Dear Editor,

I am appalled at the voices section from the October 7, 2003 edition of the Clarion. The lack of care shown by two students for a whole other country full of people displays a disregard for inherent human values and exhibits incipient ethnocentrism. I expect much higher standards from those attending an institution as prestigious as the University of Denver.

Although the student’s voices were certainly printed to incite a humorous reaction, the fact that they were printed exhibits a type of ignorance which does not reflect highly on anyone associated with DU. Any student, staff, or faculty of Middle East origin has now essentially been alienated from the “voice” of DU. They have been given the impression that the sovereignty of their homeland is a joke.

If I were an Iraqi, which I am not, I would demand an apology. As a DU undergraduate student, however, I am embarrassed by both the opinions of the two DU students as well as the question asked of them. It saddens me to see imperialistic behavior such as this.

Sincerely,Alison Kattelmann