LETTER: Leave the parade out of it

I write, as I’m sure many others have or will, in response to Wednesday’s letter from James Sinclair. While I understand his concern regarding the imminent cutbacks on campus residential computer labs, I am deeply troubled by his view that the issue is somehow related to yesterday’s parade in honor of the 2009 NCAA champion men’s hockey team.

Overall it is true that the university should not ‘spend lavishly’ in light of the residential computer lab closure issue and other financial difficulties. However, despite these rough economic times, as I’m sure we’ve all experienced, both individuals and institutions must continue to celebrate joyous events despite the cost. This is not to say that no regard should be paid to financing; I am confident that options were weighed in a rational manner and costs were taken into account in planning the parade, which I would hardly call ‘lavish.’

In addition, Sinclair’s assessment that the parade ‘served no purpose’ seems devoid of all human emotion. Did he not get the memo that the national championship is a big deal?’ It’s something worth celebrating. Period. We hadn’t won a national title in hockey in 14 years, and nothing is guaranteed as far as when we’ll win it again. As coach Jack Parker said, the school wanted to do something special for the students who supported the team all year but couldn’t make it to Washington, D.C. for the Frozen Four. Further, celebrating the victory also functions to energize Boston University’s alumni, further school spirit and show the city of Boston (especially our rivals at the other end of Commonwealth Avenue) who we are and what we can achieve. Can anyone imagine if, in celebration of the hockey championship, President Robert Brown merely issued a statement congratulating the team but declaring that no further revelry should be involved due to the possibility of it costing money? It would be entirely sad, and make the school look ridiculously callous and ill humored.

Finally, I am not an expert in BU’s financial structure, but I imagine that different money goes toward different things. Thus, whatever cost was incurred by celebrating something athletic will likely have little impact on the residential computer lab crisis. In fact, I’m sure that the costs of the parade will be recouped by the school in light of the increased sales of merchandise and tickets resulting from the hockey team’s victory.

I live my life trying to reconcile the fact that there are more important things in the world than hockey, so my viewpoint is obviously somewhat dissimilar from Mr. Sinclair’s. I would have given anything for the Terriers to have won the national championship my senior year, and remain utterly disappointed that a current BU senior could so scathingly find fault with celebrating Saturday’s victory with a few Duck Tours boats, a cake and some confetti. The possibility of residential computer lab cutbacks is an important issue that should be dealt with in its own right, but it has little connection to Tuesday’s parade.

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Janine Zimmerman

CAS ’06