Letters to the Editor

What's race got to do with it?

This is in response to Omari Taylor's story of his family ("The race card," May 22). My mother was born in communist China. When the communists and Chairman Mao came, they beat up my grandfather in front of the family and lined them up in front of the firing squad. They were saved by the grace of their fellow villagers. My grandfather was then sent to a re-education camp.

My mother and the rest of her family had to escape to Hong Kong and then come to America in a refugee boat. All nine of them lived in a two-bedroom apartment in San Francisco above a fish market infested with rats.

Ya wanna know how that has affected me in my life? Ya wanna know what the stigma of my parents being a mixed couple in the early 1970s has done to me? NOTHING! Do I need to whine about my family's history to justify any shortcomings I "may" have? I would probably get smacked upside the head by my mom for trying to give any BS about how my race has affected me and how I am discriminated against for being a minority.

My mother's family came here knowing nobody, with absolutely no money, speaking no English and all eight kids have been to college; six went to Berkeley, two to UCLA. That's two computer programmers, one CPA, one dentist, three engineers and one nurse. If you can't make it in America, that's your bad!

And by the way, stop calling us kids ... we are all adults and this school should start acting like it.

Joe Harvey

senior, economics

You've got to do the work

Racism is a serious problem. Unfortunately, many who fight against it never help solve it. Your story (May 21) on Students Together Against Racism (STAR) is an example.

The actions of STAR illustrate the major problem with most people who try to fight racism. They fail to understand that real progress requires work. Chanting, making demands and writing letters are easy to do. So is threatening further actions if your demands are not met.

STAR claims there is racial profiling by the UWPD. Maybe there is. I am sure it went through the trouble of asking 1,000 minority students if they have ever been the victims of mistreatment, asking 1,000 Caucasian students the same thing, and demonstrating a significant difference between the two groups. Oh, it didn't? Of course not. To do so would require effort for STAR to investigate, document and inform about the extent of the problem. Apparently, it feels it does not need to establish credibility before making demands.

Let us assume racial profiling by the UWPD is a problem. Asking the help of someone in a position to make changes is a good idea. Making vague demands ("undoing racism training") or ridiculous ones (giving students the right to "discipline" police) is not likely to make President McCormick sympathetic. What McCormick wants to hear is a well-organized plan that will fight the problem. Of course, doing this would require work, leadership and diplomacy -- concepts foreign to STAR.

As someone who has occasionally been the victim of racism, I would like to say that Students Together Against Racism is not together with me. I prefer to be represented by people who are willing to put some effort into the cause.

Se-Yuen Cheung

graduate student, molecular and

cellular biology

We're tired of your biased coverage!

I'm responding to the May 17 article glorifying Operation Husky Stadium, an event claimed to be similar to Greek Week, but "without the alcohol."

As a proud member of the Greek system, I must say that Daily writer Erin Fortenberry's ignorance involving such a huge fund-raiser is an unacceptable representation by The Daily. She fails to acknowledge how Operation Husky Stadium lacks the nearly $13,000 the Greeks raised for charity this year.

More often than not, the Greek system is criticized or forgotten altogether. Don't even get me started on the perks such as the $1,600 scholarship I recently received or the free trips to yearly leadership conferences from my chapter. Try finding that in your triple-occupancy dorm.

As far as alcohol, I think the use of it in dorms is the issue you are overlooking.

By the way -- in case you forgot to cover it -- Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Sigma Phi and Chi Psi were all part of the team that won this year's Greek Week. How about a little credit?

Dave Kling, Alpha Sigma Phi

sophomore, communications,

economics