Black alumni seeking broader solutions
Shame on the Daily Bruin for its April 2 editorial, “Scholarship plan won’t aid black enrollment,” which criticizes the efforts of alumni and civic leaders who have contributed nearly $2 million for scholarship support to admitted African Americans.
When alumni and friends see UCLA’s African American legacy at risk and step up to help solve the crisis, The Bruin ought to recognize and encourage those efforts.
Inexplicably, The Bruin criticized alumni and friends for failing to look more broadly at solutions. This is not true.
Had the editorial board taken the time to learn about our efforts, they would have learned that we are equally focused on academic preparation, yield, early recruitment and on-campus support programs.
Scholarships, moreover, are a vital piece of the puzzle, a conclusion based on analysis.
Perhaps The Bruin might want to start doing a little homework if it wants to play a constructive role in addressing the problem.
Peter J. Taylor,
Chair, UCLA African American Alumni and Community Support Task Force
UCLA Class of 1980
Rickey Ivie
President, UCLA African American Alumni Association
UCLA Class of 1973,
J.D. Class of 1977
Edwards should have expected scrutiny
Katie Strickland’s recent column (“Keep politicians’ private lives just that ““ private,” April 4) asks the question, “Why are the Edwardses being second-guessed about their personal decisions when the media has seemed content to leave the problems of other famous politicos alone?”
Perhaps this is because they chose to appear on the country’s highest-rated news program to air their issues.
I’m sure they were unpleasantly surprised that Katie Couric didn’t lob them 100-percent softballs, but they can’t have been too unhappy with the result.
If fellow 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney books a 60 Minutes spot to assure us that he still wants to be president despite his wife’s diagnosis (which occurred years before he was a presidential candidate), I’m sure he’ll run into the same level of scrutiny.
Daniel Oakes
UCLA Law Class of 2007