Responsibility is the key word to use when describing the situation involving the Pepperdine students and the employees at Ralphs who lost their jobs. Who should be responsible for what? The students should be responsible for their behavior, which will be handled by the court since it is alleged that they violated the law. Pepperdine University should take responsibility for anything that happens on the grounds of its campus, but clearly it would be impossible and undesirable for any university to follow its students around all over the country to be sure they aren’t breaking any laws. The employees at Ralphs should take responsibility for the fact that they didn’t check student identifications, which is required by law and their employer, under all circumstances. Ralphs should take responsibility for their inflexible policy toward long-time, loyal employees.
Hatred is the word that comes to mind after reading Mr. Hodal’s letter to the editor. Hatred for the students who made a poor decision at Ralphs a few weeks ago. I guess Mr. Hodal never made any poor choices when he was growing up, and he continues to be perfect in every way. Hatred for Norvel Young, a man Mr. Hodal didn’t know. Norvel Young spent his life both before and after that tragic accident helping and saving others.
I guess Mr. Hodal thinks anyone who makes a mistake should be written off permanently. Hatred for Pepperdine University because they are providing more housing for students and teachers, more buildings for educating our leaders of the future. What an awful thing the leaders and teachers at Pepperdine are trying to do! Imagine, wanting to nurture and teach the next generation!
While the credibility of a person so immersed in hate inevitably implodes, the leaders and teachers at Pepperdine who care for and train some of our nation’s finest students are rewarded with the knowledge that they are helping to change the course of hundreds of lives and thus to improve the earth a little for all of us.
Gail M. Wilburn