Monday, 4/21/97 Letters
Paving the way for Jackie Robinson I am writing in response to
the article about Jackie Robinson printed in the Sports section
April 15. The article stated that "Jackie Robinson was a pioneer
who cleared a path through a dense, large and hateful forest … No
one had gone before him into this forest." This is untrue. What
this article and almost all the articles like it fail to address
is, "Who cleared the way for Jackie Robinson?" The walls of racism
did not magically crumble because the team owners, or Branch Rickey
for that matter, woke up one morning and had a moral epiphany. Four
years before Jackie Robinson faced his first major league pitcher,
an African American man named Paul Robeson led a delegation to
pressure major league baseball team owners to integrate baseball.
This was the first time a black representative spoke to the owners
directly. While integration did not immediately follow, Robeson,
who himself was the second black All-American in college football
history, went "into the forest," and paved the way for Robinson’s
debut. It is a tragedy to ignore Robeson’s contributions. Linda
Klein Senior Communication studies Professors read evaluations
Philip Koss (Daily Bruin Viewpoint, April 4) asks whether teaching
evaluations are ever read by anyone other than the professors and
TAs. Yes indeed, these evaluations become part of the permanent
record for each faculty member or graduate student. It is true that
some professors pay little attention to their evaluations, but many
take them very seriously and use them to improve their teaching. It
is also true that while poor teaching is seldom penalized, good
teaching is rewarded on this campus. The Charles and Harriet
Luckman Distinguished Teaching Awards are given each year to a
small group of faculty and TAs, and student evaluations, comments
and letters weigh heavily in the rigorous selection process.
Regardless of the level to which faculty or TAs respond to their
evaluations, you do have a right to expect the best from your
instructors, principally because the teaching mission is central to
UCLA but also because you are a taxpayer. One of the ironies of the
university system is that few faculty have formal training in
teaching, and few are hired for their teaching abilities. But many
(I’d like to think the majority) are deeply concerned about
teaching, and we do rely on the comments and advice of students. So
take the time to fill in your evaluations (and insist that you are
allowed this time). And if you have any ideas to make the
evaluation process more effective, then contact the Academic Senate
Teaching Committee. (Yes, there’s an entire committee devoted to
maintaining teaching standards.) Jon Davidson Associate professor
of geology and geochemistry Member of the Academic Senate Teaching
Committee Unattractive uniforms With the rousing comeback victory
against USC to end this past season and with starters like Skip
Hicks, Cade McNown and Danny Farmer returning, I am anxiously
anticipating a successful and exciting 1997 football season
However, my enthusiasm for the upcoming season is tempered by the
prospect of watching our team play in their new uniforms for
another season The uniform changes adopted before the start of the
1996 season were not drastic (our beloved powder blue and gold
remain intact), but they were unnecessary and unattractive. My main
gripe is with the new numbers on the jerseys. The prominent black
border simply does not match the combination of powder blue and
gold. Furthermore, the font of the numbers is better suited for a
baseball jersey than a football jersey The style is unusual – no
other football team that I know of has the same type of numbers; it
is overly ornate, bordering on cartoonish. The new numbers are
simply unbecoming. Raphael Rabalais Junior Psychology