Texas two-step

Texas Tech students now don't have to believe in Darwinism to gain a recommendation from biology professor Michael Dini. They just have to be able to explain it.

The U.S. Justice Department last month dropped its investigation of a complaint by Texas Tech pre-med student Micah Spradling, who alleged that Mr. Dini was discriminating against students on the basis of their religious beliefs ("Arrogance and ignorance," Feb. 15). Mr. Dini had a policy of writing letters of recommendation for students seeking entry to advanced pre-med courses only if they espoused belief in evolution. Department officials said he has since altered that policy.

"This new policy rightly recognizes that students don't have to give up their religious beliefs to be good doctors or good scientists," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Ralph F. Boyd Jr. "A state-run university has no business telling students what they should or should not believe in."