Mitchnick is equally dedicated, known and loved around the department for the enthusiasm she brings to the Carpenter Center. Due to this dedication and her own remarkable talent, she teaches one of the best undergraduate painting courses in the country (let alone the department)--a fact to which the always-heavy shopping period draw of "Painting With Attitude" attests. On the night before theses were due, Mitchnick left her Easter celebration and spent the entire night helping students, both her advisees and others with critical feedback, inspirational stories of Brice Marden and even a few leftovers. Just a few hours later, she returned to the Carpenter Center to teach a full eight-hour class.
In sum, VES is far from being "in turmoil." Interpersonal conflicts are common in any field, and we believe The Crimson presented a warped perspective on highly valued members of the department and failed to address the real issues surrounding the change of department chair. We stand by our faculty and the staff, both old and new, and while we have been a bit unsettled by recent rumors, we are prepared to continue to build the program with newly appointed Department Chair Marjorie Garber.
M. Elizabeth Glynn '03
May 17, 2001
The writer is a Visual and Environmental Studies concentrator.
Unfit to Print
To the editors:
I write in response to Parker R. Conrad's ill-advised column "Fit to Print?" (Opinion, May 18). The op-ed page is no place for the managing editor to defend The Crimson against criticisms and allegations of poor ethics. For Conrad to write a column about the journalistic process is a direct conflict of interest. Conrad's editorial blurs the line between news and opinion at The Crimson and is particularly ironic given that the focus of his piece is The Crimson's ethics.
Furthermore, Conrad begins by noting that his column is not designed to address issues of particular controversy but rather general issues about journalism, Crimson style. But his first section is a direct response to particular allegations about The Crimson's unequal coverage of the sit-in. A more appropriate way to handle such concerns would be to publish additional letters to the editor on the subject and a rebuttal to the specific points they make.
Alexandra Neuhaus-Follini '04
May 16, 2001