solves problems; it only angers and incites the people at whom it is directed and hinders the possibility for positive and productive dialogue to take place.
The students who developed the Guest Policy proposal are campus leaders who spent long hours on the project. The proposal itself is not merely opinion; it is a work of research. In your letter, however, you seem to dismiss it as childish and ignorant. The tone you set lacks any respect for the work and dedication of some of BU’s best students. It is insulting and discouraging.
Chancellor Silber, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but I had expected that you, as a leader of an institution of higher learning, would present yours in a positive and respectful manner, setting an example for young adults attending BU. My disappointment is profound, and I sincerely hope you will take a different approach in future interactions with the student body.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
