The Rice Thresher

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October 12, 2007 > Opinion > Letters to the editor

Letters to the editor

By The Rice Thresher Editorial Staff | Thresher Editorial Staff

’80s fallout shows need for conversation

To the editor:

I reread Julia Lukomnik’s column (“Sid socials overlook Jewish students,” Sept. 21, 2007) and the accompanying Thresher editorial (“Socials: Party on Purim,” Sept. 21) in view of a sarcastic letter by Mithun Mansinghani (“Parties must yield to all religions,” Sept. 28, 2007) and an angry response by Daniel Abrahamson (“Anger at party date pretentious, unfair,” Oct. 5, 2007).

Lukomnik and the Thresher editors simply asked for religious and cultural sensitivity in the scheduling of parties. Mansinghani mocked this idea by taking it to an absurd extreme. Abrahamson lashed out against Lukomnik and the Thresher editors for daring to suggest any accommodation to Jewish students on Yom Kippur. Phrases like “pious sense of entitlement” and “overblown persecution complex” reflect the tone of this letter. The message I got was that members of minority religious “sects” like Jews and Muslims had better keep quiet and stay in their place. I grew up in the South 50 years ago and recall vividly how this same message was conveyed to any blacks or Jews who were getting “uppity.”

A decade ago (Nov. 21, 1997), the Thresher innocently published an advertisement by Holocaust deniers. The editors and others in the Rice community did not initially understand why the advertisement was so offensive, and the ensuing discussion was edifying. Perhaps the recent offensive letters can have a similar positive effect.

Bill Wilson

Biochemistry and Cell Biology Research Scientist

Red Cross column missing information

To the editor:

I just read your column by Brett Snider in a news brief prepared by America’s Blood Centers, a cooperative professional association created by almost all of the blood centers in the United States (“Red Cross blood drives homophobic,” Sept. 28, 2007). I am employed by a blood center in Louisiana in the area of compliance and regulatory affairs and feel that I have some knowledge to speak to Snider’s comments. I am very disappointed that some of the comments he made are simply wrong.

The most grievous error is to attribute the deferral of homosexual men to the Red Cross or to Gulf Coast Blood Center. This is a regulation that has been implemented by the FDA. As a matter of fact, the blood centers represented by ABC and the Red Cross both petitioned the FDA to remove that requirement this year. The FDA specifically refused and gave their rationale in a guidance document that can be found on the FDA Web site.

Another serious error in his comments is with the statement that an intravenous drug user can give in a year. The actual regulation states that anyone who took any drug by needle that was not prescribed by a physician is permanently deferred.

Although he didn’t mention it, probably because it wouldn’t support his argument, the blood centers have been most affected by the CJD deferrals (mad cow disease). In this case, anyone who traveled to Europe and stayed for various amounts of time are also permanently deferred. This is for a disease that might be transmitted by blood as opposed to HIV, that is certainly transmitted by blood.

The whole thing boils down to the patient who is to receive the blood. The FDA has mandated, correctly I think, that the patient has a right to receive blood that is as risk-free as possible, but no one has a constitutional right to donate blood. Blood donation is supposed to be for the patients, and it is not the time nor the place to make a social statement.

Emmett Jones

Course evals fail to include department

To the editor:

While perusing through the paper today, I noticed that the CAAM (Computational and Applied Mathematics) department was left out entirely from the Course Evaluation section of last issue (“Course Evals 2,” Sept. 28, 2007).

I am not sure if this was an error in layout or if something was missing from the original information the Registrar provided. Either way, I wanted to bring my concerns to the involved parties’ attention.

Ivy Gonzalez

CAAM Academic and Web Coordinator

Evaluations helpful, require correction

To the editor:

I certainly endorse the effort by the Thresher to bring faculty evaluations into the open. The evaluations are very useful for faculty as they allow us to make adjustments in the way we teach and the material we offer. Hopefully the evaluations will be helpful to students as well.

With an undertaking this large, some errors creep in. In Political Science, the Thresher incorrectly reported that Professor Marschall taught POLI 395: Introduction to Statistics. She did not. The two sections of POLI 395 were taught by graduate students.

Rick K. Wilson

Political Science Chair

Fondren Web site revamp earns praise

To the editor:

These letters are often, with reason, a forum for lambasting the University on issues in which it has failed. Every now and then, however, Rice deserves getting credit for what it has done well. I am proud to say that they finally got it right on the Fondren Library Web site.

Those of you who have used the library — for research — will undoubtedly be aware of how frustrating and inadequate Fondren’s Web site once was. It was difficult to navigate, poorly organized, slow and just plain ugly. Considering Rice’s place as a premiere research university, this was a pitiable showing.

But if you have not yet visited the site in the last few weeks, you are in for pleasant surprise. As the Thresher reported, Fondren’s Web site has just received a major makeover. It is a whole new animal: logically organized and neatly displayed.

That is not to say there are not further improvements to be made. In the world of Google, the Rice catalogue search engine is a broken relic of the past. More archived journals made digitally available could not hurt either.

But overall, the long-needed improvements are appreciable. Hats off to the Fondren staff, IT and the administration. Our days of researching will no longer be quite so frustrating.

Dana Hoffman

Will Rice junior

FE&P committed to campus sustainability

To the editor:

My sincere apology for not providing recycling containers as requested for the Sammy’s Picnic (“SA urges students to support sustainability,” Sept. 7, 2007). This was our first request for containers for an outdoor event and we did not have any. I have placed an initial order for ten containers to use at future events.

Requests for recycling units at outdoor events should be made through our Facilities Service Center. Please allow 48 hours for us to be sure we have the units available.

FE&P is committed to sustainability and I welcome input from our students and the Rice community.

Eusebio Franco

Director of Custodial and Grounds Facilities Engineering & Planning

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