More from Fund on Yale and its Taliban student

In an op-ed in today’s Yale Daily News, The WSJ’s John Fund continues his outstanding reporting and commentary on Yale and its Taliban student, Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi.

Fund writes:

Kingman Brewster '41, onetime president of the University, once said of the qualities needed to gain admission, "A demonstrated failure of moral sensitivity or regard for the dignity of others cannot be redeemed by allegations that the young man is extremely 'interesting.'"

Many at Yale wish to "move on" from the debate regarding former Taliban ambassador and current non-degree special student Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi. But are the issues raised best swept under a rug, or is it in Yale's long-term interest to confront them directly?…

Yale has offered no defense of Hashemi's presence beyond a vague, 144-word statement that notes the State Department approved his visa. …

"Yale won't allow ROTC on campus, but it wants to act like the Pentagon when it comes to information control," one Yale professor quipped. Is this how students, alumni and faculty deserve to have their legitimate questions treated?

Take questions about admissions. Thursday, at OpinionJournal.com, I quoted a Yale official saying that determining factors in making the final cut for the Class of 2010 included an incident of shoplifting at age 12 and drunken behavior at one high school prom. Moral character is factored in at Yale.

But Richard Shaw, Yale's former admissions dean, has all but admitted that Hashemi got in because of his Taliban background. …

Fund has had to endure attacks from those who approve of Hashemi being at Yale. They claim Fund is motivated by a desire to drag Yale down.

But a number of people with strong ties to Yale, including two former Yale presidents and a former dean of Yale College, have also expressed concerns and asked why Hashemi's been welcomed into the Yale community.

Instead of attacking Fund, his critics should explain why Hashemi belongs on Yale’s campus. I’d also be interested to know how of them support Yale’s campus ban of the ROTC.