President Bush’s opposition to the University of Michigan’s affirmative action program (BDN, Jan. 16) is supposedly based on fairness. This is hypocritical coming from someone who has benefited from higher education preferred-treatment programs. Bush, a self-proclaimed “C” average student while at Yale, was admitted to that school because he was the son of a well-known Yale student.

If Bush is truly concerned about fairness, let him oppose legacy programs that benefit children of privilege so more highly qualified students can attend instead.

Thomas E. Martin

Ellsworth