To the editors:

"Chump or Champ: Why is Hillary Standing by Her Man?" This was the theme of a committee discussion held at the Institute of Politics (IOP), audaciously termed a debate by the Harvard Political Union (News, Feb. 4). Amid the worn jokes and vacuous slogans, several people of more noble and gracious intent than me tried bravely to provoke an intelligent discussion of the budding scandal in Washington. Sadly, they were doomed by the near-comic choice of topic.

I have heard that IOP committees do wonderful work, but for part of this discussion at least, the IOP seemed to affirm that the Jerry Springer Show carries more weight than the news. In this country, a fissure is growing between the intelligentsia and the ruling gentlemen's club, and most people more often than not feel neglected by those on either side of the canyon. Various institutions are capable of bridging the gap in socially beneficial ways--universities, for example. As a prominent university political organization, the IOP ought to give more thought to its role on campus. Chump or champ: will the IOP degenerate into club for self-affected future senators and celebrity journalists, or will it remain a forum for the exchange of meaningful ideas? ERRON W. TITUS '01   Feb. 4, 1998