Ukrainian Institute Follows Medical Policies

Over the past seven years, the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute has brought more than 50 students from Ukraine to participate in the Harvard Summer School. These young people represent the best and the brightest of that country--students of journalism, business, politics and poetry, to name just a few. We are very proud of this program and work hard, as do the Summer School administrators, to make sure that it runs smoothly.

I was thus distressed by two inaccuracies in Barbara Martinez's article on the measles case of last week ("Summer School Reacts to Measles Outbreak," July 11, 1997).

First, Edele Marchinko, one of the sources quoted in the article, is not a "Ukrainian Program staffer"--she is a student in our program (from Canada) and therefore not qualified to talk about Summer School policies beyond her own personal experience.

Second, no one from the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute was contacted for this article. If we had been contacted, Martinez would have discovered that, in contrast to what was reported, Ukrainian students were sent the same medical forms as all other dormitory residents.

We at the Institute believe that the education of this first generation of independent Ukraine is one of our most special missions. We have complied fully with all Summer School policies in the past and will continue to follow any future policies, medical or otherwise, in the future. --Dr. James Clem,   Executive Director   Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute