War in brief

Several Seaver faculty affirm anti-war stance

Thirty-eight members of the Seaver faculty felt it was their “God-given duty” to speak out against the U.S.-led war against Iraq in a petition that appears on page A13 on this week’s issue of The Graphic.

The pioneers of the petition were Dr. Richard Hughes, director of the Center for Faith and Learning, and Dr. Ted Parks, associate professor of Spanish.

“As Christians, we really had no choice but to speak out our convictions,” Parks said.

Parks drafted the first copy of the petition Friday afternoon. With the help of Hughes, the final draft was completed Monday afternoon.

Within 24 hours of e-mailing the petition to other faculty, the signatures were collected.

Students send troops support through mail

Nearly 100 letters written by Pepperdine students were mailed off to troops last week.

The letter writing campaign, organized by Riptide intern Adam Beamish, will conclude Friday at lunch near Waves Café. Beamish has also planned an organized fasting for the safety and quick return of troops.

“It has nothing to do with supporting the war or not,” Beamish said. “It’s our responsibility and a way of thanking the people serving us.”

All recipients of the letters are troops who have ties within the Pepperdine community.

Beamish said he was inspired to start the campaign by Professor Castulo Romero, who had discussed with his class the feelings of one of his former students now serving in the war.

Submitted April 03, 2003

MALIBU, CA