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We received a mailbox full of praise on recent changes in the magazine, particularly the tribute to Clay Felker, while the chancellor’s editorial was controversial with some readers. Kudos to “The writing (& reading) life” As a lifetime member for over two decades, I have tried very hard not to throw away the California Monthly on the first day that I get it. The May/June issue was an exception. The articles were great reading, especially the pieces regarding Clay Felker (“City of Clay”), and I enjoyed the sci-fi article and illustrations. I remember being told that Berkeley had a great journalism department when I was there, and this issue brings that reputation to mind. Bob Lin ’72 I joined the California Alumni Association in 1953. This issue of California Monthly is by far the greatest that I have ever received. John Ireland M.A. ’53 I thought I recognized it; then I did not recognize it; and then I did recognize it! Wow! What a change! A great start. Garry Hubert ’65, J.D. ’68 The portraits of Clay Felker and the Eileen Chang material were as good as magazine writing gets. Much of the rest was first rate as well—intelligent, engaging, infused with energy and playfulness. I felt more alive when I finished reading the magazine. You’ve clearly created something of literary excellence. Malcolm Margolin, Publisher, Heyday Books Bunkered–a POV? Ed Wong’s story (“Bunkered,” May/June) should have been printed as a point of view rather than masquerading as a genuine article. I refer to the following line: “That was one narrative of bloodshed... later, I was documenting another, in which armies... left their dead strewn across this desert.” Come on now! Did the author see U.S. forces “leaving their dead stewn across this desert”? Daniel Michels ’63 Advocating for inclusion With no equivocation, Chancellor Birgeneau (“Advocating for inclusion,” May/June) leads the reader to believe that the drop in the number of underrepresented minorities at Berkeley is all caused by the failure of Proposition 209. I can’t believe that he does not recognize the failure of our public schools to provide these minorities with the education that would prepare them to meet the standards necessary for entry into the UC system. Has he ever thought that providing competition to the public school system could improve the overall level of quality in K-12 education? Ben Cerruti ’50 Our new chancellor writes: “As an experimental scientist, I believe that one must understand what the data is [sic] telling us.” He goes on to do exactly the opposite, writing: “Voters in California hoped that Prop. 209 would foster nondiscrimination. The empirical evidence on this campus suggests that this experiment has failed.” The language of Prop. 209 was quite clear: in certain government activities, including state university admissions, the state shall not discriminate in favor of or against anyone on the basis of certain criteria, including race. It is no secret that Berkeley did so discriminate. As a former member of the Admissions Committee, I know that other things (grades, SAT, residence status) being equal, members of some racial groups were favored over others. The empirical evidence suggests that when you stop discriminating in favor of a group, the number of that group admitted will decrease. That is exactly what one would expect from Prop. 209. The chancellor is, of course, free to advocate discrimination in the service of what he considers a higher social good, but to suggest that the voters of California did not under-stand the plain language of Prop. 209 is to insult their intelligence. John Polt, Professor Emeritus of Spanish California taxpayers are not paying Mr. Birgeneau to advocate political issues of his choosing. He should focus his efforts (and the public resources given to him) to maximize the experience of students. He should pursue his political passions on his own time and his own dime. Tim Lahey ’76 The theatre department must go on Nice to see the article on our student, John Fisher (“Bold! Outrageous! Funny!” March/April); as the chair of the department, however, I was chagrined to see the sentence “when the drama department collapsed,” implying that this collapse was complete and final. We are in fact here, and thriving. W. B. Worthen, Professor and Department Chair Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Corrections The first paragraph for Christopher Edley’s piece on page 15 was incorrectly printed. On page 38, the name of the individual who recommended The Informant: A True Story in “Good Summer Reads” should read Jeff Perloff, Professor, Agricultural and Resource Economics. Allan Buch was the captain of the NCAA basket-ball team that defeated West Virginia, not Cincinnati, in the 1959 finals. Club events for November/December are due Sept. 2, not Oct. 14. Class notes for November/December are due Sept. 9, not Oct. 14. —April Kilcrease |
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