TO THE EDITOR:
We would like to respond to a feature published in The Daily Tar Heel ("Activist SURGEs Ahead" Oct. 13) that we feel misrepresented SURGE. Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) is committed, as an organization, to uniting together for social change, and isn't guided by one person.
Statements in the recent profile about student activist Dennis Markatos such as: "By organizing SURGE, Markatos . outstretched his arms and encircled a community of dedicated individuals committed to `global responsibility' and equality," and "Markatos' desire for social change coupled with his willingness to dispute ideas and societal norms have allowed SURGE to expand since 1998" suggest that SURGE was created, and is now controlled, by one person.
The image evoked by these statements leaves out SURGE's greatest assets: SURGE is guided by a spirit of collectivity, openness, interactivity and cooperation. While Dennis' contributions to SURGE are invaluable links in the work that we do, we feel that the importance of community and the significance of the input of a variety of participants were lost in the way SURGE was represented.
"We can do so much by joining our hands and cooperating . We have to recognize we're all here together, so we can face things together."
Perhaps Dennis's own words above, quoted in the profile, do the best job of conveying what SURGE is all about.
Vincy Daro
Graduate Student
