Harvard Student Agencies Pays Students to Tutor Too

To the editors:

The article "Intellectual Property?" (Editorial, Nov. 1) incorrectly states that "Harvard demands that all tutoring done for money be done through the apparatus of the Bureau of Study Counsel." Students can legally and ethically earn money tutoring for Harvard Student Resources, a division of Harvard Student Agencies, and in the process help members of the community.

Brian E. Joseph '01

Nov. 1, 1999

The writer is a manager at Harvard Student Resources.

Some Animal Rights Groups Condone Violent Acts

To the editors:

It comes as little surprise that a group of animal rights activists is getting violent--this time mailing razor blades in letters to medical researchers. We have been very fortunate in the United States to have experienced so little violence and terrorism by the animal liberation movement. In Great Britain, where animal rights violence has become commonplace, there have been dozens of incidents annually in recent years: mail and car bombings, razor letters, arsons and violent home demonstrations.

What is surprising is that the leader of the largest "non-violent" animal rights organization in the U.S. should step forward and applaud these latest mailings. Commenting on the razor letters, Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said, "I hope it frightens [the scientists] out of their careers."

PETA and other large animal rights organizations have tremendous resources, largely from well-meaning contributors who see themselves as being friends of animals. But contributors need to question where their money is actually going. Does the group tacitly condone activist violence? Many groups encourage acts of extremism to advance the movement's agenda, even while remaining less than outspoken on the issue. These groups maintain their innocence when violence occurs, an unfortunate example of the movement's duplicity--where one hand washes the other, yet neither comes clean.

As long as members of these groups view violence as an acceptable means to an end, and their more moderate counterparts encourage them, anyone who contributes to an animal rights cause is helping to underwrite terrorism.

Frankie L. Trull

Nov. 2, 1999

The writer is the president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research in Washington, D.C.

Roommates Should Learn to Live with Differences

To the editors:

As a gay man in his late 40's who has been out since the age of 19, I have had some real experiences with homosexual, heterosexual, male and female roommates in all possible combinations.

I have found that if all parties involved in a roommate situation genuinely make an effort to get along and to respect each other's comfort zones any group of people can live successfully together.

In general, I found that the arguments generally revolved around the thermostat. Rather than focusing on who's feeling uncomfortable, how about focusing on who's willing or unwilling to make the effort to get along?

Geoff Staples

Dallas, TX Nov. 2, 1999