Editor:
As the photographer of the image used on the cover of the Student, Staff and Faculty Directory, I feel it necessary to respond to the allegations that my image is sexist.
The photograph that was selected for the cover of the directory is a spontaneous image that I took when two people were walking out of McClelland Hall. The image that the committee selected is one which is compositionally strong and was taken with graphic elements in mind.
The women who wrote to the Arizona Daily Wildcat (Oct. 26) speculated that the woman in the photograph is the man's wife or secretary carrying his things. The day after these comments were made, an article appeared on the front page of The Arizona Daily Star which set the facts straight. The woman is an associate dean of business and public administration. The briefcase that the man is carrying is in fact hers. The flowers were given to her by members of the faculty. People are making assumptions that are wrong.
But does the Wildcat make any efforts to set the record straight? No! The Wildcat allowed the Arizona Daily Star, KVOA, KNST and KLPX (just to name a few) to examine the issue and clarify the matter. The Wildcat sat on the story, leaving the UA community in the dark. Our school newspaper chose to mislead the student body by publishing four letters against the cover. The idea that this image is sexist is being perpetuated by the Wildcat's one-sided letter publishing.
The people whose letters have appeared in the Arizona Daily Wildcat saw the directory cover as a means to be heard; they did not care whose names they dragged around. They didn't even consider how the two people in the photograph would be affected. What they showed us is just how sexist and biased they are. They portrayed the woman as being subservient. They made negative and degrading judgments based upon gender. I simply took a photgraph of two random people walking out of a building.
If you have a problem with this image, try viewing it in a more positive light. It is the duty of men and women alike to look upon one another with respect and dignity, not to form impressions based upon stereotypes.
Chris Holford
Photography Senior