LETTERS: Setting the record straight

To the Editor: The letter requested a response to several student demands of a code of conduct for apparel manufacturers of university clothing. The article said that I had signed the letter "on behalf of Penn's student body." While I believe that there are numerous students on Penn's campus who share the sentiments of the letter, this is incorrect. As the first line of the letter reads, I signed it on behalf of the United Students Against Sweatshops organization, an international coalition devoted to stopping sweatshop labor. While Penn does not have its own chapter of USAS, students in the Progressive Activist Network at Penn are working closely on this issue with the coalition and USAS students at the other Ivies, and thus sent the letter. Miriam Joffe-Block College '00 Progressive Activist Network Subcommittee on Sweatshops Intellectual hooliganism To the Editor: Reading the on-line Inquirer sports section coverage of the decisive Penn Quaker basketball victory over Princeton, I was saddened to see an account of what amounts to intellectual hooliganism on the part of some Princeton fans. According to the story, when the enclave of Penn supporters began chanting "N.I.T." in reference to the purportedly lesser tournament that Princeton might only in defeat be invited, their counterparts from Old Nassau responded with chants of "SAT" and "safety school" -- attempting to demean the personal worth of Penn students. While the N.I.T. chant might legitimately anger a Princeton fan seeing their once promise-filled team soundly defeated on home court, to revert to stereotypes of this sort reveals an ultimate insecurity among such rabble. Would it then be appropriate for Penn fans to further up the ante and yell back "anti-Semite," "racist," or "elitist?" These are images by which Princeton has historically been characterized, even by many of its own students. Of course it would be inappropriate to make such retrograde personal attacks that stereotype a group based on a negative image rather than what we suspect is the current reality. In the case of Penn, the reality is that it is better regarded academically than ever in the Ivy League -- ranking consistently above many of the other schools overall or on a departmental basis. A majority of Penn students are at their first choice school due to its intellectually exciting, diverse urban environment. As is true with the larger top-flight schools such as Penn, Cornell or Duke, a Princeton-like student body is contained within them -- but such schools are not limited to this smaller, ostensibly more exclusive profile. In Penn's case, there is surely pride not only in the wide array of very high caliber undergrad and graduate students, but the fact that the University with its Quaker heritage saw fit to admit African-Americans, Jews and women in significant numbers long before other Ivies, especially Princeton. For many of us, the Penn-Princeton rivalry in academics and sports is an enriching one that can encourage all to do their best within the institutions and philosophical frameworks we have chosen. While some Penn fans have behaved inappropriately over the years, I think that most have great respect for teamwork-conscious Princeton basketball as coached by the legendary Pete Carril. In 1996, when Princeton beat Penn in the tie-breaking league playoff game, I felt happiness that Carril could retire with that honor -- even while mourning the loss by my team. So I was saddened not only by the jeers of the Princeton mob, but also by many fans gloomy, early exit from Jadwin Gym. Surely this year's talented Tigers deserved a final hurrah, especially in defeat to such a worthy rival. Nick Spitzer College '72 End the bombing To the Editor: For more than a century, student movements have had an important place among the agents of social change. Students have a history of fighting for peace and justice. Now, in the 1990s, there is another war we must end; another struggle for peace and justice in which we, as students, must make our voices heard. For more than eight years, our government has been waging a silent war against the people of Iraq. This month, the U.S.-led sanctions will kill 4,500 children, according to UNICEF. Since 1991, more than one million people have died due to the scarcity of food and medicine and the spread of water-borne diseases -- all direct consequences of the sanctions. And what is our government's response? When asked on 60 Minutes about the death of half a million children in Iraq -- more children than died in Hiroshima, Madeline Albright responded "we think the price is worth it." We say No! We denounce the trade sanctions against the people of Iraq as immoral, illegitimate and contrary to fundamental principles of humanity and human rights. We demand that Congress and the President immediately end the ongoing sanctions war against the people of Iraq. We call upon all students dedicated to peace to join the growing movement to end the war against Iraq. Get more information on how you can help end the war by checking out our website at at http://leb.net/iac/students.html. It was the collective voice of the students that woke our nation to the horror of the Vietnam War. We must once again issue the wake up call to the conscience of our nation. Signed for the Iraq Action Coalition by students at 160 schools nationwide, including the following Penn students: John Bracken Annenberg '99 Nora Shalaby College '00 Melissa Pfeffer College '00