Recruiting students is for diversity\nColumnist Vincent Carr poses a lot of questions about the term minority ("The meaning of minority," Jan. 30). I have no answers for most of his questions, but I would like to correct two misunderstandings.\nFirst, Mr. Carr believes that the Minority Achievers Program (MAP) is "exclusively for African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans." This was true until last year, when a major change was made. MAP now includes Asian Pacific Americans.\nSecond, Mr. Carr wrote, "very rarely, will you find schools tirelessly trying to entice Asians." He said there was no need "to recruit and help people who do not have trouble getting in to college." IU recruits Asian Pacific Americans to provide a diverse environment and not because it is too easy or too difficult to get into IU. I'm not sure we do so tirelessly; we were bone tired after a three-day phone-a-thon last June during which our volunteers enticed students and parents in five different Asian languages. This University believes students learn and benefit from being surrounded by people from various backgrounds. Diversity is not primarily for the purpose of achieving justice or equality (although we would certainly welcome these) but to allow our students to achieve an education.\nOur office, the Asian Culture Center, works closely with the Office of Admissions in ensuring that Asian Pacific Americans know about the opportunities at IU and feel welcome when they come here to school. We encourage Mr. Carr to call or visit our center to discuss these issues.\nMelanie Castillo-Cullather\nDirector, IU Asian Culture Center
Peace camps aren't what's unpleasant\nGlen Carson's deliberately inflammatory letter ("Peace Camp Tents Should Come Down," Feb. 8) reminded me that this war is, for some, about identifying and isolating those who disagree with it.\nI am quite sure that, as a business student, Mr. Carson rarely experiences the "displeasure" of walking and, when required, does so in "disgust." That aside, I applaud his effort to understand the campers. However, it seems by his tone that he wasn't able to understand them and thus felt compelled to call them names and question their citizenship. Let's be clear. WAR is displeasing and disgusting. I congratulate those of the peace camp for bringing this message home. If we are displeased and disgusted one billionth of what others endure, then the peace camp is doing right to keep the issue "in our faces." Personally, I'd rather it be the camp than a two-ton mortar shell.\nGabriel Harp\nGraduate student
Columnist off mark on evaluation of war\nStephanie Sims' column ("Peace camp no longer welcome," Feb. 12) is a disappointment to anyone with a sense of hope. It is people with her cynical, apathetic attitude that support all the violence in this world by tolerating it. She criticizes the camps for having books!\nHow does she think the people who are really informed about this war get their information? Maybe if she read a bit more, she could get her facts straight. Stephanie stated that the violence against Afghanistan had stopped for the most part and the page preceding her article contained a story about drone missiles deployed in Afghanistan! This war is far from over. She also doubts the usefulness of the peace camp's efforts. The camp is there to inform the University community and voters like us! Maybe if she took the time to listen to the protesters and look at the real issues instead of judging the conditions of the camp, she would know that the violence has not ended. Just because Stephanie doesn't believe that people working together to show their dissatisfaction with nationalism can help the state of affairs doesn't mean she has to discourage everyone else on campus from listening to the message or trying to make a difference. PEACE is what's important.\nErica Edmonson \nJunior
