I sent this letter to the chancellor at UC Berkeley. Trilesalectinophobia is purportedly the fear of camping equipment. In case you missed it, University police beat the crap out of peaceful student (and professor) protestors for having a few tents on the plaza. The chancellor responded with some really stupid emails-- beautiful lessons in fallacious reasoning (argumentum ad baculum, yo)-- including one in which he declared linking arms an act of violence. Call me crazy, but I am more concerned with the recent sexual assaults on campus than a few thousand people trying to speak truth to power.
Dear Chancellor Birgeneau,
I am concerned that the administration finds it more of a priority to email students about a few tents on Sproul Plaza than to address the recent sexual assaults on and near campus that have been reported by the Daily Californian. As a female student who escaped an assault relatively unscathed this summer near campus, I find it deeply disturbing (and insulting) that the administration has not taken the immediate initiative to warn the campus community about recent attacks.
While I am sure that your trilesalectinophobia has made the past few weeks difficult, I am convinced that the UCPD's time could be better spent actually protecting students rather than keeping watch for rogue camping equipment.
I appreciate the feigned concern for student safety expressed in recent campus-wide emails, but I think warning students of real threats (not ideological ones) would be a better expression of concern for the safety of the community. Thank you for your time.
Word.
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