Lat Denigrates Blacks, Latinos

When I read David B. Lat's "Rebels without a Cause" (March 9), I have to admit, I agreed with the article's main contention. I, too, felt the minority protests over Junior Parents Weekend were ill-timed and probably did more harm than good for campus race relations. What bothered me was the fact that Mr. Lat resorted to a base and common denigration of Black and Latino students to buttress his argument.

His remark that Blacks and Latinos are only here because of an institutional "benevolence" that overlooks their "lower SAT scores" perpetuates the misconception that these students are academic welfare cases who neither deserve their places at Harvard nor can compete with their peers. Mr. Lat suggests that these students should all get on their knees and thank fair Harvard for holding them to a lower standard than everyone else and he ignores the tremendous hurdles that Blacks and Latinos must overcome to reach this lofty plateau.

The bottom line is that Harvard is about achievement, about excellence. This College only admits individuals who have demonstrated exceptional abilities to achieve and excel. Unlike Harvard's office of Admissions, Mr. Lat still labors under the antiquated notion that such abilities are purely quantifiable. Would he dare suggest that MIT is a superior institution because its SAT average is usually higher than Harvard's? I hope not.

After reading Mr. Lat's article, I thought of another article I had read two months ago in The New York Times. That article chronicled the academic career of a current Latino first-year at Harvard. This student had come from one of the most underfunded high schools and one of the scariest neighborhoods in the South Bronx. He came from an academic program in which graduation--much less acceptance to Harvard--was a noteworthy accomplishment. Despite the fact that his SAT score is in the bottom fourth of his first-year class, his professors have nothing but praise for the work he has done so far. If this student does not exemplify achievement and excellence, I don't know who does.

Unfortunately, Mr. Lat and the multitude of Harvard students who share his view do not see such individuals as sources of inspiration and pride for all of us at the College. They see them as charity cases. I imagine that if Mr. Lat, in his dogmatic adherence to the power of test scores, were to see the amazing first-year from the South Bronx strolling through the Yard, he would not consider the depth of intellect and character necessary for that young man to reach Harvard's esteemed confines.

Instead, I think, Mr. Lat would shrug, shake his head and think, "There goes another affirmative action baby." Jon-Peter Kelly '94