To the Editor:

Although I do not remember the specific conversation to which Michael Steinhart alludes in his letter in the August 26, 2001 issue of The Commentator, ("Yeshiva's Bottom Line"), I would like to offer a correction based on many similar conversations over the years.

Students often ask about a writing major at Yeshiva College. Unfortunately, we do not have one, although we do have a writing minor. Our English major is literature based. And while it is true that our majors most often do go to law school, into the rabbinate, into Jewish education, and even (in some cases) to medical school, they have followed many career paths, among them various branches of writing and communications (creative writing, film, journalism, and other media) and business (including real estate and banking). In fact, I often receive emails and letters from former students expressing their satisfaction with the English major and its positive effect on their careers, primarily because it gave them the interpretive and writing skills essential to their success.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joan Haahr
Professor of English