Blogosphere Freedom:
Blogs Should Not Affect Professors

To the Editor:

"An Air of Caution in the Blogosphere" (Sept. 15) is a disturbing, yet depressingly not surprising, reflection of mainstream academics' spinelessness. That people are even debating in the first place whether a professor's blog ought to impact his or her career already demonstrates a profound retreat from basic principles of academic freedom. Worse, the article features the voices of lackeys like Caroline Weber, who harps that professors who blog "have to be willing to accept the firestorm that comes with it." Academics with views that challenge the status quo, beware. When the next round of political repression comes, I wouldn't bet on the support of most tenure-chasing, politically fearful colleagues.

Sigmund Diamond, Morningside Heights
Sept. 27, 2006

"Don't Be a Hardnose":
Punishment Too Harsh on Hockey

To the Editor:

The University's decision to suspend the hockey team for putting up fliers saying "Don't be a pussy" is ridiculous. I have no affiliation at all with the team, but it seems Columbia is using it as a scapegoat. It's just preposterous that a club can be suspended and its funding cut for half a year because of one person. Columbia wouldn't do this to a group that had more visibility (i.e., the Columbia University Marching Band, which has done far worse). There are many other similarly obscene fliers that have been posted and ignored. This is not to say that any such posters should be subject to such severe disciplinary action.

Finally, the whole thing is a massive overreaction. How many people even saw the fliers? I imagine the most common printings of the slogan "Don't be a pussy" have been quotes in Spec.

Sam Stampfer, CC '07
Sept. 27, 2006

Hezbollah Misrepresented:
Article Misses the Facts for Israel

To the Editor:

I was alarmed by the reckless disregard for fact in the opening of Rudi Bazell's "Reflecting on Resistance" (Sept. 28). He cites that the Intifada, which began in the fall of 2000, was in response to Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. While Sharon's visit did not calm the situation, the Intifada began two days before Sharon's visit-a visit that was not announced in advance. The claim that the uprising came in response to Sharon's actions ignores the actual timeline of events. It actually came after Yasser Arafat broke off negotiations with the Israelis, claiming that what likely was the best offer he had ever seen was not even sufficient as a starting point for negotiations.

As to the suffering of Lebanese civilians, the democratically elected Lebanese government chose to ignore U.N. demands that Hezbollah be disarmed. They neither acted to remove the militant group from their midst, nor asked for international assistance to do so. Once Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah had seemingly accomplished their goal, yet they continued to arm themselves; their real goal is the elimination of the State of Israel.

While Hezbollah was building up arms, Israel built bomb shelters in the North, so that the impact of an attack on civilians would be as contained as possible. Surely the Lebanese government knew that if Hezbollah attacked Israel, they too would be attacked. They had the opportunity to build bomb shelters, yet they did not act to protect their own citizens.

If Americans want to talk about empowering populations through democracy, we have to remember that part of democracy is learning from a government's failures and effecting change in response. The Lebanese government failed to protect its civilians in the South the way the U.S. government failed to protect its citizens in the South last year from a catastrophe that was just as predictable. We held our government accountable; why isn't theirs held to such a standard?

Jeremy Posner, GS
Sept. 28, 2006

Barnard Students Not So Well Integrated into Comp Sci
To the Editor:

I am one of the two computer science students at Barnard ("Barnard Talks Up Comp Sci," Sept. 28). Perhaps my experience is atypical, but I couldn't feel further removed from the computer science and SEAS culture. With the exception of the first semester of my first year, I've never had a class in computer science with another Barnard student. I never choose my own project groups because I don't know anyone personally in my classes. As such, I do feel at a disadvantage because I don't have study partners in computer science; I don't know how other students are doing on the assignments, or what their approach is, unless it is public knowledge.

Much of my distance from the department is my own doing, however. I don't seek out opportunities for socializing among other computer science students. I have tried in the past, and I have had little luck. I feel it is because I am a minority in a few ways-I am gender queer and I am gay. I am also separated from the SEAS community because I am a Barnard student and I live off-campus. It is difficult to identify gay-friendly and transgender-friendly peers because it is such an impersonal field. Further, I have little connection with the students outside of class, whereas SEAS students have more opportunities to get to know each other. So as a Barnard student, I enter the class as an outsider, and as a queer student, I stay an outsider.

To the computer science department's credit, I have seen no intentional discrimination against any students. But the fact remains that there is no obvious queer or transgender presence in the major. And that is enough to make me look for peers elsewhere, where I have a greater chance of not just being accepted, but feeling comfortable and at ease.

If there were more students with whom I could identify, my experience as a computer science major would be very different. I would think that other marginalized students-Barnard students, students of color, female students-also feel this disconnect to some degree. So I take issue with the idea that Barnard students are just as integrated into the computer science department as any other students. I don't believe that's possible when there is such a small representation in each course.

Kathleen Johnson, BC
Sept. 28, 2006