I must take the time to redress the letter which appeared in the Nov. 16 Northern Star. The letter was titled, “NIU practices a double standard.”

Student Cathy Casali pontificated on the inequality of the university and of the Affirmative Action program. Her particular concern seemed to be with the reason that she is not eligible for tutorship from the Office of Special Programs (OSP) due to the fact that she is a non-minority.

er logic seemed to be clouded by emotion and jealousy (both spawned by the feelings one gets when excluded). I have experienced the feeling myself in the form of not getting a higher grade when others (white) who are on the same borderline as myself, or intentionally being held at a 89.6 level while doing work that was word for word just as good as another student, who scored a 96 who happened to be white. But I did not blame the white student.

In one condemnation, she relegated Hispanic and Black students to the status of ingrates who are picking up a “free” ride at the expense of her and others like her.

Well, that is nothing more than a direct insult to those of us minority students who are paying our own tuition, penny by sweat-covered penny.

Not all minority students rely on the Office of Special Projects. I and one other minority student I know of have volunteered our services to tutor for OSP and BSU. But Cathy Casali would not know that.

A second insult was leveled at her target groups by mentioning only the Black and Hispanic cultures. Did Cathy Casali bother to think about athletes or handicapped students who have been deemed by the university also to have special needs? Or what about the grad students who also get much more needed special attention. Perhaps is this just open season on the black and the brown?

Does not the possibility exist that parents of students under Cathy Casali’s attack pay taxes? Mention also was made that many minority students have more money than she does. How does she know who has what? It appeared to this writer that pure emotion and speculation were utilized in the construction of the letter I am redressing.

eavy-handed generalizations have caused to futher widen the growing cesspool in which the pollutants of bigotry, suspicion and racism float on the surface waiting to drown the ignorant who foolishly wade into it.

I must mention that just because a student gets a tutor on a so-called “silver platter” does not mean said student will consume or even digest the delicacy of knowledge. I ask if this free ride to knowledge is taken, will that minority student be fairly graded in the arena of the subjective test? It would be a good idea for this student to make her needs known to her instructors who in many cases can offer much more than a tutor, and for free, just like the minority students get.

If all else fails, and Cathy ends up paying for a tutor and that should also fail, there are remedial courses in almost all of the disciplines which will prepare her for the more difficult courses that are found by all students at this university.

.A. Gray

junior

sociology