To the Editor:
It pained me to read Hannah Dreier’s criticism of Alan Dachs.
First, Ms. Dreier’s Wespeak comes across as an emotional outburst rather than a well-reasoned argument. For example, she ignores the fact that Bechtel is primarily a construction company. It builds things—airports, hospitals, roads, water treatment facilities. It’s true that the U.S.’s involvement in Iraq has directly or indirectly led to many of these facilities being destroyed or made inoperable, but the blame for that lies elsewhere. Would Iraq be better off without these facilities? Should Bechtel refuse to rebuild them because they should never have been destroyed in the first place? That makes no sense.
Secondly, Ms. Dreier completely ignores the reasons why Alan Dachs is being honored by Wesleyan—for the extraordinary contributions he has made to the institution. Leave aside the enormous financial support he has provided—money that has gone to provide financial aid, the hiring of additional faculty, and the enhancement of Wesleyan’s physical infrastructure. Alan has given something much more valuable—his time and his emotional support. To put it quite simply, Alan has done whatever Wesleyan has asked of him, and he has asked for nothing in return. There is no stronger friend to Wesleyan than Alan Dachs, and I don’t think it is right to treat a friend the way Ms. Dreier treated Alan Dachs.
Now, Alan is used to reading criticism in The Argus (I recall a few years ago someone wrote in and called him an idiot), and he can fend for himself. Ms. Dreier’s energy and passion against the war in Iraq are well placed; we need every voice speaking out against the war if we have any hope of ending it. However, rudely dismissing a strong supporter of Wesleyan does no one any good, and it isn’t how decent people treat their friends. If Ms. Dreier has a beef to pick with Alan, she should reach out to him and engage him (politely!) in a discussion about the important issues she is raising. I’m willing to bet she’ll learn something from the discussion. Afterwards, if she still thinks Wesleyan should not be affiliated with Alan Dachs, then at least she’ll be able to write a more informed and persuasive Wespeak to advance her arguments.
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