For the last dozen years, the Buffalo community has come together to raise money and awareness for anti-rape safety and remember the tragic death of Linda Yalem, the UB student raped and murdered while jogging on the Ellicott bike path. Despite being an enormous success within both the university and Western New York community, the Student Association has decided to withdraw their funding from the event until consulting with the Yalem family.
The decision was based on SA's insistence that the Yalem family is uncomfortable with the use of their daughter's name. A prepared statement from SA states it was "unable to dispel concern over the Yalem family's lack of support," and alludes to a "litigious past" between the university and the family.
If SA's claims are true, The Spectrum applauds its efforts to keep sacred the name of the victim of an unspeakable crime. A source within the university administration, however, said the family has "not once expressed concern about the race or its name." SA, by its own admission, has not been able to discern the wishes of the family, as the university has deemed their request to contact them inappropriate.
In this move, SA has put the cart before the horse, pulling funding before being able to understand all the facts. Before yanking funding for the event, more needed to be understood about the family and its mindset.
Clearly, everyone understands the sensitivity of an issue of this caliber, and it seems that everyone is looking out for the emotional needs of the Yalem family. SA claims it does not want to ignore the family's wishes. The university claims it does not want to disturb the family.
But since no issues have been raised by the family, it is reasonable to presume the status quo has been acceptable for over a decade. Until more can be understood about their opinion, decisions of this magnitude cannot be made.
SA stated in its statement that the $5,000 would be distributed to campus safety programs and Health Education and Human Services' "Take Back the Night." These are all worthy causes - in fact, The Spectrum wishes more money could be put into them, regardless - but the Linda Yalem Run is already an established event in the area. Before dealing a blow to such a successful function, more communication is necessary.
While it may be an extremely delicate issue, someone - whether in SA, the university or a mediator - needs to communicate with the family as to its exact wishes. Only then can the appropriate course of action be decided. It would be a tragedy to lose such an important and educational event due to lack of communication between the university and the family it intends to honor.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
