Letters to the Editor

The role of diversity To the editor: I personally believe that affirmative action is not a cut and dry issue, but I must ask David Copley (" A program without morals", The Daily Pennsylvanian, 1/20/03) how he would address the other versions of affirmative action that exist today -- versions about which the Bush administration has expressed no concern. It isn't as if President Bush is not aware of the preferential treatment often given to "legacies" and students from influential backgrounds. He himself certainly benefited from such policies. And to some extent, such admission criteria are understandable. Legacies and upper class families are more likely to donate money to the university, which, in the long run, makes a better university. However, I believe that a school with a healthy minority population is also better off than one composed of 98 percent white students. I certainly weighed it into my college choice. An education is not just going to class and being lectured at; it is learning to survive in the real world. I am sure that in some parts of the country, a 2 percent minority population is normal, but I certainly don't want to live there, and I should hope that Copley doesn't either. I don't know if the University of Michigan's admissions policies are fair or not. I simply do not know enough about them. But before we condemn affirmative action, let's try and remember that "affirmative action," in the real world is not just a minority issue. Kiona Allen SAS '99 Right and responsibilty To the editor: My wife and I attended the Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative breakfast at Houston Hall on Monday morning. The age of the attendees ranged from 3 to 65-plus, including many high school students. One episode detracted from the King theme. Carlos Gomez, under the guise of a "performance," delivered a harangue concerning the state of the world in general and Penn, President Rodin, in particular. It was crass. It included needless foul language. The irony is that Judith Rodin, sitting at the speaker's table, would fully back Gomez's right to speak his mind. I am sure that although his personal barbs hurt, her leadership showed. The tragedy is that Gomez was not mature enough to choose the proper forum. He demeaned an event meant to honor everything King stood for. Gomez exercised his rights. Americans have that right. Commensurate with that right, Americans -- and all mature individuals -- have the duty to exercise their rights responsibly. It was irresponsible for Gomez to detract from King's commemorative breakfast. Leigh Bauer Legal Studies professor

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