TO THE EDITOR: Cheerleader Accomplishments

Not only did you use poor judgment in selecting the photograph, the caption lent itself to degrading and sexist interpretations. The wording "up for grabs" was written in entirely poor taste. I can only hope that your female Executive Editor was on another planet and was therefore unable to provide a final review of the photos on the front page. The women on our cheerleading team have more than proven that despite uneducated stereotypes which cloud people's judgments of women cheerleaders, they are much more than "things" to look at -- or grab, for that matter. Have you bothered to notice that the women on the team are not only talented athletes, but also campus leaders and academic achievers? Your treatment of the team members as available objects is offensive and unnecessary. I find it extremely disappointing that the DP would choose to perpetuate the stereotype rather than acknowledge its inaccuracy and then recognize the accomplishments of our Varsity Cheerleaders. You have all probably have spent your time sitting down at football games, rather than performing gymnastic stunts, inspiring the crowd, and demonstrating genuine and loyal spirit for the Quaker teams continuously for a three-hour time period. The Varsity Cheerleaders spend countless hours practicing, performing for alumni and faculty events, and cheering at football and basketball games -- without asking for much in return. I believe they deserve a lot of respect from the entire Penn community and definitely an apology from this newspaper. ALISON STEINKAMP College '95