Dean Lewis Should Respond Positively to Students

Dear Dean Lewis:

You have given many reasons for the absence of your support for the U.C. bill which asks for a change in official University language from freshman to first-year.

You have argued that the use of the term first-year is confusing, as there are transfer students who are also experiencing their first year at Harvard. I am a transfer student, and I have NEVER been referred to as a first-year. Like the other students who have successfully completed a year of work, I am technically a sophomore.

Would you advocate calling the Afro-American Studies department the Colored Studies department? You wouldn't. So why must all my first-year women friends be freshmen? They aren't asking for sex changes in addition to an education. The use of the word freshman harkens back to the days when women were not allowed to enroll at Harvard. Your endorsement of the term is an attempt to keep us in those middle ages, when women students were often not permitted in the classrooms and were mostly ignored by the male faculty. Are women not worthy to be students at Harvard? Evidence points in the opposite direction. Then why do you want to use a word that denies the fact that many students are women? A word can create an atmosphere, and you are promoting one where women are not fully recognized as students. We don't use the words Spics and WOPs in University literature, because it is disrespectful. Do you think women, because of their gender, deserve disrespect?

As another argument, you say that the word is unwiedly. So are the words spaghetti and Massachusetts. Perhaps we shouldn't use those to describe the noodle or the state. I simply suggest that you try a little harder, and maybe you will soon be able to pronounce "first-year" quite handily. I have no difficulties, and willing to be your speech coach if you do not soon meet with success.

As a larger issue about effectiveness as a dean, you disrespect the entire undergraduate student body by ignoring the proposals of our elected body and by disregarding our petition endorsing reform of the core curriculum signed by 4,400 signatures, with the exception of one endorsing your resignation as dean.

As to your argument that first-year still conjures up the image of a male, if Harvard accepted equal numbers of male and female students, this problem might not seem so severe.

Between your insulting words toward the Harvard undergraduate woman who was attacked and this recent decision, it is difficult to refute the idea that you may be encouraging sexism at Harvard. This would be truly sad, and I sincerely hope that your character and ethics are stronger and more refined.

To ameliorate your image and effectiveness, you need to take action. Primarily, you need to listen to students. Without us at Harvard, you would be unemployed. Secondly, to put to rest any lingering rumors about incompetency and bias, you need to positively respond to our wishes in both word and deed. In exchange, we would honor your with our respect and admiration. These are valuable items, and I hope that you would be honored to receive them. I only await the day when I, and other students, can bestow them. --Stephanie B. Russek '98