Flunking the SAT

Oh, IUSA, you were doing so well. With investigating the allocation of the Rape Crisis Fund, supporting plans for a more environmentally sustainable campus and calling for more student input in the presidential search process, we were fairly convinced of the legitimacy of this student administration. Our warm, fuzzy feelings toward IUSA came to a screeching halt, however, when quite possibly the most ill-conceived idea since the 2002 election Corvette debacle (in which IUSA purchased a Corvette for approximately $50,000 that would be raffled off in order to get students to vote in the 2002 general election) came into fruition Thursday. \nAn IUSA-backed group called "Students against Terrorism" chose Nov. 9, a day with the prestige of being the opposite of 9/11, to fight terrorism with white T-shirts. Yes, fighting the likes of al-Qaida with all the bunker-busting power of bleached cotton. These blindingly white, somewhat oversized monstrosities were handed out to the student body with the cryptic phrase "SAT" in bold, black letters on the front. SAT stands for "Students Against Terrorism." But how many saw them without thinking of standardized testing? Terrorists around the world must now be terrified by our unanimous agreement that terrorism is bad. Osama bin Laden, take heed. You are no match for our T-shirts! We have called on the gods of Fruit of the Loom to smite you with confusing printed messages and a unified belief in the downright badness of you!\nThe organization's president, junior Danny Schwarz, said he hopes these white T-shirts will help spread the message of unity and keep in the forefront the reality of terrorism the 364 days of the year that are not Sept. 11. As if the mounting American deaths in Iraq, increased hassle at airports and pop culture commentary weren't a 24-hour reminder of the grim reality, we now have a confusing white T-shirt just to be sure. Here's a clue: If a T-shirt would serve as the best reminder of the perpetual innocent deaths in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Darfur and Mexico caused by terrorism, then you probably don't need that T-shirt. You need a lobotomy. \nThe most offensive aspect of this idea was that IUSA spent $5,000 on the T-shirt campaign. IUSA is supposed to have the students' best interests in mind in its decision-making process and especially in the allocation of funds. How wasting $5,000 on a bunk anti-terrorism campaign serves our interests is lost on us. If IUSA is truly concerned for campus unity against pro-terrorist sentiment (which one would be hard-pressed to find here), could it have not put $5,000 toward a more worthy cause than those ugly, confusing T-shirts? That $5,000 could go a long way in feeding orphans in Darfur, buying medical supplies for refugees in Sierra Leone or funding peace missions between Israel and Lebanon. The point is that there is not a single person on campus who is unaware of the terrorist threat around the globe. What this world needs is not one more hollow reminder. Instead, it needs investments in proactive, positive responses for change. Spending $5,000 on T-shirts certainly does not meet that criteria.