LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Keep UCOP accountable UCLA Academic Senate
chair Adrienne Lavine’s opinion (“Bill calls for UC
financial reform,” News, Jan. 11) is that the outcry over the
$871 million UC Office of the President executive salary scandal
“has been carried too far.” Thousands of University of
California students who have seen their fees increase year after
year, and thousands of UC staff and faculty whose salaries have
declined against all market comparisons, will very strongly
disagree with Lavine. We support the legislation forcing
accountability on UCOP so that all UC salaries are adequate, not
just those above six figures, and so that UC funds are spent on
education, not salary bonuses and parties.

David Gilbert Librarian, UCLA Music Library
Lawson’s claims unfounded I read with
amusement the article on Reverend James Lawson (“Civil rights
activist lectures on racism,” News, Jan. 11). I had the
displeasure of taking Lawson’s “Nonviolence and Social
Justice” class in Spring 2003, and I can’t say
I’m surprised to see that he’s back to his old tricks.
The story notes Lawson’s wild, unsubstantiated accusation
that “studies have shown that half of the white population
believes to some degree that God did not create black people equal
to whites.” No doubt this produced the intended feeling of
racial guilt in white audience members. But I would caution them
not to believe much of what Lawson says. I would suspect no
scientifically valid study would support Lawson’s claims of
widespread religious-based racism. Andrew Jones President,
Bruin Alumni Association