Letters to the Editor

A family of students To the editor: It is disturbing to hear that the president of the University of Pennsylvania finds the efforts of those graduate students attempting to organize a union not in their best interest when there is a large unionized workforce already in place at Penn. Many of Judith Rodin's colleagues argue that unions will impose special rules and regulations upon those who are members, and in part, they are correct -- but only in so much as to ensure that the collective voice of union members is protected. It is the ultimate form of democracy, as opposed to President Rodin's plea for a more doctoral relationship with graduate students. Unions have served and still continue to serve an extremely vital role in employer/employee relationships with regard to wage and working conditions. Without unions in this country, those of us who now enjoy a slice of the pie would still only receive crumbs. Collective bargaining is not a means to usurp the University's authority over its employees, but to ensure that those employees with whom Penn enjoys a long-standing relationship are treated fairly in regards to their wage and working conditions. It is based upon these legal rights of those graduate student employees to seek unionization that the University takes its anti-union stance. The University wishes to deny the basic democratic freedoms that have molded and shaped what this great country of ours has become. It is a well known fact that employers who face similar organizing drives have tried to stop or sway their employees from voting on unions with scare tactics, intimidation and threats of non-negotiation, even outright terminations, if the union were to win. And although Rodin's letter calling for the graduate students to oppose organizing efforts for unionization has no direct threats regarding the graduate students' organizing efforts, it does imply that the relationship which the University assumes it has with their graduate student employees would be strained if the legal rights of those same graduate students to seek collective bargaining should prevail. It seems as though Rodin's position is that the graduate students employed by Penn are more family then anything else. Yet, in the same breath, some of her colleagues place too much emphasis on monetary issues, such as healthcare and funding for graduate students. I am perplexed by this, since I was always taught that family and friendships are based on respect and genuine concern for the well being of others. I wish my fellow brothers and sisters involved in the graduate students' organizing attempts the best possible outcome, and in my opinion, that would be union representation. Shon Miller Half-baked proposal To the editor: I must echo the staff editorial (" Staff editorial: A misguided proposal," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 2/19/03) on the Undergraduate Assembly's proposed Block Project. But my aversion to the project is for a different reason. In the article outlining the project, it was stated that the project would be jumpstarted with a computer hub and study center. In and of itself, this is a great idea, but I have to question the use of computers that were to be given to area high schools. As a lifelong West Philadelphia resident, I know how the schools are suffering, and I have seen plenty of articles on students complaining about how the University does not do enough to support the community. And yet, when a situation such as this arises, there are people who are all too eager to take something that is truly meant to help the West Philadelphia community. So far this proposal seems half-baked at best. Perhaps it is time to take it back to the drawing board for some revamping. Chris Gaus>College '03

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