...and Desist

To the Editors of the Crimson:

After reading The Harvard Crimson article of Friday, October 17th regarding Klitgaard's preliminary report on the performance of students at Harvard, and President Bok's reply in the Boston Globe, as a member of the Third World community at Harvard I feel compelled to respond.

Once again the Third World community at Harvard University has become the target of criticism and this time in the context of Mr. Klitgaard's "study". Firstly, I seriously question how Klitgaard obtained his information. In no part of the Harvard/Radcliffe admissions application is a student asked his religious affiliation. How then is it possible for Klitgaard to use Jewish students in his report. Secondly, I strongly resent Klitgaard's implication that Third World students are more suited to a less competitive academic environment, and that students perform poorer than their aptitude scores indicate. I don't believe that Klitgaard included Harvard College in his findings for had he, he would have discovered the antithesis among many of the minority students here. Lastly, the dichotomy of students chosen by Klitgaard is a racist attempt to discredit the presence of Third World students on campus. Certainly Klitgaard would never have compared the aptitude scores of the sons and daughters of Harvard/Radcliffe alumni or perhaps even athletes to the rest of Harvard's white population.

In addition to Klitgaard, The Harvard Crimson is also to be criticized for their gross insensitivity and irresponsible journalism. The Crimson obtained the contents of this report in a dubious manner since the report has not yet been made public. The story was sensationalized and no members of the Third World community or even the Office of Admissions were asked to respond before the story was printed. I can just add this article to a series of instances in which The Crimson has blatantly insulted Third World students.

In summary, I wish to emphasize how detrimental this entire incident can be to minority students. It is terribly damaging to the morale of minority students to read in their college newspaper that they are expected to do poorly here because they are capable of no better. As a Chicano student recruiter for Harvard/Radcliffe. I now doubt whether minority students should be encouraged to study in a place where they are not wanted, and, even further, their presence on campus is constantly questioned by not only their peers but by racists such as Klitgaard and the person who ordered the study, President Bok, as well. Sincerely,   Lisa M. Quiroz   Chicano Student Recruitment Co-coordinator   Harvard/Radcliffe RAZA