Letters to the Editor

South Campus Cookie Monster

I wanted to address yesterday's article, "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" on my initiative to rename the South Campus Commons buildings. My "Sesame Street" idea is one of many different ideas I will present next week to Jacinta Felice and Jon Dooley of the Division of Student Affairs. What I wanted stressed in the article is that there is a rhyme and reason to the building names on the campus, and the Resident Life department wants the new names of the Commons buildings to fit this theme.

To me, our Commons buildings are different institutions from the traditional dorms and academic buildings, so I think it would be appropriate to separate Commons out of this overarching theme. I like the idea that there would be a building on the campus named "Sesame Street" so when someone sings the line, "Can you tell me how to get ... to Sesame Street?" you could respond with, "Yeah, it's on South Campus." But I realize this is my own opinion, and the decision will be ultimately be made by Resident Life and not by me.

The other point that I felt was left out of the article was my thought process: I suggested Sesame Street characters because Jim Henson, famous for his creation of the Muppets, also lent his creative genius to the show. Furthermore, I think it adds something to our campus to have the contrast of "adult" buildings with a strong identity of childhood - Sesame Street.

Josh Swanner South Campus Commons Legislator Student Government Association

Senior class trick

I went to the alumni center for the senior Duke Game Watch expecting to have a sandwich and beer with some of my fellow seniors. What I found was a ruse. There was a band of eccentric money-mongers guarding the gate to fun.

"Sorry, you can't come in unless you donate $10 to the senior class gift." "But …" I replied, "I don't believe the money is being used for a good cause." "What!" said a puzzlingly old-looking senior. "But what about leaving your legacy?" "Do you really think it's worth it to spend all that money on some chairs and a nice TV?" I replied. "Well … who cares? It's our class gift, man!"

Let's get one thing straight. Any (supposedly) intelligent, college-educated youth who donates money to something he knows nothing about or worse, doesn't support, is telling you something about how he intends to live his life. They won't leave any legacy for this university worth quoting.

Remember, the Sergey Brins, Connie Chungs and Jim Hensons were free thinkers, not automatons. I, for one, intend to leave a mark on the world that future Terps can be damn more proud of than a plasma TV. Save your time and money for a cause you're ready to invest yourself in. If you help a cause that you don't believe in, you're not helping anyone.

Dara Khan Senior Finance