y- The Aletheia, Page 4
Montreat Students Build Futures through Habitat
By Jennifer Mobley
With the Christmas season fast
approaching, many Montreat students
are thinking about semester break and
going home for the holidays. And
because of Montreat’s involvement
with Habitat for Humanity, there is at
least one family in the Asheville area
that will also be able to be home for
the holidays - and for months after
that.
Last weekend, students from the
campus Habitat for Humanity ministry
spent time helping a needy family
build their new home in the Biltmore
area. Montreat has been involved
with area chapters of Habitat for
Humanity for four years now, working
most often with the Asheville chapter.
This year, Montreat students are in
the process of forming a chapter on
campus. As a full-fledged chapter for
Habitat, it will be their job to work
for Humanity
with families from the area who
demonstrate a need for affordable
housing. They will also be responsible
to raise funds for the ministry and to
educate people in this area about the
issues of housing and how Habitat steps
in to provide for families that could not
otherwise afford to own a home.
Habitat for Humanity is a non
profit, international oiganizationthat
operates with the help of volunteers.
Since they began, they have built over
45,000 houses worldwide.
“Montreat’s ministry forms one
piece of a much larger puzzle,” com
mented Ed Bonner. Habitat homes are
built on surplus land, often donated by
the government, and using donated
building materials from area suppliers.
The homes are sold to low income
families at an interest free, flat cost
price, and the partnering families each
donate 500 hours of sweat equity labor
helping to construct first their own
homes and then homes for other families
in similar situations. The income fix)m
the mortgages on the homes that are
sold is recycled by Habitat to assist in
financing the constmction of more
homes.
Every time Habitat makes it
possible for one family to rise above the
financial restraints that would have
prevented them fixrm buying and owning
their own home, they also open the
door for several more families to
experience the same opportunity. As
one Habitat representative put it, “this
ministry acts as a solution to poverty,
and in the process it creates long term
contributing members of the commu
nity.”
If you are interested in helping
needy families in this area, please
contact Steve Woodworth at extension
6304.
I Dear Editor,
After reading and considering the
I movie review written by Eric Satter
I entitled “Pulp Fiction Meets
I Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet in
[Review”, we strongly feel that a more
[objective rejoinder to be obligatory.
While Satter briefly touched on
[the wonderful spectrum of color used,
[ his comparison of the film with Pulp
[Fiction is unsupported like a room
[void of walls; only airy nothingness
[remains. It would be more supported
[with reasoning. Some have com-
I pared the fast paced action seen in
[the beginning of Romeo and Juliet
[with the video for “Sabotage” by the
[BeastieBoys. The video makes good
[use of color and the music hits on the
harsh side, tonewise. Editing tech-
[niques also take on a similar flare
Editor’s Mailbox
between the two. Furthermore, the
film takes place during Contemporary
times, not Modem times as was also
stated in the original review.
Likewise defining the battle
between Montagues and Capulets as
a civil war is a malapropism; civil war
pertains to a battle among one or
more governments. Both families
were living in accordance under the
same government and feuding with
each other.
The boldest element in Satter’s
article that we question is his quote,
“Harold Perrineau played an awe
some Mercuito, even if Shakespeare
didn’t envision the character as an
African American.” How does Satter
know Shakespeare’s intent concern
ing the lineage of actors in his plays?
It is not specified in the list of charac
ters found in Romeo and Juliet that
they must be performed by Cauca
sians.
The beauty and timelessness of
Shakespeare is that it isn’t limited;
there is a pure universality found
within its capabilities and capacity to
transcend decades and cultural
differences enabling a presentation of
connectedness among humanity to the
Shakespearean audience.
Our simple reason for responding
and request that closes our fury in ink:
please do not try to force
Shakespeare, or art in general, inside
a preconceived, idealistic mold. The
finished product is man-made and
sans spirit, for art’s arena is large.
Sincerely,
Mary Jo Snelson and Denise
Oblander