Malaklou's column harmful to Duke community

As a female Duke student, I was appalled to read Shadee Malaklou's column entitled "The perfect victim" (Feb. 21). Many controversial issues have been raised in response to the events of last spring, but I have not read an article to date that has disgraced the Duke community in such an overt and classless way. The majority of Malaklou's arguments were unfounded and offensive, and in sharing this column with the University she has only shown her own ignorance. I am forced to question the credentials required to write for The Chronicle if such an article is deemed appropriate for publication. Malaklou's assertion that "social vulnerabilities"-such as race, socioeconomic status or personal choice of profession-determine which women feel "authorized" to report a rape does a disservice to the entire female population. If Malaklou believes her own opinions, I would hope that she would try to actively better the situation instead of making vast assumptions about women's feelings-whether they be "white Duke women" or a "black Durham stripper." Furthermore, Malaklou's assertion that "while a Duke woman has a choice to participate in risqué behavior, a stripper's economic vulnerabilities leave her little choice" is wildly offensive, and I question the author's qualifications that enable her to recklessly comment on the personal choices of women from all backgrounds. I would like to think that as someone occupying a spot at one of the leading universities in the world, Malaklou would have learned somewhere in her education that women have had the right of personal and professional choice for some time, in whatever circumstances. Malaklou should realize that it is through one's reaction to both social "vulnerabilities" and opportunities-like authoring a newspaper column-that one's character (or lack thereof) truly becomes apparent. Carolyn Zwiener Trinity '08