LETTERS: Monday, April 17, 2000

Access, but not for all Access, but not for allTo the Editor: It is 10 years after people with disabilities became the most recent group to gain civil rights legislation, and yet we are still denied access to programs, activities and services at Penn. If these buildings actually open for business in the fall of 2000, they won't be accessible to students and others with mobility impairments; the Veranda also won't be accessible to graduate students with children in strollers. If they don't open for business in the fall, it will be because we have asked for equal access from the get-go, and Penn has actually decided to comply with the law. Sigrid Peterson Ph.D. candidate Religious Studies Department To the Editor: The recent article "Princeton group alleges Penn Six impropriety" (DP, 4/12/00) came as no surprise to me. The way the all-female group, the Princeton Wildcats, was treated at Penn Six's spring show was typical of the kind of reception their guest groups have received for years. In fact, the kind of lewd behavior that Penn Six is famous for is almost a Penn tradition. But this once-talented group has finally offended this former fan. Penn Six's business director's comment that they were unaware of the streakers' intentions is insulting to our intelligence. This occurs every single year at every single one of their spring concerts by the exact same fraternity. This claim that they "had no idea that was going to happen" tells us that they are either lying or are the stupidest people on this campus. The Wildcats feel that they were invited specifically to be made fun of and I believe they are correct. Penn Six's alumni traditionally sit in the front row to boo, heckle and mock the guest groups. They even make mooing noises to the women who are overweight. And in the past, they have admitted and even bragged about this behavior. This is the way Penn Six treats their guests, and at the end of the evening, they hope to hook up with the very same women. The situation is unfortunate. As little as a few years ago, the group was actually very talented, and I overlooked and sometimes even enjoyed their toilet humor. But this has gone too far; the musical talent of the group has plummeted and they feel they can thrive on their habitually offensive behavior. But what exactly is the group contributing to our community as well as our school's reputation? I feel very sorry that the Princeton group had to endure the humiliation of this experience, and I do hope that their complaints to our administration do not go unanswered. As I understand it, Penn does not take sexual harassment lightly, and I hope no exception will be made in this case. If Penn Six would just concentrate on improving its music, refining its comedy and respecting its guests, everyone would benefit. Amanda Chin College '00 To the Editor: While I understand and support the arguments in the article "South Asians seek more recognition," (DP, 4/11/00) I don't understand why all people of Asian descent in the U.S. are commonly labeled as Asian American, regardless of whether they are studying here for a few years or have been here all their lives. While we may all be "Asian" in some respect, we do not all come from countries in Asia. Some of us come from Brazil, Peru and other countries, and many of us are American and from places such as California, Pennsylvania and Georgia. I've studied and worked in both France and Japan, but that never made me Asian French or American Japanese. I don't believe that one has to be born and raised in the U.S. to be "Asian American," but I don't know why a temporary visitor to the U.S. would be labeled or want to be labeled as American. Mitchell Furumoto Ph.D. candidate Graduate School of Education