LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: QUESTIONS: LIFE, DEATH AND RESPONSIBILITY

Dear Editor:

This letter may elicit many varied responses from the university community. The death of a college student is never an expected or desired event. The question is, why is the death of Michael Davis of such importance? His death brought national news coverage to Cape Girardeau. His death made headlines. Why?

In the fall of 1982, a college student was returning to the university from a weekend at home and she was killed in a traffic accident on the interstate. Does anybody remember her name? Probably not, but her name is Victoria v. Finney. There was no national news coverage nor any large memorials made or erected nor any outrage of college students.

Almost two years ago, a young female college student was brutally murdered on the interstate going home from work. Does anybody remember her name? Hope so, her name is Angela Michelle Lawless. There was no national news coverage nor any large outrage of the student body.

Both of these females are now just statistics. They were not bothering anybody, they were using common sense and were trying to live a life. Victoria and Angela will never see the sun again. They are forgotten by everyone except those who knew them or loved them.

There were over 22,000 murders in the United States last year. Every year over 25,000 people are killed on the highways. Some of these deaths are given wide national exposure, while others barely get a byline. Why should one death get more exposure than any other? Especially in this day and age when human life is so cheap, and easy to snuff out?

The media coverage of the death of Michael Davis is like a circus. The media is acting like this is the first death of a college student in history. I am sorry to say but this is not the first death of a college student by hazing nor will it be the last death of a college student by hazing.

Now, to try to answer my first question as to why Michael Davis' death is of such importance. This question will have many questions as answers. Until the information comes out of the trial or any of the defendants tell their story, many questions will have to go unanswered.

Did this death occur because of peer pressure? Here is a young man who is about to graduate college in another semester. He is liked by many, enjoys life and has a positive attitude. It should be noted that this writer never met Michael Davis, but everything I heard about him was positive.

It is known that Michael tried to pledge the same fraternity two years ago, but he backed out when another student got injured. Why did he go back to the same fraternity to pledge again? Is it because he was being pressured to join by his fellow classmates? It has been stated that Michael thought and felt that by pledging the fraternity it would enhance his career after college. Did his so-called fraternity brothers mislead him about the benefits of joining a fraternity? A fraternity is a brotherhood or brotherliness for social purposes. Why would a fraternity have to resort to violence to entice other males to join?

When a person is placed into a violent situation that has the likelihood for physical harm to come to him, that person will either defend himself or try to escape. Why would a peaceable person such as Michael Davis allow other so-called brothers to attack, molest and torture him? This scenario does not make sense because it goes against all human nature. Was Michael Davis being held at the initiation ceremony against his will? No human being in his right mind would allow himself to be tortured and injured without struggling to escape the attack, but it does appear that might be the case.

Who is to blame for this tragic event? The responsibility should be shared by many people and organizations. The university for not regulating fraternities and their initiations. The fraternity and its members for allowing a few members to become violent with pledges. Michael for allowing it to happen to him. Michael's friends and family for not intervening. The Panhellenic Council for not stopping this practice. The university community for allowing it. No matter how far the blame can be spread only one person can be held responsible for the majority of the actions, and that is the person who accepts the risk and allows it to happen.

This tragic event could have been avoided, but it did happen. It should never happen again, but it probably will. Until fraternities remove the childish and idiotic initiation practices of hazing and start promoting brotherhood without violence, they will not be any better than a criminal.

In closing, I hope that Michael Davis is in a better place that does not know or allow violence and my prayers and condolences go out to his family and loved ones.

JESSE JAMES SPROAT