LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: AIDS Day Coverage Poor

To the Editor: Perhaps the biggest oversight the DP made was not reporting on the keynote speaker of FLASH and Connaissance. Abraham Verghese delivered one of most amazing speeches ever given on this campus. His story has inspired AIDS caregivers, patients, and activists world-wide and now his inspiration has spread to those approximately 300 members of the Penn community who attended the event. This remarkable doctor reminded us that we are just humans and that AIDS is not biased in who it inflicts. AIDS crosses those barriers that separate us. He showed his audience that, when faced with death, we see what is truly important in life and can discover our own meaning of life. The relationships one has with others, the love felt in one's lifetime, these are the things that matter most. One would think that the DP could not ignore an event sponsored not only by FLASH and Connaissance, but by fourteen other organizations on campus. The coming together of all these groups demonstrates the very principle World AIDS Day was founded on. By overlooking this event, the DP failed to spread Dr. Verghese's crucial message to those who had the misfortune of missing this wonderful speaker. Laura Korin College '98 FLASH Educator (7 signatures follow) Editor's Note: The DP printed a story on Abraham Verghese's speech in its Tuesday Dec. 5 issue. Tenure Debate Continued To the Editor: We realize that students are not qualified to judge the scholarly work of our professors. But we are qualified to judge them as teachers, and these judgements should be taken seriously. Currently, students contribute to the tenure process by submitting letters of recommendation and by completing SCUE reports at the end of each semester. But how seriously does the Personnel Committee, composed of our tenured faculty, regard these letters? Gregg Camfield is undeniably a flawless teacher; hundreds of students and alumni have consistently given him 4.0 ratings; he was the first recipient of the UAB teaching award. We are not talking about the opinion of one student but of the collective decision of hundreds. While we do not know Dr. Camfield's performance as a scholar, we are confident that his teaching is extraordinary. Given his perfect teaching record, we marvel at the decision made by last year's Personnel Committee. Perhaps the committee is not truly valuing the opinions of its students. Our new administration repeatedly claims that they are committed to excellence in undergraduate education. Where does excellent teaching fit in? Teachers like Camfield are precious and rare; we, the students, cannot afford to lose them. We sincerely hope that this year's Personnel Committee remembers the importance of its undergraduates and our place in this university. Christy Goralnik College '97 Tali Aronsky College '97 English Undergraduate Advisory Board Fed Up With Feces To the Editor: My reaction to Dina Bass's article concerning the appearance of feces in the Quad dormitories, which appeared in the DP on Dec. 5, was nothing less than complete disgust. Let there be no mistake: There is nothing funny about this or any similar incident. Putting feces outside someone's door is, aside from being unbelievably degrading, a very serious health hazard. The responsible individuals in this case have displayed an absolute disregard for the health and safety of residents of the dorm, and, quite simply, they have behaved like animals. I do not know what the usual consequences of an action like this are, but I know what they should be. The individuals responsible for this incident or any subsequent similar incident should be banned by Residential Living for the remainder of their time here at Penn. Residential Living should be reserved for those students mature enough and smart enough to respect their neighbors. These individuals clearly fail that test. I hope this is the last I ever hear during my Penn career about feces outside of dormitories. Mark King College '99