Dear Editor,
I was outraged when I read the article about David Riffle being convicted of violating Jamie Bigornia’s civil rights [“Verdict reached in Bigornia case,” Feb. 7]. I cannot believe that this case even got this far. What occurred on March 29, 1996, was simply a bar fight, no different than those that occur every night at hundreds of bars across America. I don’t see many bar fight participants being convicted of civil rights violations. Jamie Bigornia chose to make the case a gay issue and that was unfortunate. It only hurts those people that really have a claim against “real criminals.” Nobody disputes that Riffle should not have hit him in the first place, but the charge of violating Bigornia’s civil rights is nothing more than a publicity stunt and, in my and many of my friends opinions, a complete farce. How could Eric Britton, who “supposedly” did the same thing to Bigornia, get off while Riffle was convicted? Furthermore, Bigornia’s story constantly changed and he conveniently answered, “I don’t know” and “I don’t remember” during critical parts of his testimony. How could a jury hearing this find him a credible witness? Between the puzzling and erroneous outcome of this case and the O.J. Simpson case, I have lost all faith in the judicial system. I once had respect for the judicial system, I even wanted to become a lawyer, but now I have nothing but contempt for the whole system.
Robert Aguirre (’96)
via Internet
Dear Editor,
I am a very supportive alumnus of the University of La Verne (B.S. 1990, M.S. 1993). I am currently a doctorate student at another university. I was showing a prospective benefactor our new library yesterday, and I picked up a copy of the Campus Times [Feb. 7]. The quality of your publication is outstanding. I commend you on the upbeat tone and objective nature of your publication. The articles on Ralph Nader [“Nader addresses local issues at dinner”] and the biology team Baja trip [“Biology team travels Baja California”] were excellent. Your column about the O.J. trial [“Press shines Clinton for O.J.” by Raechel Fittante] was quite professional and well done. Keep up the good work. God bless.
Timothy L. Stanley (’93)
via Internet
Dear Editor,
Echelle Avelar’s column [“Seniors must pay for memories,” Feb. 21] was accurate. Senior retreat will cost an estimated $2,700 and through our effort, we have managed to raise only $1,800. In the past, revenues for this event came from ASF and departments around campus. This year, the Senior Retreat Committee has attempted to solicit funds from departments around campus. ULV is taking a 2 percent budget cut, therefore departments cannot afford to donate to extra programs. As the University begins to feel this domino effect, one area has gone untouched — ASF. Yes, ASF did donate $1,000 of the student body’s money this year and we are grateful for that contribution. Last year, they donated $2,000 to help fund the event. Does ASF find this year’s senior retreat half as important as last year’s retreat? If you ask the seniors who attended retreat last year, we are sure they would say it was well worth the funds.
The class of ’97 adopted the spirit of ULV. They overwhelmed Pilgrim Pines with their size. They became OWLs their sophomore year. They embraced sports teams, cheer, Greek organizations, LSF, ASF – the list goes on. The class of ’97 took full advantage of what the University has to offer. This class knows ULV traditions, can sing the alma mater and never walks on the seal.
There is no pot of gold waiting at the end of our rainbow to pay for senior retreat. The class of ’97 may have to sacrifice on the extra amenities this year. There may not be t-shirts and we may have to limit the number of guests. Thank you, Echelle, for giving this issue the attention it deserves. We are not here to bash ASF, but we are merely attempting to gain insight on the financial allocation process.
Don’t worry, class of ’97! With or without the proper funding, we will manage to pull off a worthwhile event for such a dynamic group of students. However, it would be a more successful event if we knew that our student government supported our culminating college endeavor.
Alma Barrera, Junior
Claudia Jimenez, Senior
Shannon McCrea, Senior
Student Representatives on the Senior Retreat Committee
Robert Aguirre
Timothy L. Stanley
Alma Barrera
Claudia Jimenez