Letters to the Editor
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‘CUNY Chief Defends SAT Statistics’
Jacob Gershman’s article about Chancellor Matthew Goldstein’s testimony before the City Council Committee on Higher Education on Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of City University of New York students acknowledges the significant increases in both admitted and enrolled students at CUNY’s senior colleges since rigorous admission standards were implemented five years ago: up over 9% in both categories [“CUNY Chief Defends SAT Statistics,” New York, October 7, 2004].
He continues, however, to assert that CUNY’s 2004-2008 Master Plan did not specify SAT increases were for accepted students. To the contrary, on page 17, the introduction to the topic “Preparation of Students for College-Level Work” starts with the following sentence: “Over the past four years, the academic preparation of freshmen admitted to the University has improved steadily.”
While Mr. Gershman is entitled to disagree with the record, we were disappointed that he did not report a single comment by any of the council members who presided at the Higher Education Committee hearing.
Readers of The New York Sun will instead have to ask for the hearing transcript in order to read the commendations given to Mr. Goldstein on the university’s successful efforts to admit and enroll better-prepared students.
JAY HERSHENSON
Secretary and vice chancellor
CUNY
Trouble for the Bronx GOP
In “Trouble for GOP in the Bronx,” columnist Andrew Wolf mentions the possibility of Guy Velella, fresh out of prison, running for some other sort of political office, and calls Jeffrey Klein a shooin for election in November, [Opinion, October 4, 2004].
If Velella is so inclined, he should run for City Council or some other office. However, I disagree with Mr. Wolf’s assertion that John Fleming is unelectable in the 34th State Senate District. Democrats only outnumber Republicans in the district by a margin of 2 to 1, and in a close three-way race between Steven Kaufman, Mr. Klein, and Mr. Fleming, the conservative Mr. Fleming is electable even without softening his “hard-right views.”
After decades of uninspired leadership in Albany, Mr. Fleming’s win is a breath of fresh air for local Republicans, and his candidacy is more in keeping with what is fast becoming political reality, if not on the local level, then on a national level.
It would not be prudent to leave New York out of the picture in a national government controlled by Republicans, and to rubber stamp candidate Mr. Klein into the State Senate from the 34th District, where he will not sit in the majority for some time to come.
PATRICK ROCCHIO
Bronx
Gotham’s Rodents
As The New York Sun reports and the mayor admits, poison is of limited effectiveness against rats. If an area affords a food supply, a colony poisoned there becomes replenished. The main answer would be to intercept the food supply [“Bloomberg Won’t Budge on Rodent Policy Seen as Soft,” Dina Temple-Raston, New York, September 28, 2004].
Neighbors on my block – East 80th Street between Second and Third Avenues – report seeing rats scurrying around at night. One neighbor showed me where, by 8:30 p.m., rats already had slashed through plastic bags of garbage laid out for the next morning’s pickup. This would happen whether the bags are on the sidewalk or in the cellar. Our streets should not be a smorgasbord for rats.
Rats no longer bother with my building, however, because it does not offer them “food.” My building places the plastic garbage bags into sealed metal bins the size of small dumpsters. Shortly before the trucks arrive, my staff unlocks the bins and puts the bags near the curb. Unable to get into those bins, the rats try elsewhere.
This is a serious public health matter. Unless most landlords voluntarily adopt the measure, New York City needs an ordinance requiring such bins for all buildings. Penalties for violations should be stiff.
This program should be phased in so it can be fine-tuned and because the volume of bins needed would exceed the immediate supply. A bin cost $550. A 96-apartment building needs three, or about $1,700 worth. Worth it, it is.
RICHARD H. SHULMAN
Manhattan
The Mayor is a Democrat
I have to disagree with Lawrence Penner’s assessment of Mayor Bloomberg, particularly with the phrase, “Mr. Bloomberg deserves our thanks and another four years” [“Bloomberg’s Bounce,” Letters, September 24, 2004].
I would like to remind Mr. Penner that Mr. Bloomberg was and is a liberal Democrat masquerading as a Republican. He donated money to both Vice President Gore and Senator Clinton and has proudly stated that he is a liberal.
In his prior mayoral run, he won the backing of several county chairmen by donating thousands of dollars. Since taking office, he has raised every possible tax without cutting spending.
He has also stated his support for unlimited abortion rights and gay marriage; he would like to see the pro-life plank of the GOP removed, and he refused to sit next to President Bush during the Republican National Convention.
ALICE LEMOS
Woodside, N.Y.
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