THE CASE OF THE PURLOINED "VITAE"

To the Editors of the Crimson:

I should like to clarify two points regarding Arthur Lubow's article on the Penology Section that David Joroff taught in Natural Sciences 26.

In my interview with Mr. Lubow I described the process by which we pick section leaders as considerably less haphazard than it would appear from his article. To put the record straight, let me point out that applications from section leaders were indeed enlisted by an advertisement in the Crimson. Following this I interviewed all the applicants, described the philosophy of the course to them and encouraged them to submit a proposal for the type of section they would plan to run. Subsequently Professors Cleland and Kafatos and I met in a group with everyone who had submitted a proposal and from this group the three of us chose the 19 Teaching Fellows who ended up teaching the 17 sections of Natural Sciences 26 this spring. I have no quarrel with Mr. Lubow's quote that Joroff "seemed very competent." The other quotes attributed to me are not to be taken literally.

As an important aside I should like the readers and the Crimson staff to know that Mr. Lubow stole my copy of Joroff's vita from my office and xeroxed it, and returned it only after I contacted him by phone at the Crimson. I do not, and I hope you do not, feel that this constitutes appropriate behavior for a Crimson reporter. Ruth Hubbard

Every quotation I attributed to Dr. Hubbard is accurate. As for her charge of "stealing": let me include the facts, which Dr. Hubbard omits. After talking to Dr. Hubbard in the morning, I went to her office in the afternoon with the express purpose of picking up the curriculum vitae she had agreed to give me. When I arrived, she said she had changed her mind and didn't want to give it to me. She said I should instead ask her questions about it. I protested and she handed it to me. She also gave me other printed materials to take. Not knowing if I could take the c.v., I proceeded to write down the most relevant information as she watched me. We talked, and she then said goodbye without asking me to return the c.v. I took it along with the other papers she had given me. When I returned to the Crimson, she telephoned and asked to have the c.v. back. I returned it immediately.   Arthur H. Lubow