Letters to the editor
Send your letters to tobancomment@umanitoba.ca or drop them off at 105 University Centre
Stereotypes meaningless
Isn’t it terribly dull at this point to write an article about a group of people who are into a certain type of music or look, and act like you are above it all and can see right through the ruse? (I’m more indie than you, 01/03/2006)
Different people are into different things. Whether they are gothy, punky, hip-hop fans or sci-fi geeks, anyone can be lumped into a group and “exposed” for what they are. I for one do wear nerdy glasses and I am an artist and I listen to indie rock. But I am also a person with several other interests that would not put me into any category.
Being a writer who seeks to make a statement about some kind of clique or group seems to be yet another way of being a group of your own. Look at me, I can see through your artsy/punky/indie/nerdy/etc. façade and call you out on it. It’s kind of an elitist approach. Should someone write an article about snarky writers who think they have uncovered some big secret about a certain group and now are acting above it all? Nah.
Soon there will be a new crop of kids, a new group, whether they be retro grunge fans, horror movie geeks who like polka dancing or crunk clowns who give cooking lessons; variety is the spice of life.
I’m just saying.
Cheers!
Robin Groves
Looking forward to working with students
Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent UMSU elections. I look forward to serving as your president, along with the rest of the Choice for More slate, and continuing to take UMSU in a positive direction.
When I decided to stand for election as UMSU president, I expected that the mistake I made in the past would, and should, be part of the discussion. What I didn’t expect was the way this information would be twisted into a fictional story.
While students saw beyond the things they heard, I still feel the need to clear up any confusion that may exist.
The news coverage during the election no doubt created uncertainty in the minds of some.
I lacked focus in my life, and one night in August 2003, I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people. Contrary to what you may have read in the Winnipeg Sun or the Winnipeg Free Press, I was not involved with violent crimes.
Unfounded charges were laid against me, most of which were dropped. However, I wound up being convicted to a count of possession of drugs. I took responsibility for my past and repaid my debt to society. Without a doubt, that was the absolute low point in my life, and at the time, I wasn’t sure how I would recover.
This incident was a defining moment in my life. I was forced to consider where I wanted to go in life and how to get there, so I focused on my education and became serious about succeeding. I was elected as the Arts Student Body Council president, served as an Arts senator, became involved with UMSU and completed my degree.
I’m proud of what has happened in my life in the past couple of years. We too often hear how education needs to be “earned” by people, how they need to work for it. But the truth is, education is a salvation. For me, it was a way out of an aimless — and dangerous — path. For many others, education is a way out of poverty and hopelessness.
For not bringing this forward sooner, I apologize. I will never shy away from talking about my past, and I encourage anyone to approach me with any questions. For the next year, the goals of the student movement will be my highest priority.
I look forward to serving all of you and know that I must earn your trust. I hope that you will share my belief in the possibilities for change, and that you will be able to find a place of interest and involvement in some aspect of UMSU. I look forward to working with and for you.
