Ethnic diversity abounds on campus
I never thought I’d be pm
ning • letter in defense of
the University
It puts research well
before education buries slu>
dtmis tn tmreaucrw v is dumb
ing down at an incredible rate
and must have a mission state
menl somewhere along the
lines of. "We bend over fir any
shift in the whims of political
correctness “
I tame here because despite
its blatant mismanagement of
funds, the I University is cheaper
than anywhere else
In spite of this generally low
opinion of the school, when I
read |oey Lyons’ letter (OOf.
Feb 14). I didn't know whether
to laugh or cry
Lyons wrote. “As a student
interested in studying ethnic
history and politics, there is
nest to nothing for me here *
Excuse me? Any casual
f[lance through the course cata
ug will rev eal a plethora of such
courses, Tho University offers
more courses on the history* and
literature of various cultures
than one person could take in a
lifetime, much let* in four year*
He wrote that he's had only
one professor who was not
" Eu rnpeexi • American “
What does that mean? Is that
by descent or citizenship? And
it it is by descent, just bow far
back do you want to go?
What about the idea that the
oniy real Americans are the
descendants of those whom
inhabited this continent prior to
European settlement?
Have all his professors been
Native Americans? (On that
note, my grandfather was (mm
In Denmark, yet I consider
myself a native of America — a
land that my fourth grade
teacher taught me owed much of
Its greatness to being a "melting
pot " of cultures, which led to its
own unique identity.)
And if our priority is to be the
educational veneration of pro
fessurs differently cultured than
ourselves. »b»i‘. wrong with
Europeans? Does thetr physical
similarity doom them to scaring
the same cultural heritage with
mat of tha United Slate*’
!‘d bet ha hasn’t bean to tha
Ukraine lately.
Lyon* complained that whan
it come* to other peoples, their
tradition* and their hart (ages, all
I've learned is what I’ve been
able to read *
l* Lyons somehow bound to a
hospital bed or unable to physi
cally enler the campus?
That must be so, for otherwise
he'd have teen the daily dis
play* in the EMU in which stu
dents from practically every
cultura on Earth are almost beg
ging lo share their native cul
ture* with the rest of the student
body.
He’d have been able to take
African dance c lasses from Rita
Hnnka. participate in weekly
religious activities with I lie lew
ish (or a number of other faiths)
Student Union or visit the awe
some photography display tea
luring prominent
African-American women
Lyons asked. "Are there facul
ty of color, women professors,
gay, lesbian or bisexual profes
sors. teaching in their disci
pline?"
Damn straight there are
I can't believe he sees a lark of
female professor* contributing
to Ihe Women's Studies Pro
gram.
I look a course in modern Chi
nese history Iasi term from Dr
Guo. who is not only Chinese,
but experienced the atrocities of
the Cultural Revolution and
observed the reforms of Deng
Xiaoping
The vast majority of my Japan
a»# language instructors are
Japanese, and they bring to the
classroom not only a native
speaker's knowledge of the Ian
guafe. but a personal knowledge
at the culture that i» inextricably
tied to it.
If you want to learn how a
people think* and feel* then
learn the way it speak*
A* for gay. lesbian and bises
ual professor* in the vast major
ity of cases. I don’t know, and
unless they choose to share it
with you. neither should you
The crucial point, however, is
not that Lyons has missed a
world of opportunity to study
various cultures here The point
is hit bate ridden implication
that an educator must be horn of
a culture to teach about it
What does tt matter, really, if
a professor of Thai history is
Thai, so long as he or she ts an
esperl in the subject matter f
Lyons explains that history la
subjective — ye*, thank you. I
knew that
1* he trying to say that mem
her* of one culture will be less
subjective than member* of
another? Sound* like H and
some very good people through
out my short life have taught me
diet to make assumption* about
an individual based on the sole
criteria of their ethnicity t* evil
Period
Are professors Goble and
Bogel less worthy to teach
Japanese history and art history
because they do not have Japan
ese parents!
In his last paragraph. Lyons
refers to "what is important to
say and not say "
Thu* hi* lac lit * are revealed
Tor ail his talk of "the ability of
our civilisation to work logeth
er, respect and support each
tuber." Lyons setons to care only
for waging a war of politically
correct. dogmatic syntax, the
only possible result of which is
the driving of an ever larger
wedge between the various cut'
lute* on this campus and
throughout the world
Adam Haamuimn it an Aston
Studtos itnifot
'’’Pizza Pipeline
Get the real real
Z2&:% T-I-l■
WRVM# Mil
MbhqEsx^Qsi1
«.ul« k Smk«* «iihI a I .ill i rk
hrmswEEK
TEB^gMAA^
^ 'I
mm
V 4 in*i» f t mm «
W Sponsored by l MU Food Services V
V Thursday. February 29th l
Ben Linder Room, 6-8 p.m.
S Find out what the KMU has in store
1 for the future;
I * Market survey results
Tournament * 1
Ccrtm*** 6^4 A JS2 il
8 am 4 I'M 1||
M*ot UcroiM Gam* l§|j
Southhank it««J H||
M*n'» Ucrtm* Gam* I9|
Soothfcank f*k) I
Bauehalt Gam* n ifl
W*»«*rn Wuhiinjten ;f§
Shtkfcm Htgh School f*«M I
12 <• m POUfUE HEAPC*_■
Concert J' Tickets
UmVMStTT ICHIOUUWC COHIHC IQOW
> Coming Attroctionsr Jr
Mor 2 CurnsSolgodo... .$1000
Mor 5 Gut Blossoms___._,_
-~-,—,,,.$15 00 UOpOwtUSltMCR
Mor 7 Si Potty's Doy Celebration w/Sky Doy
---$600
Mor 11 leftover $clmoo____,_
--$7 00uOt**fan/5t»GR
Mor 14 Babes with Aits. $600
Mor 77 Floater $5 00
Mor 29 Bjorklund/JUkenbauch_„_$5.00
Mar 30 3rd Annual April Foot s Boil .$6.00
April I Tbe Charlie Hunter Trio.___„_„
- —$7 00 UO Uwtaw/S*MGR
April 9 James Cotton....
. ....$10.00 uo<MMiy$i; mgr
_>r TxtonuAym to»emte cherp Jr
,TftJ9flVmilj!V|Sl* THAT IfffT YQiW NUW YOU* FIIDAACK !j