Volume 2, Number 4, September 2004
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gradPSYCH in 2005

gradPSYCH's publication schedule is changing in 2005. Look for new issues in January, March, September and November next year.

Just a few of the topics planned:

• How to negotiate salary and benefits
• Balancing graduate school and family
• Tips on setting up your first lab
• Navigating mentoring relationships
• Learning how to supervise other students

Letters to the Editor

The real political minority?
IN REGARD TO THE JUNE 2004 ARTICLE "KEEPING THE PEACE," I found it first amusing and then galling that the article chose to use the example of a "liberal" psychology student "fighting a daily battle for acceptance" at one of the few campuses in the United States with a, shall we say, "conservative flavor." This example is akin to using the laments of a white student at a historically black college in an article about racial tensions (i.e., it's not exactly representative of the central issue).

Recent surveys have shown up to a 9-to-1 Democrat versus Republican differential in faculty political affiliation at campuses nationwide—not denying that the situation is occasionally reversed, at least in the student body, on a few "outlying" campuses like Texas A&M.

This choking lack of diversity in ideology permeates the entire campus and is truly sad, and of course completely unaddressed to my observation. During my time in my graduate program, I and the few conservative friends I have who have "come out" have dealt with intolerance of our ideology (professor diatribes in classes/meetings/parties, verbal hostility in and out of class, political e-mail spam and biased e-mails from the university president, not to mention "being left out of social events and study groups"). While the marginalized conservatives might be less visible or vocal, I am convinced they are a far better example for your article.

ERIC FRETZ
University of Michigan

WE WERE DISHEARTENED BY THE ONE-SIDED journalism ("Keeping the peace," June) that depicted graduate students in the school psychology program at Texas A&M University in an unfair manner. While quotes from a Texas A&M student made for an interesting story, the comments did not provide a fair representation of students in our program. Information in the article indicated that our students are mostly from Texas, conservative and in opposition to same-sex parenting practices. To offer a more balanced picture of the school psychology program at Texas A&M, it is noted that while 57 percent of students come from Texas, 33 percent are out-of-state and 10 percent are international students. In addition, APA recently presented our program with the Richard M. Suinn Diversity Award for encouraging diversity in graduate training. We received this honor because 42% of our students come from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Also, while Texas often appears politically conservative, many graduate students are not. From our perspective, students in the program are respectful of viewpoints that cover a wide variety of political, moral and social beliefs. Furthermore, professors in the program provide a fair and balanced presentation of information.

TANYA BANDA, DEBBIE CASH, MARY FRAGIOUDAKIS, CHRISTINE FRENCH, CARRIE GEORGE, MARICELA GONZALES, SUSAN HOMACK, KELLY JARRATT, DEDRA LEMON, LISA LOCKWOOD, ELIZABETH OLSON, ELEAZAR RAMIREZ, NANCY RAZO, DAHL ROLLINS, CASSANDRA ROMINE, EVE ROSENTHAL, KEITH SCHNEIDER, BECKY SIEKIERSKI, JEREMY SULLIVAN, RACHEL TEAM, MONICA WOLFE
Texas A&M University

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