Letters to the Editor

Not all Mercedes lovers are car thieves

On Monday, one of my friends bought a black Mercedes and a couple of us were admiring the car in front of the Library. Shortly afterward, we noticed a cop hurrying toward us and saying some things I really couldn’t hear

When she got closer, she started ordering us to show our driving licenses, and in the same tone she indirectly accused us of stealing the Mercedes. She said that some lady called the police to say that she saw four (black) people around a “stolen” Mercedes in the parking lot in front of the library.

Thankfully, the owner of the car had his license and title within reach. After he presented this, the cop went to consult with others who had arrived to provide backup. She (the cop) then told us that the person who put in the call was saying the car in question was a black Volvo, not a Mercedes, even though there was no black Volvo parked in the vicinity at the time in question (around 6 p.m.).

She later started explaining why the person might have placed the “preemptive call,” and the stolen car became an “about-to-be-stolen-because-there-are-four-black-people-around-it-car.”

Now I wouldn’t want to be as ignorant as the person who placed the call is, so I wouldn’t jump to the, perhaps, obvious conclusion.

So I’d say to the campus police when they are writing their rebuttal to what I have said occurred (which I’m sure they’d probably write), they should say what actions they have taken against this lady who called in, causing them to mistake four black guys and a phony Volvo for four black guys and a Mercedes. Or, they should just offer an apology for the debacle.

And to the lady, you could have given us some credit. For goodness sake, we would not be stealing a car and then open the hood, and the doors, while talking in front of the car. All four of us? I’d think you would steal the car and admire it later; not the other way around.

As shocking as this may seem, some other people actually own a Mercedes and haven’t had to steal it. The ironic thing is I’m sure we’ve been around a car in the same fashion before, but I guess we didn’t get the cops called on us because we are allowed around a Toyota or Ford, but not a Mercedes.

Seun Akinbo is a senior majoring in biomedical sciences.

Golf carts not a necessity for everyone

As I was walking back to my dorm from the Fresh Food Company the other night, I noticed two students on a university golf cart, one of whom had a bullhorn and was saying something about rushing at the Marshall Center tonight. For this reason I got the impression that they were talking about fraternities.

Now I don’t care if you join a fraternity, I also don’t mind the university supporting student organizations, provided they support all equitably.

But what I don’t understand is why these two students were riding around in a golf cart with a bullhorn — that seems to be a waste of my tuition money.

First, I fail to see why the Marshall Center needs golf carts in the first place; it is a single building after all. Second, will this actually reach anybody? If someone was interested in a fraternity, then for some reason, I have the feeling that they would already know about the event at the Marshall Center. So I must question why these two students were riding around on a golf car with a bullhorn wasting my tuition.

Benjamin Schott is a sophomore majoring in criminology.