LETTERS: The final word

To the Editor: Hartman's comments and comparisions show that he still thinks of Asian Americans as foreigners, even though many of us were born in the United States, and though some of our families have been here for multiple generations. Being viewed as a foreigner in America is one of the unique experiences and challenges that Asian Americans face. If people like Hartman were more interested in learning about these and other challenges, perhaps they would not make such narrow-minded comparisons and would better understand where we are coming from. In fact, it is too bad Hartman and others are fixated on criticizing our proposal rather than trying to understand why many Asian-American students want to create a space to explore and develop our collective identity. As to Hartman's comment about a white student center, I should note that until very recently in its long history, Penn's student body was almost entirely white. Therefore, historically, all of Penn's various centers were tailored to address needs of white students. Around the country, however, there are places like the Center for the Study of White American Culture that explore white privilege and related issues. If Michael Hartman or anyone else is interested in founding such a center at Penn, I would be more than happy to help. Vinay Harpalani Education '03