Letters to the Editor

Campus is no place for halfway house

First, I want to compliment reporter Brian Close for his objectivity in Monday's article, "Sorority objects to halfway house." However, I want to explain why having any sort of halfway house near campus is a bad idea.

The two legitimate goals of criminal rehabilitation and a safe college campus simply are incompatible with one another. I am not against efforts to rehabilitate criminals. On the contrary, I am planning a career in the criminal law system and I know that such efforts are absolutely necessary. I wish all of the residents of Portland House the best of luck and success in their programs.

That being said, it does not make sense to put a halfway house right next to campus and near so many greek houses. According to University Police, over the last five years an average of 2,225 crimes are reported on campus each year. This does not include those which are not even reported. Add a halfway house and you have a greater risk of victimization because the opportunity for crime is ripe on campus, as the numbers show.

Worst of all, any halfway house resident has acted and capitalized on the opportunity to commit crimes at least once in the past. Portland House in particular houses mostly those who have committed property or drug crimes. But it also houses some who committed weapons violations or crimes against people.

Add another fact: Most criminals do not commit one crime and stop. Recidivism rates are high. By the Portland House staff's own admission, 60 percent to 65 percent of its residents are sent back to prison or jail for violations of some sort.

I have heard about many incidents from the neighbors of Portland House and I have no reason to doubt their validity. I am not trying to alarm anyone. But the real question is, do you think a halfway house should be near our campus? No, it is too great a risk. Our campus has enough crime problems already.

Some people ask where I would suggest we put this house. I don't have an exact location picked out that would be perfect. But I do know that most ordinary residential communities have effective neighborhood watches, community policing and lower crime rates than ours.

Our community is different because the residents leave after four years, many new residents come in every year, about 90 percent of college students are living on their own for the first time and we don't own our own houses, nor feel like we are part of a neighborhood. I guarantee that a car is more likely to be broken into here than in Minnetonka.

What really upsets me about this issue is that in its infinite wisdom, the state Department of Corrections decided that out of seven halfway houses it uses, the best location for one of them was right next to the University campus. Was any part of our college community consulted? Was any study done? Did anyone have any input? My guess is no, because they probably assume most college students won't notice or care. I hope we can prove them wrong.

Robert Fowler,student, Law School,Republican candidate, House District 59B

Ireland editorial out of line

I am writing to address Monday's editorial, "Northern Ireland's battle has just begun."

As amusing as I found the prose, the lack of historical accuracy and overreaching comparisons with the plight of Michael Collins and that of Jesus, of all people, were really too much to be left alone.

Contrary to the history cited, Irish people, British occupation and the conflict that has arisen from it was alive and well prior to the Easter rebellion in 1916. The Irish republic also did not come to life at this time. Ireland gained sovereignty over 26 counties in 1921, five years after the rebellion.

As I understand Christianity, and I am no expert, Jesus did not designate Ireland "Easter's nation." I don't think he was that partial. Christians do not generally consider Ireland to be the home of salvation, or Easter bunnies for that matter.

Michael Collins was put in a very difficult position in the 1920s, as I am sure you learned from the movie, but it was a different position from that of Gerry Adams 70 years later. Adams is considered a credible and legitimate politician in Northern Ireland, at least by the United States. Collins was an appointed representative of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. It is funny that you say he was killed by "radical republicans" since he would also be considered a radical republican. But you are right, they should not be compared.

I especially found quaint your solution to the problem. The Irish must be so embarrassed. Imagine, after hundreds of years of conflict, if they could just "choose love, hard work and risk," peace would be possible. It's amazing they have not thought of this on their own.

You seem to be suffering from an affliction called condescension. Most people do not like conflict, and solutions don't come in six-word sound bites.

I wonder if you would transfer this logic to the race problem in the United States? If minority people would just "stop feeling sorry for themselves and their ancestors," peace could be a possibility. Catch my drift? The editorial was out of line, out of context and out of touch.

I am hoping that in the future the editorial writers will consider the prospect that conflict is not one-dimensional and solutions are not pretty phrases.

Sarnata Reynolds,student, Law School

St. Paul parking plan needs discussion

A communication was sent from the dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences on Monday. The message said the St. Paul campus would be getting new core parking, including a parking ramp with underground tunnels to be located south of the library on Fitch and Gortner Avenues and also a small deck structure to be erected on Gortner between Hendon and Dudley avenues.

I believe it would be advisable to hold such a decision until there has been a thorough discussion on this campus and in the surrounding community about alternative solutions that avoid the large increase in traffic that a large ramp in the center of campus would bring both to the campus and the community. Transferring traffic from the fairgrounds to central campus would be a hazard to pedestrians and bikers, degrade air quality and impair the quiet beauty of this campus.

Les Everett,professional employee, Department of Soil, Water and Climate