Letters to the Editor

Canada still ahead of China

To the Editor,
I appreciate the overall sentiment in Justin Ling’s column, but his opening paragraph featured the line “but what makes Canada so much better (than China on human rights)?”
While the shutting down of needle clinics and the forced exodus of the homeless population is deplorable, come on! This is China versus Canada we’re talking about.
Every human rights issue  in China makes us look better.

— Connor Rosine, second-year journalism student at the University of King’s College

Dalhousie’s fall study day misses the mark

To the Editor,
It was with reservation that I heard that Dalhousie would be adding a fall study day next year. I wasn’t aware this was even being considered. I hadn’t heard much from fellow students actively desiring such a day, though anecdotally, some of my friends did express a remote desire to have a fall break. The decision was swift, according to Rob LeForte, vice president (education) of the Dalhousie Student Union. While I’m glad we’ll have a day to study, my reservations stem from the timing of the fall break.
This year, reading week is arguably too late in the semester, after seven weeks of classes. Next fall’s study break will come nine weeks in, when, at least for engineering students, midterms are long forgotten. That precious day would be well served during the midterm season as a chance to keep pace with the material.
My greatest concern, however, stems from the precise date chosen. Nov. 12 was chosen in order to create a four-day weekend, starting with Remembrance Day. Given the culture of binge-drinking on long weekends and days off in university, I feel that the already abused day off for Remembrance Day will turn into a four-day binge.
This move will encourage some students to forget about the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep you and me free, which is not surprising given that many students already choose to nurse their hangovers into the early afternoon on that important day.
Today’s youth are forgetting the important moments of our past. The tragedies of war should not be forgotten, because when they are, we run the risk of returning to a state of world war. Rather than giving the students an extra excuse to drink on that hallowed day, we should be moving the study day a few weeks earlier: Oct. 29, for example. Such a date would be during the busy midterm season, and would provide us with a much-needed break.
Our veterans deserve more than a four-day binge. Our veterans deserve more from today’s generation. The timing of the fall break is unfortunate, and I hope next year’s crop of Senators will take Remembrance Day into greater consideration when timing future study breaks.

— Ben Wedge, engineering student at Dalhousie University