I'm sure there have been many watershed days at the University of Minnesota. Most of them probably didn't involve the occupation of an administration building ["Student Leaders in 1969 Takeover Reunite," March-April].

Though [Marie Braddock] Williams, one of the occupants, spoke about the inequalities and injustices of institutional racism at the U, the article and quotes didn't give any examples of what that might mean. Though I'm an advocate of free speech and change, I highly doubt that, for example, if Christians or conservatives took over, occupied, and presented a list of demands to the current president of the University of Minnesota, that miraculously a department would be created and the hiring of a Christian or conservative faculty would commence.

Apparently, diversity of color is important, not diversity of thought.

Koreen Wallis Bowers (B.S. 91)
High Ridge, Missouri

COOKING OIL MIGHT WORK WELL

In response to your article about finding a solution to the depleting oil reserves ["Oil Is Not Well," Editors Note, March-April]: Is anyone at the University studying the use of vegetable oil including used cooking oil as a source of fuel? Fresh and used cooking oil is renewable, widely available, inexpensive or free, clean, 95 percent as efficient as gas, and becoming viable even in cold climates.

Jim Amundson (B.S. 73)
Minneapolis

BLACK ALUMNI GROUP LONG AWAITED

A co-worker handed me a copy of your magazine because I attended the University for a time in the 1970s. I was so pleased to see the beaming faces of some of your graduates, the members of the new University of Minnesota Black Alumni Association [Two New Groups of Interest, March-April], which is now part of your larger alumni group.

As an African American on campus, I often felt alone, on the outside, unconnected in my classes and in the wider arena as a student. I did make several dear friends, but something was missing. I cannot know this 100 percent, but if a group of African American alumni had been active in my day, encouraging me or just if it existed, I may have stayed around to earn a degree. I applaud those young people.

Cassandra McKee
Chicago