The Chicago Initiative

Alum M. Levin’s letter (“Paying for the Chicago Initiative,” 4/23/04) maliciously misrepresents or misremembers the reasons that so many students, faculty, alums, and even trustees had for criticizing elements of the Sonnenschein-Stone administration in 1999. Not a single person argued that the University shouldn’t be seeking money. Rather, there was grave concern over their priorities and methods for raising money: hugely increasing enrollment in the College and M.A. programs, trimming Ph.D. cohorts, and reducing financial aid—all this without increasing the size of the faculty to keep class sizes down.

And beyond that: pressure on the faculty to “gut” the Core curriculum, and other moves to create a less intellectual, more crassly “fun” College; very questionable budget projections; and a culture of secrecy, non-transparent curricular deliberations, and disdain of student input into administrative decisions.

Perhaps our good Levin would like a copy of the Fun-In statement of purpose to jog some aging memories.

Adam Kissel

A.M., 2002

Student Liaison to the

Board of Trustees, 1999-2001