Thursday, October 28, 2004

by Greg Leiserson
Managing Editor

In a sharply worded letter to the editor in the Phoenix shortly before fall break, Joe Alberti ’06 accused managers at Sharples of mistreating employees and intentionally hiring individuals who won’t complain about inappropriate managerial behavior. Following the initial letter to the editor, Alberti met with Vice President for Administration Larry Schall to discuss the matter further. In addition to his meeting with Schall, the initial letter to the editor resulted in a statement from Human Resources emphasizing that “employees do not get fired for speaking their mind nor do they suffer retaliation for expressing their opinions or views.” In spite of the statement, Schall said Wednesday that no one had come forward to speak about any concerns with him. Schall emphasized that anonymity will be ensured for staff members in such a situation. Schall also noted some reluctance to publicly respond to the matter saying that he doesn’t “think it’s healthy trying to conduct a debate [on this topic] in the media.”

In a statement to the Gazette, Alberti wrote that his “intention was to focus the community’s attention on…an important issue.” In addition, Alberti hoped “that a dialogue could be established that would allow for the concerns raised in my initial letter…to be addressed in a productive environment.”

With the election less than a week away and Swarthmore students engaged in a wide array of both partisan and non-partisan election activities, the Gazette continues today a series examining political action at Swat. Today’s installment discusses the formation of the upstart College Libertarians and their election activities. Yesterday’s feature on the College Republicans provided a brief overview of their planned activities for the weekend and the period after the election. Check out Friday’s issue for a profile of the organization at the heart of campus dialogue: the College Democrats.
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Part 2: College Libertarians

by Andrew Quinton
Gazette Reporter

The College Republicans have to suffer the lack of respect from many of their Swarthmore colleagues, but the College Libertarians may well have a more serious problem: Anonymity. The word “libertarian” may get tossed around from time to time in political science courses but little is known about the libertarian movement or its political arm, the Libertarian Party of America. The LP suffers from the same maladies as all third parties and also lacks a figurehead such as Ralph Nader or Ross Perot. Who was the Libertarian candidate for President in 2000? The age of Harry Browne may have passed us by, but College Libertarians President David German ’08 and his fellow libertarians want us to Like Mike (Badnarik, that is.)

German found libertarianism after, “Sometime in middle school, I realized that I was always seemed liberal around conservatives and seemed conservative around liberals.” It turned out that German was not a centrist—someone who takes positions in between the archetypal “liberal” and “conservative” stances, but a libertarian, somebody who consistently believes in small government, individual rights and responsibilities, and free market economics. “Libertarianism requires that a person has a lot of confidence in individuals to be responsible adults and do the right thing without constant supervision.”

A common criticism of those who vote for any third party candidate is that they are wasting their vote by using it on a candidate who can’t possibly win. German encourages libertarians to buck the trend and vote for Badnarik. “Your vote will be a drop in the bucket either way unless you live in one of the very few contested states, and every libertarian vote builds name recognition for the party and encourages the media to give it more coverage. People say that this election is too important to vote for a third party, but every election is going to seem that way and if third parties are ever going to get any recognition, you have to vote for them at some point.”

According to German, there used to be a libertarian discussion group, but it was informal and was not affiliated with the Libertarian Party. The new College Libertarians are affiliated with the state and national party. Probably every Swattie has seen at least one flyer that asserts that Bush and Kerry are basically the same, or read a chalk message extolling him or her to vote Badnarik. Most of the College Libertarians’s efforts leading up to the election have been about “getting the word out” that voters have a third choice in the election.

The group is also hosting a fireside chat with David Jahn, the Libertarian candidate for US Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th district, which includes Swarthmore. Many Swatties have registered to vote in Pennsylvania in an attempt to influence the Presidential election, and they will thus also have the opportunity to vote on this Congressional contest. The chat will be this Thursday (today) at 6 pm in Kohlberg Commons.

Potential members or anybody desiring more information about the College Libertarians should email David German at dgerman1.

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*The Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918 Wednesday night, breaking the old superstition that the Red Sox were under a streak of bad luck since trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. This year’s series went 4-0, with the Sox beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 in the final game. Chants of “Let’s Go, Sox” bounced around Busch stadium, and the heavens even seemed to reward the team’s hard work with a total lunar eclipse. As Red Sox owner John Henry said just before the game, “People tell me this is the biggest thing since the Revolutionary War.”

*Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat seemed to take a turn for the worse late Wednesday, with reports saying that he had collapsed and lost consciousness. Though ambulances and medical teams were dispatched to his compound in Ramallah, Mr. Arafat did not leave this home that he has been confined to for the past three years. Israel said that it would allow Arafat to leave his compound for medical treatment in a hospital, but he would have to return immediately once the treatment was complete. The exact nature of his illness is not known, and though officials initially said he had the flu, there have been numerous reports that his condition is more serious, with the possibilities ranging from gallstones to stomach cancer.

*In a speech in Pontiac, Michigan on Wednesday, President George Bush broke his silence on the missing Iraq explosives. The president accused his opponent, Senator John Kerry, of “making wild charges” about the missing explosives, and of not supporting American troops. Kerry responded that while “our troops our doing a fine job, the president, the commander in chief, is not doing his job.”

*****

Alumni Services Open House
Sproul Alumni House, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Howard Dean Rally
LPAC, 10:15 a.m.

Faculty Lecuture: Peter Schmidt, English Literatue
“What Mark Twain Would Say Regarding Regime Change and Other Righteous Foibles.”
Kohlberg Scheuer Room, 4:30 p.m.

Beijing Opera: Tradition, Techniques, and Characters
Pearson-Hall Theatre, 4:30 p.m.

A Conversation with Rafael Reygadas
Kohlberg 115, 4:30 p.m.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Alumni Panel
Science Center 181, 5:00 p.m.

Chat with David Jahn, Libertatian for Congress
Kohlberg Coffee Bar, 6:00 p.m.

Japanese Movie Night Halloween Special, featuring Ringu,
Kohlberg 228, 7:00 p.m.

Martin Wolf, 2004 Wilcox Lecture on “The Future of Globalization: Threats and Opportunities”
Science Center 101, 7:30 p.m.

Film Showing: The Return of Martin Guerre
LPAC Cinema, 7:30 p.m.

French Film Festival: Le retour de Martin Guerrre
LPAC, 7:30 p.m.

Student Global Aids Campaign Introductory Meeting
Lang Center 7:30 pm

Feminist Majority Film Showing: Osama

Science Center 199, 8:00 p.m.

Ring Discussion: Why Do You Vote?
Kohlberg 116, 10:00 p.m.

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SPORTS UPDATE

Andrew Terker ’06 scored both goals for the men’s soccer team as they picked up a 2-1 conference win over the Bears of Ursinus. The win gives the Garnet Tide 16 points and guarantees them a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs that begin next week.

Terker’s first goal came in the 23rd minute off of a corner kick with assists going to Marty Griffith ’05 and Duncan Gromko ’07. The Bears tied the match just before halftime, but Terker struck again in the 56th minute to put the Garnet ahead for good. Brendan Grady ’08 picked up the assist on that goal.

Ruben Heyman-Kantor ’06 made 5 saves in the victory. The Garnet finish out their regular season at Clothier Field this Saturday at 5:00 against Haverford.

*****

Today:
Women’s Soccer at Bryn Mawr, 3:00 p.m.
Field Hockey hosts DeSales, 4:30 p.m.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.”
–Henry Ford

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