Last week’s panel on program houses, which was sponsored by The Sun and the aptly titled STUC, held the promise of reinvigorating our stale debates. Did it succeed?

In some ways, yes. The event allowed minority representatives to publicly articulate their concerns. Zach Murray ’11 noted the academic and social difficulties he faced as a freshman from a “90 percent black” neighborhood. As one of the few minorities in his dorm, he was not made aware of academic services or diversity resources. Ujamaa, he said, provided him with the support system, indeed the family, that would guide his undergraduate experience.

To the Editor:

Re: “Panel Explores Free Speech and Religion,” News, Sept. 23

Yesterday, The Sun chronicled the dialogue that took place over religious freedom at Cornell. This debate is far more significant and urgent than some friendly academic sparring taking place in Sage Chapel, however. President Skorton recently asked the Codes and Judicial Committee of the University Assembly to consider affording greater protection to freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of religion in the changes to the Campus Code of Conduct that it proposed last semester. It is reassuring that the President and administration are cognizant of these important issues, even while they deal with the pressing financial strains on the University.

According to Wikipedia:

- Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) collapsed and died on Inauguration Day.

- Former Assistant Attorney General John Seigenthaler masterminded the assassinations of both John and Bobby Kennedy.

- Sarah Palin is “a politician of eye-popping integrity.”

One usually doesn’t need a reminder that Wikipedia, as great as it is, contains false, biased and misleading information. That is why many students were shocked when Prof. Nic van de Walle read information directly from a Wikipedia article on the Arab-Israeli conflict when moderating last Wednesday’s “Gaza in Crisis” panel because he lacked fundamental knowledge of the situation.

To the Editor:

Re: “Gaza Panel Criticized,” News, Feb. 19

60 years of a complex conflict require humility in our approach and nuance in our judgments. The Sun, by choosing the title: “Gaza Panel Criticized: Hillel, CIPAC and IAJ decline to participate; protest event” to the article reporting the Feb. 18 panel, seems to have forgotten this.

The Sun focused on the critics of the panel, and talks about it as an emotive exercise. The quotes mention this panel as providing misinformation and distortions. This is not a fair portrayal of this event.

My remarks as a panelist did not incorporate emotion. They were pragmatic and reflect the official positions of most European countries and of President Clinton.

The war being fought in the Middle East is a two-sided conflict that has cost over 1,300 people their lives. Over the past two weeks, we fear that the battle taking shape here at Cornell is mirroring that conflict all too well, pitting people against each other as groups go head to head in debate. The war in Gaza must stay in Gaza and Cornell must recognize it is not a battleground for partisan action but is rather an academic environment where multifaceted thought should prosper.

This week we’ve found ourselves in some seriously sticky situations — and, no, we’re not just talking about all the peanut butter that has gone bad. We’re talking about water and Wikipedia both making headlines as students across the spectrum were outspoken about a number of issues, from sustainability to Gaza, making claims both HEROICALLY awesome and VILLAINOUSLY shoddy in substance.

Cornell hosts a Gaza discussion panel yesterday in Goldwin Smith Hall.

According to the Campus Code of Conduct, those who dislike what an invited speaker has to say have the right, among other things, to ask pointed questions and express displeasure with evasive answers. The audience in a packed Lewis Auditorium was reminded of this yesterday before the Gaza in Crisis Discussion Panel, where members of the Cornell community discussed their position on the Gaza conflict.

The panel, which expressed largely pro-Palestinian viewpoints, came after recent events on campus highlighted the impact of the Gaza conflict on the Cornell community. Wasif Syed grad organized the event hoping to encourage discourse.

Last night, Cornell students, staff, faculty and Ithaca locals came together in Kaufmann Auditorium for a panel discussion that featured doctors from the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. The program provides comprehensive care for victims of torture and aspires to raise public consciousness about such issues. The Campus Anti-War Network, the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations and Amnesty International sponsored the event.

The panel included Dr. Allen Keller, who oversees and coordinates medical programs for Survivors of Torture, Dr. Samantha Stewart, the program’s psychiatrist and Dr. Homer Venters, the attending physician of the program.