Your Voice | Letters

Don't forget about class segregation

To the Editor:

With recent discussion in the The Daily Pennsylvanian's pages about DuBois House, let's not forget that just across Walnut Street, the University is building student housing that promises to be truly segregated.

Of course that would be economic, rather than racial, segregation at the Radian.

To its credit, the DP touched on this issue ("Pricing students out" 10/25/2007).

Otherwise, the University community's apparent unwillingness to question the assumption that the "haves" just naturally deserve separate enclaves illustrates an unfortunate reality at Penn and in the larger society.

Discussions about race are still difficult in this country, but we do often manage to have them.

The conversation that seems much more taboo is the one about economic segregation, which (in spite of the classless-society, everybody-gonna-be-a-billionaire script) increasingly overarches other divisions in this country.

Ellen Slack

Lippincott Library employee

Understanding SPEC's structure

To the Editor:

In response to Wednesday's editorial ("Spectacular Concerts," 11/14/2007) the executive board of the Social Planning & Events Committee would like to clear up some misconceptions.

SPEC has nine branches, which each organize different types of events. For example, the daytime and carnival Spring Fling events are organized by SPEC Spring Fling; the Fall Concert and the Spring Fling Concert are organized by SPEC Concerts; the Locust Walk Arts Fair is organized by SPEC Art Gallery, and so on.

This fall, SPEC committees have put on over two dozen events, including two concerts in Irvine. SPEC Concerts brought Ben Kweller and Ingrid Michaelson on Oct. 5.

Also, SPEC-TRUM had its first fall concert ever - a brand-new SPEC event budgeted by the UA. SPEC-TRUM brought the Roots and Raheem Devaughn on Nov. 6.

It is important to note that these events were put on by different branches of the same organization.

SPEC seeks and appreciates student feedback in order to plan successful events on campus.

Both SPEC Concerts and SPEC-TRUM incorporated students' opinions into the planning of their events. Students can continue to give input by completing the SPEC survey (specevents.net) or by attending one of SPEC's general body meetings.

Please visit specevents.net to find the survey and other information about SPEC.

Max Cancre Anna Raper Tony Rizzo Lindsay Motlin

The authors are members of SPEC's executive board

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.