THE EDITOR, Madam:The letter from UWI graduate, Maverlin Sewell-Oliver, which was selected as "Letter of the Day" in your edition of Tuesday, January 23 under the headline "Redeeming UWI's image" has stimulated considerable discussion on the radio talk shows. While I appreciate her concern and, I believe, her genuine interest in projecting a positive image of the university, she touched on some points and made some erroneous assertions which must be countered.
1. The reason why no attempt has been made to respond to the "cynical and abusive remarks" about the UWI by a particular radio talk-show host probably has less to do with having time to address the issue and more with the conviction that this particular person lambastes anything and everything that is positive about Jamaica, therefore engaging in a dialogue with him on the issue would only serve his destructive purposes.
2. The university will reflect the mores and trends in the society, notwithstanding its commitment to uphold the highest academic and intellectual standards. Matters such as deportment, dress and speech patterns in an institution encompassing the whole range of social backgrounds would, naturally, be influenced by the trends in society. Nevertheless, some students - indeed the majority - maintain sobriety in their attire.
3. The Mona campus of the UWI is renowned for its beauty and has over the years been a tourist attraction. More recently, positive efforts have been made to upgrade the landscaping and all the new buildings that have been erected in the last ten or so years have architecturally and aesthetically enhanced the campus. In no way, shape or form, can the campus be said to look like a prison. The security measures that have been put in place do not consist of erecting more burglar-proof bars but rather, of better surveillance and placement of well-trained and well-dressed guards.
4. The inference that the university's admissions policy is based on favouritism is without merit and totally baseless. I challenge Mrs. Sewell-Oliver to state specific instances where she knows this to be so, and suggest that she refrains from simply repeating unfounded rumours. The fact is that the UWI, as a regional institution answerable to 15 Governments, has a standardised policy of admission, applicable to all three campuses. Each year, depending on the faculty, there are many more applications than there are places to accommodate students. The university is committed to expanding its facilities, so as to provide to more students greater access to an excellent tertiary education, but this will take time.
5. Finally, as an equally "proud" graduate of the UWI, I exhort Mrs. Sewell-Oliver to support her alma mater through active involvement in the Guild of Graduates, whose activities are partly aimed at helping the university to maintain a positive image in the society which it serves.
I am, etc.,
CECILE R. CLAYTON
Senior Assistant Registrar/Information Officer
Office of Administration
University of the West Indies
