LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Wrong-headed on housing

To the Editor: Bailey claims "University President Judith Rodin and English Professor Al Filreis currently strive to force academics on students in their dorms." If he is referring to the EFFECT program for undergraduate research, currently centered in Van Pelt College House, he couldn't be more wrong. As a former Van Pelt resident who worked very hard to get EFFECT (then CAUSE) off the ground, I'd like to rectify this misperception. The EFFECT program was organized by students. Only interested students need participate. It provides a forum in which researching students can get together socially to discuss their work. The group sponsors talks and panels open to the entire University community; the first talk, given recently by Steven Morgan Friedman, was extremely well-attended by EFFECT members and non-members, by Van Pelt residents and non-residents. No one bludgeoned students into going. The program was created by students, for students, and no one is "forcing" these students to bring academics into their living space. Kieran Snyder Linguistics Graduate Student College '96 n To the Editor: I beg to differ with Lee Bailey's opinion about Hill House ("Creating community," DP, 10/4/96). I am a sophomore Upper Class Board member at Hill, back for a second year of warmth and camaraderie. When I moved into my double room at Hill last year, I reacted in much the same manner of disdain and disappointment expressed by those who view Hill, but never get a chance to live in it. I envied the more spacious rooms of the Quad and Kings Court/English House. Time passed and I came to love Hill for its friendly atmosphere, blend of students and delightful facilities. The true specialness of Hill House lies in its suites. Each of Hill's five floors is grouped into three to four suites of approximately 20 students each, with graduate students in charge. It has been said that the smallness of Hill rooms compels students to get out and study together in the bigger, brightly lit suite lounges. Being part of a suite, though, means more than just hanging out with the people on your floor. A strong bond of friendship, trust and suite loyalty forms within each suite so many students feel comfortable leaving their doors wide open. Roaming the halls of my floor, I discovered the amazing pool of students that makes up the Hill community. During my (many) study breaks, I would take advantage of my floormates' "open-door policy" and pop inside random rooms. I met a wide variety of students, with various cultures, hometowns, majors and hobbies. The international representation especially impressed me. I was exposed to several firsts, such as using my fingers to eat rice with curry, provided by one Indian friend, and trying real, bitter Swiss dark chocolate that another friend brought back after his visit home to Switzerland for Christmas. My friends from the Quad visited my room last year, and were amazed at Hill's diversity. They confessed that the Quad was less diverse, filled mainly with students from the tri-state area. Finally, I offer up my praise to Hill's many facilities -- including the computer lab, library, music room, PIT (recreation center) and commissary -- and to the outstanding student staff responsible for their existence. These, and the free summer storage returning Hill residents get in Hill's basement, are just some of the reasons why I decided to come back as a member of the Hill UCB. I helped freshmen move into "Hill, Sweet Hill," pushing and pulling cartload after cartload of their belongings. It was tiring, but in the end, it was worth it all just to see the thankful gleam in their concerned parents' eyes and to hear their enthusiastic praises of Hill House hospitality. I thought to myself, "My sentiments exactly." Phoebe Choi College '99 A 'thoughtless' take on race To the Editor: Brad Boetig's guest column ("One nation, separate and unequal," DP, 10/7/96) was an inconsistent and thoughtless attempt to determine the reasons behind the "sad state of affairs" within the African American community. Boetig says equal opportunity does not exist in America. But he goes on to state that African American men make up a large percentage of the American prison population because they do not pursue educational or occupational opportunities available -- which he already admitted do not exist. If African Americans are not granted the same educational opportunities as their white counterparts and are subjected to crude, dilapidated and overcrowded schools, how are they to even fathom the idea graduating as president of any Yale University class? Boetig has no right to use his meager 10 weeks' experience in a housing project as a foundation to denounce African American mothers and fathers as unfit parents. After work, Boetig went back to his home, in his neighborhood, without knowing what it is like to live in that type of situation for generations. If racism is not the undercurrent of the lack of equal opportunity in this country, Boetig