Yale pres. embraces Western studies again

Almost a year has gone by since a Yale University student journal accused University President Judith Rodin of wrongly diverting the use of a $20 million grant while she was Yale's provost. But the issue has now resurfaced, as Yale President Richard Levin decided Friday to expand the school's Western studies offerings. Last year, Yale's attitude toward Western studies and the funding surrounding the program came under scrutiny. That controversy culminated in Levin's decision to return Texas billionaire Lee Bass' $20 million donation -- a 1991 grant that had been earmarked for a Western Civilization program. Some critics have charged that Levin was being overly "politically correct" because the program would focus primarily on white males. Last December, Yale's student journal, Light and Truth, claimed that Levin and Rodin did not adhere to the grant's conditions and misled Bass, a 1979 Yale graduate. The article maintained that Rodin and Levin were influenced by faculty opposition, adding that some faculty members wanted the money to go toward their own departments. Rodin quickly responded to the allegations, saying that her decision to reject the hiring of four new assistant professors for the Western Civilization program was based on purely financial reasons. Last March, Yale agreed to return the $20 million to Bass because Levin said the school could not allow Bass to approve whatever faculty appointments were made for the program. But Friday, Levin announced his decision to expand an already existing year-long intensive program for freshmen that focuses on Western literature, philosophy, history and politics.