Wednesday, May 07, 2003

berkeley? no.. not berkeley!!!

UC Berkeley Bars Students From SARS Countries
Tue May 6
From Associated Press

New students from SARS affected China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong are not welcome this summer at the University of California, Berkeley, campus officials say.
"After close consultation with several public health officials and campus experts, and based on the strong recommendation of the City of Berkeley Health Officer, I deeply regret that we will not be accepting enrollments of students from these areas," campus Chancellor Robert Berdahl said in a message posted on the campus Web site Friday. The decision affects several hundred students who were planning to attend Berkeley for summer school sessions, which begin May 27. Instead, those students will get their money back. There have been no cases of SARS at UC Berkeley.

so um.. is it me or is that completely the most racist thing you've ever heard??? i mean, really, i understand the concern. we're all concerned. but to just make a blanket rule like that without even allowing for any of these students to maybe get tested and prove that they're not infected? they can't be serious. this kind of thing can't be legal.. can it?