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| 04-12-2005 | Previous edition: 04-11-2005 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Campaign ends, continues to cause controversyBy Ben StecklerAssistant Campus Editor The "Do you agree with Jake?" campaign ended Sunday, but the Cushman family will remember it for a long time. In 2000, Jake Cushman was involved in a similar campaign by Campus Crusade for Christ titled "Do you agree with Matt?" In 2001, Cushman and Matt Cahill, the Matt involved in the campaign, were killed in a car accident. Tyler Cushman, Jake’s sister and a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, found out about the recent campaign while meeting with the Purdue Cultural Awareness Committee’s faculty adviser. "I said, ‘You know this campaign’s been done before?’" She said she explained the story, but the adviser wasn’t concerned with any of the potential problems. "Could you at least use someone else’s name?" Cushman had asked. The fliers were placed and painful memories were awakened, but Cushman was willing to let the campaign finish. Then she saw the apology by the Purdue Cultural Awareness Committee in the Exponent. The group apologized for any pain the campaign caused, but said they didn’t know about the "Do you agree with Matt?" campaign. "It was mainly the apology that upset me," Cushman said. She said what also upset her was that her friend Jake Kazmierski, the Jake from the "Do you agree with Jake?" campaign, wasn’t told about the previous campaign and the deaths associated with it. "I told (Kazmierski) the story and he was appalled," Tyler said. "He truthfully had no idea at all." Kazemierski, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts, said he regretted any memories the campaign dredged up. "We’ve already apologized and continue to apologize," he said. Two advisers to the Purdue Cultural Awareness Committee said they deeply regretted any pain the campaign caused. They had discussed the previous "Do you agree with Matt?" campaign and knew of the deaths but didn’t realize the magnitude of the situation, they said. Both agreed that had they foreseen everything that has developed because of the campaign, they would have never asked the question, "Do you agree with Jake?" Printer-friendly version |
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