Letters to the Editor

Author: [no author name found]

To the Editor:

I find it ironic that in Bryan Goldberg's opinions piece in the March 31 issue of The Middlebury Campus, praising Larry Summers for his scientific pursuit of the truth, Goldberg appears to lack a firm grasp of an important scientific distinction - the difference between the mean and the standard deviation of a distribution.

Had Goldberg read Summers' remarks (the full text can be found at http://www.president.harvard.edu/speeches/2005/nber.html) he would have known that Summers did not say that the average man was better at math and science than the average woman. Summers' comments suggest that he believes the average man and the average women have the same mathematical and scientific abilities. However, he did hypothesize that the standard deviation - the spread - in scientific ability might be larger in men than in women. If this were the case, there would be both more male scientific geniuses and more male scientific idiots than female ones. He goes on to say that this difference is relevant because the upper levels of academia represent portions of the population whose abilities are many standard deviations above the mean. Whatever its merits, this is a very different suggestion than the one Goldberg claims Summers made.

By failing to understand the difference between the average and the standard deviation of a distribution, Goldberg unwittingly makes the case for improving science education at Middlebury. The scientific pursuit of truth that Goldberg justifiably extols requires a basic understanding of the fundamental tools and methods of science - an understanding that, happily, can be acquired by the average man or woman.

Sincerely,

Matthew Motley '05

To the Editor:

In reference to last week's article in The Middlebury Campus, "DFP sponsors Russian-Chechen Symposium," I commend and thank the author for her fine commentary. However, by means of this article, I would like to bring to light and set right a few inaccuracies in the piece of writing.

The said article seems to portray Dialogues for Peace (DFP) as the sole organizer of the events focusing on the conflict between Russia and Chechnya when in truth, it is a joint effort by both the International Student Organization (ISO) and DFP.

I certainly want ISO to have its due recognition for its support, co-sponsorship and input. It is also very regretful that one of the organizers of the event was erroneously named as Anton Koychev '05. Rightfully, it is my colleague and friend, Anton Altement '07.5, whose vigor and energy has been integral in shaping the events.

As a final point, this series was organized by a diverse and international group of students committed to raising awareness on global conflicts and establishing dialogues on campus and most certainly, not "Midd students from Russia and Chechnya," as one student was quoted in the article.

Except for Beslan Visambiev, who hails from Chechnya, the rest of us come from regions as far-flung as Singapore and Estonia.

Having made the aforementioned clarifications, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of our co-sponsors for their aid and my colleagues for their unwavering support and tenacity in putting together an enriching event.

Sincerely,

Vani Sathisan '07

Symposium Chair, ISO