Letters to the editor

Editorial board needs more than dialogue on diversityI attended last Friday's community forum that was organized to discuss issues of hate in the Amusement section, the details of which I will leave it to the paper to thoughtfully report now that they have heard a range of perspectives. In response to the audience's questions at the end of the forum, The Miami Student's Editor in Chief told the crowd that she and the rest of the paper's staff were committed to addressing the issues that had been raised. It seems to me, as it was said by many at the forum, that something more than dialogue is needed to address this problem. I would like to ask The Student's staff: what will you do before the next community forum to show us that you have committed yourself to a plan of action that will bring about some positive change?Aliya Rahmanrahmanam@muohio.eduTeaching AssociateEducational Leadership States need to adopt Medicaid Family PlanningDuring these troubling economic times, affordable reproductive healthcare has become almost non-existent. The Medicaid Family Planning State Option is an effective approach to reproductive healthcare that has already expanded coverage for countless American families. This provision would allow states to establish similar eligibility standards for family planning coverage as pregnancy-related care under Medicaid. Over 17 million women need publicly supported reproductive healthcare. With the state of the economy, this number is only expected to increase. These women have little access to inexpensive contraceptive-related coverage, and would benefit from a provision that enables Medicaid to cover some or all of the cost of contraceptives. State and Federal governments would also benefit from this sort of provision. States like California, Arizona and Alabama expanded family planning programs and experienced reductions in Medicaid expenditures. Congress and additional state governments must respond to this healthcare crisis by supporting the Medicaid Family Planning State Option.Patty Dillondillonpa@muohio.eduBlack History Month must be about more than foodWith all due respect to Vice President Taylor and Dr. Tate, I believe you are missing the intent of my original article, as did the cartoonist who tried to pick up where I left off and the editorial staff that re-titled my letter. Allow me to make myself clear: I do not think that serving soul food is in any way shameful-I truly believe it's a wonderful culinary tradition that offers up some of the great quintessential dishes of the American culinary tradition. I myself am a frequenter of various soul and southern style venues in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio (City Barbeque for instance has an AMAZING Carolina Pulled Pork served with collard greens and cornbread-to die for!). Allow me then to state my case- it is not that Miami is offering soul food as part of its celebration of Black History Month that is shameful-it's that serving soul food is about the ONLY thing Miami is doing to celebrate Black History Month. Therein lies the true shame.Even in the invitation to the symposium Dr. Tate extended to Miami students in her Feb. 13 response, it was difficult to find a true celebration of African-American history amid the class, gender and sexuality topics presented at that event. I admit that I was not at the symposium because I was performing at a benefit concert that evening, but I struggle to believe that the focus of this event was on the achievements of black people. To that end, I would encourage my fellow Miami students to examine the university calendar as I did before writing my original letter to the editor on Feb. 6. I challenge you to find a series of events or programs promoting Black History month outside of the following three programs; African-American Read-in (if you're not in class from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on a Monday), Black Gay Men of the South (put on by Spectrum-NOT the University), and Janet Smith Dickerson (did you see advertising for this one-hour lecture?). After consulting Miami's official calendar, just to make sure I wasn't kidding myself the first time around, and then checking the Office of Diversity Affairs calendar to REALLY make sure I wasn't being a complete a-hole, I found, much to my dismay, that I am still correct. Now that I have clarified the original intent of my first letter, I return to my fundamental (hopefully clearer and not quite as sarcastic) argument which is this-why doesn't Miami University, an institution so obsessed with diversity, do more to celebrate Black History Month? I love fried chicken and gravy as much as the next guy, but come on Miami; I know you can do better than that. If not, that's OK, I'd be happy to spend the portion of my tuition going to diversity affairs and education at the nearest KFC.Andrew Goldiegoldieam@muohio.edu