To the Editor: I have worked with the Biology Department (on rhapidosomes and asbestos), the Electrical Engineering Department (on high-temperature sensors for geothermal wells) and I have had the privilege of being on advising committees for students in Regional Science, Computer and Information Science, Finance, Civil and Urban Engineering (now Systems), Economics and Social Systems Sciences (now disbanded). All these associations have been very stimulating and informative and I am sure I have gained much more from them than they ever gained from me. I have also served on many committees. The most memorable of these include the Committee on Committees (which I thought must be a joke 'til I experienced it!), the School of Arts and Science Personnel Committee, and the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility. These and others have given me a wealth of experiences and contacts among Penn's community of scholars. In short, I have greatly enjoyed my career at Penn and have taken the opportunity to explore and participate in a few of the many fields that are represented here. I strongly recommend undergraduates also explore fields that are new to them; they, too, will enjoy the resulting benefits as they join our community of scholars. R. Ian Harker Geology Professor LCE editorial on target To the Editor: The editorial "Spoiling our fun" (DP, 4/22/96), attacking the University administration for spurring the LCE's Spring Fling "crackdown," was the best I've seen in four years at Penn. And, as one would expect, some holier-than-thou buzzkill wrote a letter blasting the DP for publishing such a socially irresponsible editorial, condoning sins like underage drinking and parties ("Post-Spring Fling feedback," Letters to the Editor, DP, 4/25/96). Can you say "loser?" Try having fun for a change? it won't kill you. And isn't it ironic that the same University president who publicly told a student leader to "get a life" a few months ago is now overseeing and encouraging the downfall of Spring Fling? After all, Fling is one of the few weekends that still shows signs of life around here. Hey Judy, there's an old saying that goes, "Practice what you preach." Meanwhile, as far as the LCE, consider what I imagine to be a description of an LCE job opening: "Wanted -- person who wants to extend created authority, but isn't smart or tough enough to do important police work. Position includes opportunities to break up parties and rough up dangerous college kids." Hey LCE-man, isn't there a Dunkin' Donuts being robbed somewhere? Check it out. For four years, I've watched this school's once-renowned party reputation disintegrate. If I sound bitter, maybe its because four years ago I chose to go to the "party school of the Ivies." Scott Ross College '96 Chodorow 'unfit for office' To the Editor: Provost Stanley Chodorow is unfit for office. At last Wednesday's University Council meeting, he misrepresented the 1994 ROTC Committee report and the actions taken by University Council pursuant to it ("U. will not make changes to ROTC program," DP, 4/25/96). And Chodorow is personally responsible for violations of the University's non-discrimination policy. Chodorow told Council that the Committee to Review the Status of ROTC at Penn considered three options. That is categorically false. The ROTC committee considered five options. The committee found the first two, maintaining the status quo or changing the University's non-discrimination policy, completely unacceptable and rejected. Chodorow also told Council it had rejected the termination of ROTC at Penn as an option. This is also categorically false. Both the Almanac and the minutes of the Council meeting in question clearly indicate that Council chose simply to not endorse such an alternative. Instead, Council passed a motion to delete the termination option from the report, and endorsed the rest of the report and its recommendations by a vote of 25-1. Council thus endorsed the recommendation that the status quo was unacceptable, while leaving open the door to an end to ROTC and refusing to actively endorse such an alternative. It is through the provost's office that the ROTC program is run, and it is through the power of the provost that faculty appointments are given to ROTC instructors. The discrimination against lesbians and gays both within the ROTC program and in the appointment of faculty members is the provost's responsibility, and his willingness not simply to condone bigotry, but to actively participate in discrimination himself, is reprehensible. If University policy is to mean anything, it must be followed by all members of the community, including the provost. Actively participating in discrimination and then lying about the reasons for doing demonstrates that Chodorow is morally and ethically unsuitable for his position. Chodorow has shown himself to be unwilling and unfit to play a leadership role on this campus. He should resign and find a position better suited to his eagerness to kowtow to bigots in the name of expediency. Paul Lukasiak Administrative Assistant School of Social Work On being 'half-and-half' To the Editor: In response to Matthew Taff's guest column "Caught In The Middle" (DP, 4/18/96), we -- a group of multiracial individuals -- would like to address the issue of being "half-and-half." Although we find the term "half-and-half" abrasive, we