Letters to the Editor

A first-hand reflection on recovery efforts in New Orleans

Walking into a New Orleans classroom 30 months after Katrina with my Appalachia group, my eyes were glued to the date on the blackboard: "August 29, 2005." The teacher's notes from the day of Katrina are still piled on her desk with students' supplies scattered around the room. An eerie feeling swept over our group, as if we were walking through a museum or witnessing some snapshot of history.

Many parts of the city have not been touched since the disaster. With all the work to be done and the government red tape holding up relief funding, a feeling of helplessness often came up. It made us question what effect our small steps this week will have on the road to recovery.

Many kids in the neighborhood have not returned to school. Insurance companies are finding legal loopholes to back out of paying residents for repairs. The levees have been rebuilt to the same pre-Katrina strength, almost asking for a reoccurrence of the tragedy.

As frustrating as the progress in New Orleans is, there are glimmers of hope. This hope comes through the people of the city. The resilience and optimism of the people of New Orleans are breathtaking. Watching Father Ray repairing the Corpus Christi School from 6 a.m. until midnight or talking with community members, like Henrietta, who capture the glimmer of light in the midst of all the struggles, reveals the potential of the city.

A potential with kids like Trey and Eric, who stay upbeat and involved in the community, despite what they have been through. A potential filled with people like Mr. Raymond, who volunteers countless hours to repair houses. A potential with community organizers like Monique and Ms. Cheryl, who house volunteers and give kids an outlet away from the potential dangers of the streets.

New Orleans will never be the same and the work remaining is daunting. But through the people and the strong communities, there is no doubt in my mind that the city will continue to regain its footing and one day stand taller than it stood before Katrina. Broken levees can destroy houses but they cannot destroy the resilience and hope of New Orleans.

Kevin Schuster A&S '11

A report on UGBC improvements to student life

The platform that we ran on last February has remained our focus and we have worked consistently to deliver on the promises we made. We are writing this letter to share briefly a list of recent UGBC accomplishments. Do not hesitate to contact us directly if you would like more information on the status of any UGBC initiatives.

Grocery Shuttles: During the first semester, the UGBC funded and operated a shuttle bus to the Beacon Street Star Market on four consecutive Sundays. We asked every user to fill out a survey on the return trip to track dollars of groceries bought, frequency of use, and other items. The data demonstrated a significant demand for access to the grocery store from Boston College.

We took our data to BC Parking and Transportation Services and they now agree. Last week, you should have received an e-mail informing you that Parking and Transportation Services will now be operating and funding the Grocery Shuttles. They will operate from the Conte Forum bus stop on March 16 and 30, April 6, 13, 20, and 27, and May 4.

Next time you need cereal or PB&J supplies, we hope the shuttles will make it easier.

Space Reservation System: All BC student clubs know how difficult the process to reserve room space for meetings and performances can be on this campus. Besides the actual shortage of reservable rooms, the biggest factor affecting us all involves the outdated University process, which is almost entirely pen and paper, supplemented with some MS DOS-based software (yes, from the '80s).

We started researching this problem two years ago. We have tried to bring administrators together in the same room to talk about this, taking notes, and making presentations, including one to the board of trustees and one to a large number of University vice presidents. The biggest hurdle was demonstrating the real need for a new system, and making its purchase a University priority.

Over the summer, a consultant was hired by the University to review our system and to suggest a new one. The preferred vendor for the new system should be selected by April 1 and the goal is to implement the system in fall '08. This should make life easier for all student clubs.

Flat Screen Notification System: We have been working on this initiative constantly all year, and we will be debuting the pilot for this system in the next several weeks with the help and support of BC Media Technology Services and Information Technology.

Two screens will be installed in the McElroy and Lower dining halls. They will serve to advertise, on 42-inch screens, major campus events on a rotating basis, while you are in line or eating in the dining hall. BC Cable Channel 47 will mirror the system, so that if something catches your eye in Lower, or McElroy, you'll be able to turn it on later in your room.

If the screens serve their purpose and receive positive feedback, we hope the UGBC and the University will be able to expand and professionalize the system next year and in the future.

Speakers and Campus Entertainment: We held a fall concert and brought you Will Ferrell's Funny or Die Tour to headline the spring. We have also brought a number of speakers to campus, including Father Fernando Cardenal, S.J., former minister of education to Nicaragua; Peggy McIntosh, the author of "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"; Nadje Al-Ali, author of Iraqi Women: Untold Stories from 1948 to the Present; Matt Bai, New York Times journalist; and Ted Conover, author of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing.

We will also have Spike Lee speaking on April 9.

We hope you will take these accomplishments as proof that the UGBC works hard to make a difference on campus and is always committed to your student life.

Sincerely,

Jenniffer Castillo UGBC President

Daniel Sievers UGBC Vice President