Opinion
 

Letters to the Editor

Equal time

To the editor:

Jennifer Jackson repeatedly misses the mark in her column, "Forced equality isn't the solution" (Opinion, Monday). Suggesting Benton County was trying to one-up San Francisco is ridiculous. County officials had planned to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, but decided to issue no licenses at all due to the threat of lawsuits. Marriage is not a right but (in the context of government regulations) a license.

Jackson says Benton County's act doesn't achieve equality, but that's exactly what it achieves. Indeed, her only evidence is a mention of a recent French law forbidding religious clothing or symbols, which has no bearing on either gay rights or the American government. The Benton County decision is not discrimination because everyone is being treated the same way.

Jackson says only heterosexual unions can produce children, so those are the only valid relationships. I'm a straight woman who plans to never have children; should I be forbidden to marry?

Her argument that only heterosexual couples make good parents is not only a generalization but also invalid. What about straight parents who are alcoholics or child abusers? Just because they're straight doesn't mean they're good parents. 

Jackson says marriage has been "absolutely defined" by the church as a union between a man and a woman, but this is a civil issue. The Constitution mandates equal treatment for all citizens, which Benton County tried to provide.

Jackson claims that her column is not an attack on homosexuals. No, she just argues that homosexual love is inherently less valid than heterosexual love. Perhaps the title of Jackson's column should have been, "Forced equality isn't the solution: Inequality is!"

Melissa Morth, 
Spanish senior

Diversity discrepancy

To the editor:

According to The Daily Cougar ("University leaders share ideas for future," News, Monday), my esteemed colleague and successor as Faculty Senate president, Giles Auchmuty, maintained that the low rate of diversity in UH faculty is "most of all ... a pipeline issue."

There is a pipeline problem; there are fewer Ph.D.'s earned by minorities than by whites. However, the use of "most of all" carries the suggestion, perhaps unintended by Auchmuty, that there isn't much UH can do to improve its rate of minority hiring. It is not clear that the pipeline problem is that severe, and there are a number of other reasons why the suggestion is false.

There are ways to improve our rate of diversity hiring. For example, following other universities and agencies, we could establish an office dedicated to recruiting minority faculty. We could also work to put in place a climate that is diversity-friendly and that positively attracts minority candidates. And as Professor Mintz is reported as recommending, we could provide incentives to departments.

UH has much to gain from having a more diverse faculty, including benefiting students, improving our credibility in our diverse community and establishing a richer representation of approaches in many academic fields. Nonetheless, faculty accustomed to a largely white, male university may fear that diversity means a loss of quality. Proponents of diversity, on the other hand, may be right to be concerned that university faculty have a low tolerance for difference, and operate largely unaware of the significant prejudices that can come into play with almost any assessment of merit.

We need more discussion on campus of the issues surrounding the considerable difference between the diversity of our students and that of the faculty.

Anne Jaap Jacobson, 
professor of philosophy and electrical and computer engineering

Common courtesy

To the editor:

Kudos to Timmy Le for his article titled "Time to Review Bathroom Etiquette" (Opinion, Wednesday). Every individual, male or female, should practice the health-conscious decision to wash their hands when they use these facilities we call restrooms. Not everyone was taught this as a child, apparently. The women's restrooms are just as bad as the men's, if not worse. I have observed women come out of a restroom stall and head out the door without washing their hands. Urine on the toilet seat is so common in my building that I had to place signs in each of the women's restrooms that read: "If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie." 

My advice is avoid shaking hands with people at all costs, because it is better to be safe than sorry.

Stephanie Love, 
UH telephone operator
 

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the UH community and should focus on issues, not personalities. Letters must be typed and must include the author's name, telephone number and affiliation with the University. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, language and space. Letters may be delivered in person to Room 151, Communication; e-mailed to dclettrs@mail.uh.edu ; or faxed to (713) 743-5384.Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu