Stop giving?

Stephen Miller has now come up with the punishment to fit the crime that Duke's administration committed in dealing with this lacrosse event-cut off alumni funding ("Alumni: withhold your support," Feb. 12). Interesting.

Let's look at the facts. Three captains of a Division 1 Athletic Program at Duke decided to hold a party where they knowingly served alcohol to their underage team members, and hired strippers to boot. In doing so, they broke team rules, Duke rules and the law-basically showing no responsibility and limited regard for the University and team they are a part of.

And how did Duke respond? They suspended three members who were charged with a felony offense for two and a half semesters, one person who wrote a poor-taste-at-best e-mail for half a semester, accepted (not demanded) the resignation of the coach and told the other members that for 10 months they no longer got the privilege of wearing Duke across their chests and representing the school.

But Miller says cut off funding because Duke abandoned its students. I wonder during this time how many students were helped by Counseling and Psychological Services? How many had Deans help get them into graduate school? How many had professors help teach them something new, or write recommendations to help find them a job? How many got scholarships to help them afford to attend this University?

But because Duke didn't respond exactly as Miller says they should have, to an extremely difficult situation now viewed conveniently through rose-colored revisionist glasses-we should cut them off. Glad to know Miller has all of our interests in mind.

Matt Cubstead

Trinity '90