I am writing in response to the student quoted in text of the Michelle Obama article (“Obama campaign visits Grounds,” Sept. 18). The student, Leslie Janikowsky, asserted that Senator John McCain supports women’s issues because his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, is a woman.
While there are many valid reasons to support McCain’s campaign for presidency, to assume he supports women’s issues because because his running mate is a woman is not one of them.
During her service as Mayor of Wasilla, AK, Palin charged rape victims for their own forensic examinations (which costs anywhere from $300-$1200.) As governor of Alaska, Palin cut funding for shelters for troubled youths and teenage mothers by more than 20 percent. Palin does not believe abortion should be legal even in cases of rape or incest.
A vote for McCain-Palin may be a vote for a woman, but it is not a vote for women.
Kelsey Goodman
CLAS I
Read More
A statement from 191 concerned faculty to the new Board of Visitors
By Concerned Faculty | February 20, 2026Critical questions of process regarding the appointment of Beardsley remain unanswered.
A statement from 201 concerned faculty about U.Va. President Beardsley’s appointment
By Concerned Faculty | January 16, 2026By acting in bad faith, the Board has flouted its fiduciary duties to the University and has violated its own bylaws calling on it to protect the University from outside interference.
LETTER: When everything is labeled hazing, nothing is
By Scott Gleason | January 4, 2026Worse still, over-policing benign practices risks driving genuinely harmful behavior underground.
