LETTERS

Don't forget the dedicated, often underpaid profs

For years I have seen articles like the one about James Carlin ("Taking on 'sacred cows' in higher education," June 29) that emphasize high tuition, underworked professors, inefficiency. There may be a professor somewhere who works a mere six to eight hours a week, but in my 39 years as the wife of a professor, I never met him or her.

My late husband regularly worked 50 to 70 hours a week. He loved teaching, and his students still tell me how much they appreciated him. I now watch our son, who works long hours at a private university and still is not quite able to support a family on one income.

I was not aware of shocking inefficiencies, as Mr. Carlin states, at the four campuses where my husband worked. I recall no cases resembling the "four Egyptian history professors on a campus where only 10 kids are majoring in Egyptian history." If Carlin found such abuses and corrected them, fine. But why doesn't anyone write about the overworked, underpaid, and highly dedicated faculty who are legion across our country? Not so interesting?

Bernice L. Youtz Olympia, Wash.

Some steps to halt genocide

The World Federalist Association (WFA) supports Sanford Gottlieb's call for preventative mechanisms to halt future atrocities ("Making a choice on genocide," June 30).

Gottlieb asked, "What should we do in case of another Kosovo?" The answer is that we must replace the law of brute force with the force of law.

The WFA suggests six steps to end genocide that, if taken, will help prevent future such instances from taking place. They are: (1) the establishment of the International Criminal Court; (2) an effective early-warning system to alert the world and especially the UN Security Council to potential ethnic conflict and genocide; (3) reform of the veto in the UN Security Council; (4) a powerful UN rapid response force under Articles 43-48 of the UN Charter; (5) full payment of UN assessments and reliable funding for UN peacekeeping; and (6) the provision of public information on the nature of genocide and its prevention.

Genocide has killed more people this century than all wars combined. Just as the international abolitionist movement brought an end to slavery, the world community must bring an end to genocide in the 21st century.

Gregory Stanton Washington Director The World Federalist Association

Elected by the press?

Most of the mainstream media, plus the Monitor, have been lured by Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore - and their highly financed campaigns - into giving them inordinate coverage for the presidential primary race. Former Sen. Bill Bradley, Sen. John McCain, the perennial Republican candidates, and the independent candidates have been given the usual short shrift.

It's no wonder we have a one-party system monopolized by two wings, the Republicans and Democrats.

The big-money power establishment, which usually calls the political shots, has the press and TV media under its spell. By handing Gore and Bush most all of the free coverage, the press is doing a disservice to its readers and to our eroding democracy.

By my count, the 14 Monitor editions from June 10 to June 29 devoted approximately 149 column inches and five photos to Mr. Bush; 109 inches and five photos to Mr. Gore; 10 inches to Mr. Bradley; two inches to Sen. Orrin Hatch; and no inches to Mr. McCain, the perennial Republican candidates, or the independent candidates.

Fred Duperrault Mountain View, Calif.

The Monitor welcomes your letters and opinion articles. Due to the volume of submissions, we can neither acknowledge nor return unpublished submissions. All submissions are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include your mailing address and telephone number.

Mail letters to 'Readers Write,' and opinion articles to Opinion Page, One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115, or fax to 617-450-2317, or e-mail to oped@csps.com

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society