Semantics

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In their February 3 letter, Ph.D. students Tim Reagan and Kim Schive took The Crimson to task for its usage of "doctor/rapist." Admittedly, this is a semantically unsound phrase; however, do Reagan and Schive believe for one moment that any of The Crimson's readers misunderstood the headline ("Judge Decides Not to Deport Former Harvard Doctor/Rapist") because of the slash? More likely they were looking for an opportunity to see their prose in print. Rape is a serious crime. That two Harvard Ph.D. candidates overlook this fact to have fun at a newspaper's expense--and at the expense of rape victims--is disheartening. That the editors of The Crimson should compound the affront with the famous headline, "Help Wanted?" is irresponsible. Michael C. Dorf '86