To the Editor:

Roughly half of Yale’s graduate students are not members or supporters of GESO, a fact that your coverage of GESO and the impending strike continually fails to underline. The fact that almost half of GESO’s own members expressed concern about the representativeness of their coordinating committee at last night’s meeting underlines how seriously misleading it is to let Anita Seth pretend to speak for all of us.

Undergraduates should take comfort in the knowledge that many of their TAs will not be striking. At the same time, undergraduates who support GESO should be aware that a very substantial percentage of graduate students see GESO as an undemocratic, corrupt and politically infantile organization that does not represent our interests and subjects us to frequent harassment. You will not have to suffer the consequences if GESO comes to represent us, but we will, so think carefully about the justice of your support.

In the impending action, many non-GESO graduate students will support the grass-roots of locals 34 and 35. At the same time we will happily join Stacey Thompson, as quoted in your pages, in flipping the bird to GESO’s picketers.

I encourage all undergraduates who are angry about cancelled sections to pay frequent house visits to GESO’s striking members. Do your best not to let them close the door until you’ve had your say, and make sure you give them lots of follow up phone calls and e-mails.

Nomi Claire Lazar GRD ’05

February 20, 2003