Letters

Thanks so much for the article “Stopping Traffic” (spring 2017). It is great to see how Emory has laid the foundation in all of us to combat this issue. I am currently prosecuting these crimes in our nation’s capital. The work could not be more difficult or more rewarding. Keep shining a light on this issue. 

—Kenya K. Davis 99B, Assistant attorney, US Department of Justice Cochair, D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force, Washington, D.C. 

Thank you for everything this story (“Family First”). Even though I was not a first-generation college student, I believe the transition to college is extremely difficult for many (myself included). I worked as a resident assistant at the University of Georgia for three years, where we tried and were encouraged to work in a mentor role for our residents. I was enthusiastic initially, but struggled when I had to adjust my expectations and recognize the limited impact I could have on fifty-plus students per year. Unfortunately, I witnessed many students drop or fail out of school. It warms my heart to see such a well-resourced program at Emory that ensures a sustained impact in these peoples’ lives. 

—Grant Bradley, Industrial Hygiene and Safety Specialist, Emory University, Alpharetta 

I enjoyed the article “Emory Schools Lead, Nationally and in Georgia” in the most recent Emory Magazine. One glaring omission that I believe requires a correction relates to the Emory School of Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) Program. It is and has been for the last twenty-plus years ranked number three in the nation according to US News & World Report. This is a significant accomplishment given that there are more than two hundred PA programs in the US. This sustained commitment to excellence is what allows the program to attract highly qualified faculty and students. As a graduate of the program in 1999, I am extremely grateful for my education and hope you will share the program accomplishments with the rest of the Emory community. 

—Mary L. Warner 99AH, Founding Director, PA Program, Boston University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Editor’s Note: The Emory Physician Assistant Program was ranked No. 3 in 2015. It was among several programs that were not newly ranked in the 2018 US News & World Report guide.

“Back to basics: Advocating for Academic Science” was an oddly written article. The author, Hal Jacobs, made the following statement about those of us who earned PhDs in science and then chose to leave the ivory tower: “Once gone from our universities, we lose their valuable experience and passion for scientific discovery.” I would like to know on what basis he decided that our valuable experience has been lost, and that we are no longer passionate about scientific discovery—especially since he did not bother to speak with any of us for the article. I invite Mr. Jacobs to educate himself on all the fields and professions we build our niches in, using our valuable experience and passion for scientific discovery, and all the ways in which our private sector and public sector work benefits communities and ecosystems in more tangible and immediate ways than does academia. 

—Dean Meyer 99C, PhD toxicology, University of Georgia, Winder

Regarding the online article on “Trump’s First 100 Days,” sounds like it was a real yuk-fest among the NPR leftists on the panel. Too bad there wasn’t more in this synopsis actually concerning his first hundred days. Apparently, Andra Gillespie failed to note—or probably doesn’t comprehend—that the seventy-six bills rammed through by the Dems in the Depression to “revive the economy” were essentially failures, in terms of that goal. FDR’s interventions, coupled with the similarly misdirected interventions of Herbert Hoover after the ’29 crash, prolonged the Depression for twelve years, rather than the usual economic rehabilitations of one-and-a-half to two years. On the other hand, if you consider the goal of FDR’s agenda was to vastly expand the reach and control of government over the lives of American citizens, then the programs were a success. But FDR had the Japanese to thank in 1941 for resolving the national unemployment problems, which resulted from FDR’s hamstringing the economy. But this article, along with most of those in Emory Magazine, is up to par with my general expectations of present-day academic institutions. 

—Samuel L. Kramer 79L, Elma, Iowa

The article on page 7 (“Clinton: Less ‘Them,’ More ‘Us’ ”) caused some concern about the choice of Emory’s School of Law to invite to its centennial celebration a speaker who had a law license suspended and later was disbarred from practicing before the US Supreme Court. Also, several fines were levied against this speaker during the 1990s to settle various cases of misconduct. 

—Diane Feldman Cohen 71B, Atlanta