IN DEFENSE OF KIELY

To the Editors of the Crimson:

As a student enrolled this fall in English 166, I would here like to declare my support of Professor Robert Kiely, in regard to the controversy surrounding the final examination in his course. I attended no review section and knew nothing of the exam's format or content before it was given. Had I, however, been informed of the details revealed by Professor Kiely and reported in The Crimson, I would have prepared in much the same manner as I did unaware of the review, and such information would not have altered my answers to the relevant questions. I believe furthermore that no student who did attend the review gained a significant or unfair advantage over myself and those who missed it. For a student who attended lecture and read the novels, the examination was interesting and just; for those who did not, an awareness of the exam's format and partial content would not have made a difference.

Further persistence by those students who have protested embarrasses themselves more than Professor Kiely, and The Crimson's sensationalist coverage of this matter degrades the paper as well as Kiely and his students. Professor Robert Kiely is one of the most concerned and interested men, one of the finest teachers and administrators, in Harvard University, and I hope other students who have known him through this or other courses will support him against the insulting allegations passed in the last three days. Lewis E. Cobbs'75   Quincy House