Were it not for the probability of disturbing other library patrons, Li'l Writer Guy would be dancing a happy little jig. Instead, he allows himself a pleased smile and a contented sigh before getting back to work.
You can see why in the Letters to the Editor section of the May/June issue of the University of Rochester's magazine, Rochester Review. Unfortunately, you can't yet access via their online archives the issue to which I was responding.One article in that issue detailed the search for a new logo for the University of Rochester. I participated in a survey in which I expressed my opinon of various candidates, but I think the whole idea is silly.
Another article promoted the university's commitment to increasing the diversity of its faculty and of its medical center personnel, in order to better reflect the student and patient populations.
Blushing slightly, Li'l Writer Guy once again buries himself in his books.The March-April issue, with its articles on the great effort being put forth to improve both the University’s logo and its diversity, disturbs me a little. It makes me worry that the administration is concentrating on superficialities rather than foundations; on how things look, rather than how they are. There’s a possibility—though by no means a certainty—that all other things being equal, I’d feel more comfortable if my professor or my doctor were of my sex and ethnic background. But all other things are never equal. I want my teachers to be excellent in their fields, fair in their judgment, and able to lead their students to a knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject. As for my health care professionals, of primary importance is that they be highly skilled, followed by compassionate, open-minded, and respectful. That any of them look like me is way down on the list, if anywhere. Let’s go for excellence. If the University is known as a place of highest quality, it won’t matter what its faculty looks like—or its logo.
Nicely done!
