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Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
The need for Fort Hood insight
The University of Maine should be a center of critical thinking. Mr. Warsame, author of the op-ed “Fort Hood is a great opportunity for anti-Muslim sentiment,” would do well to do more of it. That killings have been perpetrated in the name of Christianity and every other religion is not new, and it is not a crime to be Muslim in America.
Many thoughtful Americans have questions about Islam because it is unfamiliar. Perhaps Mr. Warsame could use the pages of your newspaper to enlighten us on the attitudes of Muslim Americans toward other religions or how some may pervert Islam to erroneously connect it to killing and mass suicide bombings. Or about what non-Muslim and Muslim American soldiers can do to protect our military bases.
German Americans and Japanese Americans can tell you that it has always been difficult for people of foreign origin to earn trust and respect, especially during wars against their countries. But there are Muslims in the American military doing just that right now.
We depend on those of you in academia to tell us something new, not recycle the animosities of the likes of Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck.
— Carroll Hoke
Thanks to UMaine hockey fans!
On behalf of the Maine Hockey team and coaching staff, I am writing to thank all the students who have attended our games this season.
The support of the fans has always been great here at University of Maine, but our student section in the balcony is what really makes the Alfond Arena’s atmosphere so unique and awesome. You lift us when we’re down and motivate us to fight through adversity. You build momentum for us when we’ve got the lead, and make it tough on our opponents.
After a couple tough seasons, players and coaches didn’t know what to expect this year from the Alfond crowd, but we have been blown away with the enthusiasm and vocal support from the students in the balcony this season.
As a result, our team has responded with a 3-1 start at home, with big wins over Michigan State, Vermont and Boston University. You have pulled us through some very close games and contributed greatly to these victories.
Thank you for standing behind our team when we need it most. We really appreciate it.
— Tim Whitehead, Head Coach of Men’s Hockey
Music-themed games are just for fun
Kegan Zema made unfounded claims about the games “DJ Hero,” “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” in his piece, “The Beat Report: ‘DJ Hero’ set list kicks out the jams, makes DJs rock stars.”
As a musician, I am not threatened by “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band,” nor are many other musicians I associate with. They aren’t a threat to my love of playing guitar because they are geared toward people who don’t have the money or time to learn how to play an instrument. It allows them to experience the feeling of a cheering crowd in their own living room. Learning to play an instrument is hard. Games like these allow someone to enjoy the idea of being a rock star or DJ without giving up months of their life.
If Zema had taken time to look at these games, he would have seen a wide variety of classic hits along with many current songs from new bands. This also includes a wide variety of genres not limited to classic rock or metal. Some bands with little to no recognition have been allowed access to a large listener base through these games. It isn’t just old dried classics from the ’60s and ’70s.
The article says “DJ Hero” provides “no transferable skills,” but it’s still more like the real thing than “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band.” Most musicians acknowledge that these games help people improve rhythmic skill and demonstrate the difficulty of playing in unison with a band. Thinking fans of these games are trying to be a real band is silly. It’s a fun game, but they don’t have the time to learn how to play real guitar. Talented guitar players who try to play their own songs on “Rock Band” will find it a humbling experience. It’s this simplicity that is attractive.
It’s fine for someone to prefer “DJ Hero” because of musical preference. But making a claim that it has more up-to-date music or it resembles the real thing any more or less than it’s guitar-based counterparts is ignorant. All these games are intended merely for entertainment, not to teach musical skills.
— Evans Goff
Publishing write-ins undermines process
Last year, only 12 percent of the University of Maine voted in the Student Government election. This wouldn’t be quite as bad if 11 percent of those voters didn’t go to write-in votes. When is the last time a write-in vote ever won an election? Yet for some reason, students feel compelled to write in their friend’s name, some obscene comment or something just plain mean. Why do you think the few students who take the time to vote would do this? I’ll tell you why: Because The Maine Campus publishes all grossly inappropriate votes cast during Election Day.
This encourages students to cast a meaningless ballot, which could throw off a narrow election, as we had this year. It gives the students less of a voice. It is our right as American citizens and students at UMaine to choose who we want to represent us.
Publishing write-ins also allows students to write hateful messages that will appear in the next newspaper. Last year’s “Anyone but Ross” is just hateful. I’m sure Ross did not appreciate the negativity that those votes cast.
It’s kind of ironic that there are “Maine is not for haters” signs all around campus while our own paper is setting such a negative tone. The Maine Campus should not be taking the voice away from its people, much less tearing its students apart by publishing hateful words.
— Kaitlyn Burrell
Bangor Daily News