wouldn't have seen such a large number of black people living in that housing project. African Americans are not "whining about the white man's racism." We are recognizing its existence, something Boetig should have thought about before he put pen to paper. Yaminah McKessey College '00 Remarks anger students To the Editor: We would like to respond to some points in your article "Prof slams Israel on human rights" (DP, 9/30/96), and to make a few corrections and elaborations for your readers. One of Middle Eastern History Professor Bashara Doumani's techniques, used to disarm listeners, is making the issue of Palestinian rights a racial one. Doumani seeks to manipulate the American public, sensitized to racism, into misplacing their trust and sympathy. The article begins with Doumani's insinuation that anti-Arab racism is the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when he says every Palestinian in Israel must carry an identification card citing his religion and race. Only Palestinans without Israeli citizenship must carry such cards; a bulk of Palestinians do have Israeli citizenship. In the last Israeli elections, Arabs played a pivotal role, almost winning the election for Shimon Peres. These people enjoy full rights as Israeli citizens, and carry regular Israeli papers. Religion -- which is on everyone's papers -- is important in matters such as burial, if the government must take care of it, or government functions, such as performance of marriage or divorce, which is under the auspices of the Orthodox Jewish rabbinate. Its members need to know if someone is Jewish to know what rites to perform for him or her. Doumani's statement that because "die-hard activists don't see a way out," it is now up to average citizens to take a stand, even in armed conflict, is nothing less than insane. He is trying to justify Palestinian police using guns given to them by Israel, not to fight Hamas, but rather to overwhelm and kill Israeli soldiers, who are supposed to be their "partners in peace." The lying, prevarication and historical revisionism on the part of seemingly credible academics like Doumani and Tarbieh is very much responsible for many of the West's distorted perceptions of Israel and its share of the blame in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Unfortunately, Israel does not have huge reserves of natural resources like oil to give it the credibility needed to withstand these sometimes blatant lies. It only has the status of being the only democracy anywhere in the region -- which is why people like Doumani and Tarbieh have the freedom to pull press stunts like these. Dave Crystal President, Yamin Nachon College '99 More on campus safety To the Editor: How many more students have to become victims before the University takes drastic security measures? Blue-light phones and 10 more police officers just are not enough. On October 5, we were walking from the High Rises to a sorority house on 40th and Walnut, when we were attacked by several boys who chased us down the street and pelted us with glass bottles. Where were the police? According to a Penn Police officer, the department is already overextended and severely understaffed. Police are working without a contract. Is it any wonder their morale is nonexistent? As an urban university we need a strong police force. This necessitates hiring more officers and giving them contracts. It appears the University is willing to spend money on needless projects, but is ridiculously frugal when it comes to campus security. Who needs a Perelman Quadrangle when we are too afraid to walk there? It's time for the University to make campus safety a priority. Jennifer Chachkes College '99 Felicia Platt Wharton '99 n To the Editor: Just wanted to inform you of yet another armed robbery, of three students at the corner of 46th and Pine streets. I defied the recent trend of graduate student migration into Center City by moving back to West Philly this fall? big mistake. Hopefully, an increased police presence in West Philadelphia will prevent this community from becoming entirely uninhabitable. Olivia Johnson Medicine '99 The opposite message To the Editor: Your editorial "With all deliberate speed" (DP, 10/2/96) praised the speedy action Penn administrators are taking to address safety and security issues. It's a pity that the headline communicates the opposite message. As anyone familiar with the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision should know, the phrase "?with all deliberate speed" does not mean "Do it right away," but rather "Take as much time as you need." The justices used the term to indicate that they would not insist on immediate action to desegregate the schools, but trust local officials to find the most expedient way to do so. Certainly this is not what you and other concerned students are asking now about safety, nor is it what you are commending the University for in your editorial. Sandy Smith News Officer Penn News and Public Affairs

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