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Bill to increase security against sex offenders Thumbs up to the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 for requiring the university police department to make public information about sex offenders living or working in the area. Both houses of Congress recently approved the bill and President Bill Clinton is expected to sign it into law this week. Though the public can access information regarding sex offenders at local police stations due to Megan’s Law, they cannot receive this information from university police under current California Department of Justice policy. The bill would change this by requiring states to inform university police departments of on-campus sex offenders and make it available to the campus community. We support the bill’s attempt to maximize the security of students and the community but we do not support the actions of those in some communities who use the information to picket and protest the offenders. After completing a jail sentence, even sex offenders should have an opportunity to start anew. The purpose of this law is not to label or treat others unfairly, but to give members of the university community information important to their safety.

Study on LAPD flawed Thumbs down to researchers from UCLA and USC for poorly conducting a report on racism and sexism in the Los Angeles Police Department. The report by Wellford Wilms and Alex Norman of UCLA and USC professor emeritus Warren Schmidt found little evidence of sexism and racism in the department, despite allegations of such from the community. The researchers collected data by interviewing and observing police officers during ride-alongs. After considering the data accumulated over a period of six years, researchers claim they found no significant signs of racism or sexism in the LAPD. Though the study is valid, the research methods are not. Officers were aware when researchers were present, and it’s highly unlikely police officers would consciously carry out sexist or racist activity in front of university researchers ready to document it. By failing to take into account perspectives of local community members, the researchers only got one side of the story. This is an especially skewed research method, given the recent protests against police brutality. In effect, the researchers isolated the police department for analysis rather than placing it in the context of the community. The study does not show that the LAPD is not racist or sexist; it simply proves police officers can be on their best behavior when monitored.

Unit increase in English department unfair Thumbs down to the Department of English and the Academic Senate for increasing the amount of units for more than 70 English courses based on the results of a hastily administered survey limited to select students. The English department conducted the survey in order to determine whether the number of units per class reflected the intensity of the coursework. Though other departments will also increase the unit value of some classes, students outside the English department should have been included in the poll. The English department cannot accurately assess the difficulty of their courses and justify increasing units until a poll of students in all departments is conducted. This ensures the amount of units will be adapted to reflect the relative difficulty of English courses to other classes. If this unit increase allows English students to reduce the number of classes needed to graduate, other students need to be afforded the same opportunity.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents the majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send feedback to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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