LETTER: Prof Petition

We have come to the University of Pennsylvania confident of this institution's dedication to academic excellence. However, the recent tenure denial of Dr. Arkady Plotnitsky of the English Department has put this confidence into question. We grant that the tenure process is a complex one, taking into account a wide range of factors in the consideration of every candidate. It is nonetheless inconceivable that an academician of Dr. Plotnitsky's caliber and qualifications be turned away. His loss would cause irreparable damage to the academic quality and prestige of the School of Arts and Sciences and the University as a whole. As a scholar, Dr. Plotnitsky distinguished himself exceptionally in the field of literary theory, a field which is being taught more than ever before on an undergraduate level. As a pedagogue, he has combined a compelling and persuasive lecture style with a personable disposition that makes him accessible to all students. Indeed, we cannot conceive what more the School of Arts and Sciences could want out of a professor. In brief, we undergraduates cannot accept the decision to deny tenure to Dr. Plotnitsky. If some action is not taken to override this preposterous decision, the tenure process -- and the academic system as a whole -- shall be rendered absurd. ANDREW HOWELL College '92 Signed by 130 other undergraduates