Collegiate Times

I am not trying to advance the idea that Christopher Clement was denied tenure due to systemic racism at Virginia Tech, since I was not privy to the information that led to his departure and have seen no proof of such things.

But I do wish to dispute the characterization of both academic diversity and Dr. Clement in the column ?University should consider other factors in diversity,? (CT, April 26).

Racism or not, students from every political background, have every right to be concerned about the departure of this professor.

When the author characterizes Clement as ?outside the realm of even the most liberal of rational thought,? and complains of the lack of ?conservative? professors, he seems to be viewing diversity only in light of American political parties and domestic politics.

Assuredly, this professor would be radical next to John Kerry or George Bush. But intellectual diversity, especially in the area of international relations, is more complex than where one fits on a left-right spectrum.

The author must have fallen asleep during his political science courses not to know this.

There are mainstream perspectives, such as realism, liberal institutionalism, and neo-conservatism, which do not always indicate how left-wing or right-wing someone is.

In our department, we are rarely exposed on a serious level to anything outside of the mainstream. Clement exposed students to literature from both areas.

More than just being defended because of his ?popularity and activism,? Clement truly excels at teaching, vigorously defending all points of view for the sake of argument, even those he does not agree with.

Would a radical who leads ?lurid leftist activism? assign a book by Pat Buchanan, as Clement did for his U.S. Foreign Policy class?

While the two new professors may very well be ?very qualified white women,? we have no guarantee they will pick up the slack and present alternative perspectives (both from the left and right) in the realm of international relations.