UCSD alumnus asks school to draw the line The following letter was sent to UCSD Chancellor Fox. As an otherwise proud UCSD alumnus, I must respond to the news regarding the recent UCSD fraternity party that had the explicit theme of making fun of slavery and Black History. Certainly, this party’s purpose was to defile the image of Black History Month. And just how do African-Americans feel on campus after this party? My guess is they feel threatened and angry, not humored. If the planning group was a Neo-Nazi band or if the party was a skit seen on an HBO comedy show we would expect outraged citizens to complain about the racism and bad taste that continue to degrade our society. Worse yet, we might feel powerless and become apathetic as we bury our heads in our hands. Instead, the group is clearly associated with UCSD and is under your purview, yet it is viewed as harmless by your administration! Harmless it is not. Where is the line drawn between playing with acts of violence and allowing or encouraging violent acts? Costumes with chains and chains on the tailgates of trucks? There were those at one southern university who defended flying the Confederate flag for years, but its very symbolism finally brought it down. Would your administration also brush aside fraternity parties that mock violence against homosexuals and women? What about a party that invites people to play a shooting game where the targets are pictures of Mexican families illegally crossing the border? The list could go on, but my stomach turns as I imagine the perverse possibilities if these students are left unchecked. Because they are under your authority as students of a public university, you must condemn this behavior and sanction their racist activities in some way. It has no place on our campus or among us. Doing nothing at all is unconscionable. I, like many of my UCSD graduate peers, am waiting to hear that you have taken sanction against racist parties. We believe that it is your job to draw the line. Rebecca Margolis San Diego, Class of 1986 Take Iran seriously We are running out of time. We must take the Iranian nuclear threat seriously. The UN Security Council and other influential groups such as the EU have the power to peacefully stop Iran now. We have a unique historical opportunity to place sanctions on Iran in order to halt their nuclear weapons program. Deborah Seidle, La Jolla







