Kreeft speaks on Western Civ.
By Jennifer H. Lee | April 14, 1998Boston College professor warns of 'perils of multiculuralism'
Boston College professor warns of 'perils of multiculuralism'
Corruption and a poor economy have created almost "death-camp"-like conditions in Russia's jails and equally poor conditions on its streets, human rights activist and author Elena Bonner told a crowd of 100 people in Rockefeller Center yesterday afternoon. Bonner, the widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, spoke through an interpreter -- her daughter, Tatiana. She said conditions in Russia's prisons and detention centers, where suspects can await trial for two to three years, "can be compared just with the Nazi death camps except that the Nazis used gas." In Soviet Russia, Bonner faced repression and human rights abuses, but she said those "only seem a drop in the ocean of today's problems," including meager salaries and impoverished education, healthcare and criminal justice systems. Bonner's parents were imprisoned as traitors of the state when she was only 14.
The 21st annual Alumni Fund student phonathon raised almost $500,000 this year, but fell short of its goal by more than $75,000. The callers were more productive this year and brought in a larger number of pledges, according to Alumni Fund Assistant Director Chris Boffoli. The callers raised $498,995.64 this year, which was also short of last year's total, $568,000 and their goal for this year, which had been $575,000. Boffoli cited scheduling conflicts as a key reason for the $70,000 decrease from last year's phonathon. The phonathon concluded its nine-day run last Thursday amidst a flurry of other activities, such as Winter rush and football playoff games. Martin Luther King Jr.
For most students, dealing with ethical problems is far from the ideal extracurricular activity. But for the four members of the Dartmouth Ethics Bowl team, answering questions about medical, social and business ethics is not a dilemma. This willingness to make decisions on some of life's messiest questions has earned Alisa Davis '01, Dave Dookeeram '99, Brandon Garcia '99 and Ritika Nandkeolyar '01 the chance to compete in the National Ethics Bowl, in Dallas, Texas this year. On February 26, the Dartmouth team will vie for the national title with 19 other college teams. "As a team, we want to win," Dookeeram said.