LETTERS: Wednesday, April 5, 2000

To the Editor: A major opportunity was missed by putting up only a hotel at 36th and Sansom; an apartment complex above the hotel would have solved at least some of the graduate and undergraduate housing needs, and it is a shame that this possibility hast been lost. Evan Fieldston Medicine '02 To the Editor: Monday's article pertaining to Eat at Joe's ("Diners unhappy with Eat at Joe's," DP, 4/3/00) brought to light the important issue of campus retail and food options. I would like to clarify some points raised in the article. This year, in response to our 40th Street survey, as well as feedback from hundreds of students, the UA has strongly advocated for cheaper and more varied food options on campus. We worked with Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum to lower food prices in the Silfen Study Center and soon-to-open Houston Hall. Moreover, we recommended to Executive Vice President John Fry that the University bring a Subway, Cheesecake Factory, Taco Bell, Bertucci's and authentic 24-hour diner to campus. In both cases, Ms. McCoullum and Mr. Fry were gracious and completely receptive to our input and suggestions, and we appreciate their concern. Our position towards Eat at Joe's must be seen in this light. We "constantly" brought up student unhappiness with Eat at Joe's to Mr. Fry not because we thought he and others were ignoring us, but simply because it is a top priority for the UA. In every meeting, Mr. Fry and other administrators have assured us they understand our dissatisfaction with Eat at Joe's and see the clear demand for an authentic 24-hour diner. We trust them because every time the UA has advocated for retail, the University has come through with flying colors -- first it was Xando, then Izzy and Zoe's and, we hope soon, a video store. This is not an us-versus-them situation pitting the students against the administration as Monday's article characterized it. Students and administrators alike agree that bringing more cheap and desirable food options for campus is a goal worth pursuing. Michael Silver College '00 The writer is chairman of the Undergraduate Assembly. To the Editor: I am female. I am straight. And I am incensed. Last Wednesday, as part of the B-GLAD celebration, students held a rally in front of the Peace Sign near Van Pelt Library. As I listened to sophomore Rudy Ramirez's closing remarks, I looked around and was dismayed, but not surprised, at the audience's tiny size. Is Penn so primitive a place that we still consider "gay rights" to be a "gay issue?" The world knows only all too well what happens when we ignore issues important to the gay community. Last time we ignored supposedly "gay issues," we got AIDS. But I am not incensed about the Penn heterosexual community's lack of interest in gay issues. Disappointed, yes. But not incensed. What I am incensed about, what I am furious about, is the blatant rudeness displayed by passersby as the rally progressed. People making their way from Locust Walk to 36th Street, and vice versa, did not walk around the audience as we listened to a gay Penn alumnus. Heaven forefend they should move a few feet to the left or right to walk around the rally. No, these individuals had the gall to walk right between the speaker and the group he was addressing. They walked right through -- as though we weren't even there. About 10 or 15 people passed by on College Green as the alumnus spoke -- and only two had the common decency to respect the assembled persons enough to not interrupt the rally by crossing in front of the speaker. Please, Penn. If respect is too much to ask for, can we at least show some common decency? Becky Davidson College '03 To the Editor: Apparently, the DP and I heard different messages when listening to former Black Panthers leader Bobby Seale speak on campus Last Wednesday. The article ("Black power leader talks on Panthers," DP, 3/30/00) began by stating that Seale was "promoting a message far different than the black militant one for which he became famous in the 1960s." In contrast, I feel that Bobby Seale's message was very much the same one he has always promoted. Despite vast misrepresentation to the contrary, the Black Panthers were always about what Seale called "cooperative humanism" -- the fight to secure universal human rights through productive coalitions among all oppressed people. The mainstream media downplayed Black Panther coalitions with the American Indian Movement, the anti-war movement and other progressive causes. The Black Panthers always emphasized the liberation of all oppressed people. While their focus may have been on police brutality against black people, the Black Panthers always drew connections between this struggle and the global quest to secure human rights for all. The most salient aspect of Seale's talk for me was the scholarly origins of the Black Panther Party. Seale noted how the mainstream media, particularly the movie Panther, portray the Black Panthers as a group of "hoodlums." In contrast, the founders of the Black Panther Party were scholars -- college students who began by exploring and redefining the history and struggles of blacks and other people of color throughout the world. In the process of defining their own identity, these founders observed the injustices occurring around them and put their knowledge into action. Although the issues and circumstances have changed slightly, many of us here at Penn are going through the same process. And no matter what our racial or ethnic identification, we could all learn a lot from the example of the Black Panther Party. Vinay Harpalani Education '03