Although I agree wholeheartedly that Penn State would be a better place if more of us embraced the diversity around us, I don't think Scott Dimmich is showing proper respect to the course Landscape Architecture 60 (History of Landscape Architecture) in his column "Diversity difficult to achieve in university setting," Nov. 1.

He dismisses the course off-handedly when he states "If the university truly wanted to encourage diversity, officials would steer general education requirements away from landscaping techniques and more toward arts and humanities that immerse students in different cultures."

Granted, while most Penn State students take the class because of all the pretty pictures and the perception of minimal out-of-class work, its focus is not "landscaping techniques" but rather an examination of how different cultures throughout time have valued the land around them as a commodity or a holy embodiment that is to be both respected and feared.

It's obvious if Dimmich had taken the course, he missed the its entire point or he hasn't taken it and therefore has no right to belittle its value as an introduction to the arts and humanities.