Letters to the editor

Studying abroad once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

I agree that, as the author of "Perks of skipping abroad" points out, no one should be pressured to study abroad, and not everyone can. And I apologize on behalf of those of us who studied abroad if our encouragement came off as coercion.

However, in my experience, the benefits of studying abroad far outweigh those of staying in the United States.

The author argued that people will always have the opportunity to travel abroad. Yet, studying abroad is just that: studying in a foreign country.

Studying abroad allows you to take courses from a diverse faculty who are often from the country that you're studying in or from another unique background. Many programs have or require you to take courses taught in the native language or with local students at the nearby university, or some even have homestays.

And some programs, like Santa Clara's own Casa de La Solidaridad, have community-based learning placements or internships tied to the studying and traveling done abroad.

Additionally, the friends you live, study and travel with will become some of your best friends and come from across the U.S.

I think you will be hard-pressed to find someone who has experienced these things while simply traveling abroad.

Although many programs are expensive, there are ways to make it work. Take out loans or apply for scholarships. Do a shorter summer program. Or, study in a developing country where you probably won't be spending money on taxi rides or a five-euro beer at the bar.

I would also counter her argument that "you only have four years to live on a college campus" by saying that you only have four years to study abroad. You will always have the amazing experiences of your three-plus years in Santa Clara, but you will never again have the opportunity to study in some place completely foreign to you.

So, I write to all hesitant freshmen and sophomores, and even juniors still wanting to study abroad: Don't feel pressured to study in another country. But if you are even slightly considering it, do yourself a favor and take the time to properly investigate how to make it happen.

As stressful as it is, plan ahead. Know what credits will and won't transfer, and find subleasers. Or better yet, go for the whole year and avoid the housing mess altogether. I think, in the end, you will find that your decision was more than worth it.

Andrew Engel

Biology '08

Letter opposing Santa Clara ROTC misguided

Katy Erker's arguments in her letter, "Army service isn't humanitarian work," are characterized by the confusion between the political and military institutions.

The author's arguments show her lack of basic knowledge in the current geopolitical situation and in the role of the military institution. The cited examples seem to pin the blame on the military institution without analyzing the political decisions that influenced them in the first place.

The author needs to realize that soldiers who take part in any operation are being guided by the over-arching political figureheads. The soldier does not have the luxury of questioning the chain of command without letting the military institution break down.

Her assumptions of the ROTC program are alarmingly misguided because she seems to put the blame on soldiers who serve, and not on the political administration in charge. Erker's assumption that a Jesuit education would not be beneficial to a soldier is derived from the failure to understand the unconventional nature of the conflict itself.

You cannot treat a counter-insurgency operation like a conventional war, as the objectives are different. The best way to achieve stabilization is through the blending of civic action and military might. Erker's notion of "soldiers going to war" is quite different from reality because soldiers today must also assume the role of humanitarians.

Throughout Iraq, soldiers have been called upon for reconstruction, education and other rebuilding projects. Santa Clara's atmosphere and Jesuit education imparts the values that will make our service members into more compassionate leaders. The three C's will allow them to bring about a much more effective resolution because knowledge and compassion are contagious. What these individuals take from Santa Clara will not only affect the citizens they come across, but will also influence the military institution from within. Although Erker argues that freedom cannot be purchased, I would like to remind her that it is not free either.

Abhi Rao

Accounting and Information Systems '09

Soldiers fulfill obligations with honor

First and foremost, I want to express my sheer disgust at the despicable letter written by Santa Clara Community Action Program Director Katy Erker in the Feb. 7 edition of The Santa Clara. What is perhaps more disturbing than Erker's explicit lack of knowledge on the subject of military duty and history is the fact that she lays blame upon the men and women of our armed services for her own political grievances. Regardless of one's views toward current U.S. foreign policy, the target of such angst should never be pointed at the men and women who do their job with honor and distinction.

Erker is the director of an organization which promotes a liberal agenda while simultaneously assuming it is immune to criticism because of the social services it provides. While I applaud the community services that SCCAP is involved in, its liberal agenda, as Erker so perfectly elucidates, tarnishes what could be an extremely admirable organization.

Erker would have you believe that the members of the Santa Clara University ROTC program are going to be future perpetrators of war crimes. What she fails to mention is that the "brutal human rights abuses" that are "credited" to our military are nothing more than misguided, unsubstantiated, libelous accusations. As for the Abu Ghraib incident, those responsible were court-martialed in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The members of the United States military fight and sometimes die in the course of providing humanitarian services around the world, something they selflessly do.

As a future member of the United States Armed Forces, I call for a letter of apology to be written by Erker to the Santa Clara ROTC for her sordid attack on their sacrifice. I am very proud of the members of this community who have made the decision to serve their country. I salute the author of the original article and encourage Erker to educate herself on what the United States military actually does. Hopefully, she might become mindful of the sacrifices so many make on her behalf.

Grant J. Cassingham

Political Science '08