I write to address to a Sept. 22nd article (‘Boston politics tend to ignore student demographic, students say’) and to Councilor Mike Ross, who wrote a letter in response.
??I myself was quoted as saying ‘[Boston City Council President] Mike Ross has called students ‘the scourge of Boston.” This quote exists nowhere but in rumor, and in his letter Councilor Ross called it ‘disgusting,’ confirmed that he never said it and detailed the importance of students locally and nationally.
??For citing an unsubstantiated statement and for peddling this rumor, I apologize to Councilor Ross.
??Furthermore, I’d like to respectfully rephrase the claims about an ‘anti-student sentiment,’ a paraphrase also attributed to me. The quotation was removed from context and thus divorced from the point we were trying to make, which was not to conduct a trial of Mike Ross in absentia.
??Rather, we sought to encourage student activism at the local level. Student effort is not and should not be limited to simply griping about a condition of local politics we may consider unfair and marginalizing.
??We should hold ourselves accountable for our own displacement from political decision-making. The student presence in Boston represents a game-changing vote that is largely unrealized.
??What we CAN do is use our consolidated vote to enhance our own political welfare. The most practical mechanism is supporting policies sensitive to our needs and rights, or shaping a political atmosphere that recognizes us as the economic lifeblood of Boston and the faces behind the phrase ‘the Athens of America.’
???Already this year, BU Democrats has coordinated volunteer efforts in voter registration and a number of municipal preliminaries, and many college students have sought to inform and involve themselves in Boston’s municipal processes.
???Again, we appreciate the attention The Daily Free Press has given to our political welfare, and wish to commend and assist students determined to translate ‘potential’ into leverage and real impact. ?
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Jones
Executive Board
BU College Democrats
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