appreciate the opportunity Taff has given us to approach the long-silent issue of multiracial and multicultural identity. First, we would like to clarify the misconception about the nonexistence of a group for people of mixed heritage. Check One, an organization of and for multiracial students, was founded in 1995. It takes its name from the fact that one is asked to literally check one race or ethnic group when filling out standardized forms. Our organization provides support and a forum for discussion of issues important to multiracial people. Multiracial people are distinct from one another, with different practices and different belief systems and ultimately a distinct concept of identity. Despite the different combinations the term "multiracial" includes, as individuals we share a hypersensitivity to racial and ethnic matters because we do, or are expected to, connect with our ethnic heritages. Taff's assertion that we "have already learned that race should not matter" is an oversimplified ideal. To debate whether race should or should not matter is irrelevant; for many of us, it does. We face racial issues daily -- such as pressure to fit into one or both of our ethnic groups, and to express pride in (and loyalties to) both ethnic groups and backgrounds. We are largely an ignored people, and segregation, which preserves and reinforces culture, can also serve to exclude us. Our aim is not to explore the positive or negative consequences of segregation, but rather to have our presence and our concerns recognized. We prefer not to use the term "half-and-half" because it implies that we are made up of segmented parts. These elements of ourselves are not distinct and separate pieces, but components of our collective identity. Again, we are grateful for the opportunity to be recognized and voice our opinions. The purpose of student organizations is not to perpetuate segregation, as Taff implies, but to give people a group with whom they feel comfortable, a safe haven for discussion and a structure where individuals can come together for a common goal. Check One provides this for students of mixed heritages. Kam Santos College '97 Check One President (5 signatures follow from the Check One Executive Board.) Alcohol and U. social life To the Editor: I question whether Mike Nadel should be permitted to graduate at all if his primary concern after four years studying at the University regards the role of alcohol as the cornerstone of the Penn social experience ("To what bright glory?," DP, 4/24/96). It is a shame that despite his two majors in the College, Nadel's intellectual curiosity does not extend beyond the circumference of his beer belly. Paul Levin College '97 Finding work on line To the Editor: I would like to clarify comments I made regarding Internet resume services ("On-line resume service receives mixed reviews," DP, 4/24/96). I stressed that these data banks were not employers' vehicles of choice in filling positions. I never said "looking on the Internet is not the way to find jobs." In fact, I said, and have been saying, just the opposite. Using the Internet in job hunting is fast becoming a necessity. We in Career Planning and Placement Service are working hard to ensure that Penn students are adept at navigating the Web to visit employer sites, search on-line job listings, participate in industry-specific newsgroups, and use search tools to do employment-related research. I encourage all students to visit our office homepage at "http://www.upenn.edu/cpps". Our job listings and internship listings are online, as is a great deal of other very useful career information. Patricia Rose CPPS Director Objectivity in question To the Editor: In "Penn has one last chance for Ivy win" (DP, 4/26/96), your reporter stated that the Ivy League is "the nation's top conference." Unfortunately, the current and past United States Interscholastic Lacrosse Association Men's Division 1 rankings do not support this statement. While Princeton currently holds the No. 1 position, three of the top five teams are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Furthermore, ACC teams have consistently held four of the top 10 positions in this poll throughout the 1996 season. The Ivy League has not been so fortunate; last week, however, Ivy teams held three of the top 10 positions. Even with this effort, however, they fall short of the ACC teams' performance. I also question your source for NCAA Men's Division 1 rankings. While Face-Off magazine is an excellent publication, its poll has no impact on selections for the NCAA tournament. The NCAA uses the USILA poll (http://lacrosse.org/-lax/d1poll.html) to determine selections for the playoff tournament. Furthermore, your reporter would have better supported his statement regarding the Ivy League by citing the USILA poll, where Yale was ranked No. 17 last week. Such discrepancies in the DP's coverage of NCAA lacrosse have raised serious doubts in my mind regarding not only your objectivity but also your credibility. In the future, it would be to the DP's advantage to be more objective in its coverage of NCAA lacrosse, as past coverage has already damaged the paper's credibility with the informed reader. Robert Smyth, M.D. Post-Doctoral Fellow Department of Medicine Syracuse University Lacrosse Team, 1986-1990
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