Tuesday, Nov. 11, is a federal, legal holiday it is Veterans’ Day. However, you will not be able to tell the difference between Veterans’ Day and any other day on campus. Why? Because Boston University will hold classes instead of observing the Veterans’ Day holiday, and that is a shame.
It is shameful that Boston University will not suspend classes for one day in honor of our country’s veterans who have served, sacrificed and fought to preserve our way of life. It is particularly shameful in light of the conflicts around the globe in which our armed forces are currently engaged, and in light of the almost daily reports of injuries and deaths of U.S. service members serving in Iraq. It is especially shameful in light of the university’s declaration of a holiday on Nov. 17, honoring … well, who really knows what that holiday is supposed to be honoring.
The freedoms we enjoy and the freedoms we have discussed at length in many of our classrooms exist because throughout our nation’s history, veterans have defended those freedoms. The threats to our country are many and varied. Some threats are obvious; many threats are insidious. Veterans are the people who defend us against those threats today and who defended against those threats in the past. They deserve to have Boston University, if not the staff, faculty, and student body, take time out of the academic calendar to honor their sacrifices. Even if the student body took the day off as just another excuse to stay out late, party and blow-off some more homework, at least the university’s observance of Veterans Day would serve as appropriate.
Christopher T. O’Neil Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard COM ’05 Graduate Student
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