A tale of two Kims
To the Editor:
The purpose of this letter is simply to clear confusion, to clear my head and to clear my name. My problem is that an article published earlier this month ("Student denies fault in e-mail fraud incident," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 11/9/01) identifyed a student named Peter Kim as the culprit in an e-mail scandal in the Computer Science Department. It also mentioned was that he was an engineer, and a senior.
Lucky me.
Not that I don't love the attention, or seeing my name in print. It's just hard to appreciate being so well-known when you have spent the good part of the last week trying to convince shocked friends, a shocked parent and eager lawyers that there really are two Peter Kims at Penn.
Anyway, I don't want to make light of the (other) Peter Kim's situation; I just hope that this letter stops the questioning looks and the worried phone calls. So if the Peter Kim you know is not a Computer Science major, and is a fifth-year Army ROTC senior and Pi Kappa Alpha brother, don't worry. I am not the Peter Kim in the paper, and you'll see me on campus for the remainder of this semester.
Peter Kim
Engineering '02
Chestnut St. transformed
To the Editor:
On Nov. 10, 800 volunteers transformed Chestnut Street in 2 1/2 hours by planting 150 trees between 31st and 40th streets. The UC Green planting paid tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, while providing an opportunity for the University City community to express its strength and spirit.
Saturday proved to be a celebration of diversity as individuals of different races and faiths worked together to revitalize a major public space. Our deepest thanks goes to the hundreds of volunteers who joined us, contributing their time and energy to make this event an immense success.
The trees will serve as a permanent remembrance of the innocent lives lost. They are also evidence of Penn's potential to collaborate with local neighborhoods, schools and businesses in order to make a positive impact on the broader community. I am pleased to report that Philadelphia witnessed the exciting occurrences through the substantial coverage provided by CBS and ABC news. I encourage everyone to take a stroll down Chestnut Street and enjoy the inspirational beauty.
Mei Elansary
College '04
Victory without atrocities
To the Editor:
I applaud the students who camped out on College Green to bring attention to the plight of the innocent people of Afghanistan. Humanitarian aid organizations believe millions of people could starve this winter if relief cannot be delivered because of the bombing. I don't want the United States to be responsible, even indirectly, for such a large-scale atrocity, which many in the world might view as equal to or worse than the awful terrorist attack in our own country.
It's time to show the world that the U.S. is a great country, whose people believe in the protection of innocents. Unlike the terrorists, who kill thousands of innocent people to achieve their objectives, we believe in the dignity of human life. We must not allow our flag to be corrupted by the extremists in the Bush administration. Our flag should not stand for the mass slaughter of innocents, but for peace and freedom.
We must continue to pursue the terrorist network in cooperation with the United Nations and other peace-loving countries around the world, but not through continued aerial bombardment.
Jeremy Vetter
History and Sociology of Science
Ph.D. student
