Don’t lower standards for UC schools
UC President Janet Napolitano’s plan to eliminate the SAT/ACT as required for submission to the UC system is shortsighted. The SAT/ACT are indeed sound tools for predicting the success of prospective students to complete the rigorous curriculum in most academic and professional majors. The prestige of a UC degree has historically been due to such standards.
The lowering of standards, which President Napolitano and her minions on the UC Regents are advocating, leads to a lowerstandard student. What should be done is the restoration of standards on the primary and secondary levels of education. Pseudo-standards lead to pseudostudents, who in turn are ill equipped to deal with rigorous jobs and professional careers and environments.
Both society and students are ill served. In reality, this lowering of standard requirements only benefits the socialeducational bureaucratic complex, by guaranteeing an endless parade of lower standard illequipped students and graduates.
Mike Mcadoo, San Francisco
Sad over closure
As a longtime LGBTQ city resident, I’m quite sad to read “Oldest gay bar Stud shutters as debt skyrockets” (Business, May 22). One of my first happy memories of living here was line dancing with drag queens at the Stud. And while society has grown more accepting of our community over the past few decades, the number of local establishments that openly embrace LGBTQ people is steadily shrinking. It’s quite true that bars and nightclubs like the Stud are more than just places for us to party. As gay state Sen. Scott Wiener aptly commented, “These are community spaces.”
Esteban Hernandez, San Francisco
Salute Lincoln Project
Regarding “Trumpaverse Republicans mobilize, strategize” (May 22): As an independent voter who is deeply opposed to President Trump’s policies and divisive words, I applaud the efforts of the Lincoln Project. But the GOP expats who are raising millions for this super PAC to flip the White House and oust any Republicans, especially senators, who support Trump, have their work cut out for them.
The vast majority of Republican voters are very loyal to the current president, and will continue to support him despite the efforts of the Lincoln Project.
And since nearly all GOP leaders in Washington, D.C., are in lockstep with this authoritarianminded leader, I would be quite happy to see those who are up for reelection get voted out of office (along with Trump) by an acrosstheboard Democratic ballot sweep in the November election.
Hazel Underwood, Milpitas
Selfish behavior
Regarding “Tulare County defies Newsom” (Page 1, May 21): How are the county officials of Tulare County planning to keep their burgeoning cases of COVID19 within their borders?
They aren’t, and they obviously don’t care about spreading a devastating illness. Do the county officials of Tulare County not understand that everyone is suffering? All the people of California have made great personal sacrifices to save lives.
Other counties’ residents have lost jobs and businesses as well. Tulare County’s reckless behavior endangers all of us.
It is selfish in the extreme as well as shortsighted. Meanwhile, if I was a voter in Tulare County, I would think twice about voting for those Board of Supervisors members again. They have made clear that your health and your life are very low on their list of priorities.
Susan Wilder, Oakland
‘NIMBY20’
Concerning “Sounding a retreat on housing” (Editorial, May 22): A new package of bills being proposed by state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins to incrementally boost the supply of homes is, indeed, a move in the opposite direction if it defers to the Bay Area and Southern California cities’ and suburbs’ local density, height, setback and environmental standards. This new legislation being offered during the COVID19 pandemic should be should be called NIMBY20.
Raneesh Patel, Redwood City
Don’t cut the funding
If we’ve learned anything from the 2008 recession, it would be that an economic crisis is the worst time to cut education funding.
The pandemic has revealed how public schools provide a social safety net for Californians, especially communities that are disproportionately impacted by COVID19. Many students are struggling with mental health and the stress of adjusting to distance learning. At the same time, their families are risking their lives as essential workers.
Not only do students lack the technological resources to succeed, but they also lack the teaching support systems needed to fully and successfully engage in remote learning. Gutting education right now would be the biggest generational disaster for young people and families of color.
Rather than massive cutbacks, we must go all in on our schools. California legislators can and must negotiate a budget that includes a significant investment in public education. Let’s not repeat the same mistakes of 2008.
Saa’un Bell, Oakland