More from the past

Here is an angry letter I sent to the Dean of UW-Madison Engineering school and several other high level school officials after they snuffed my out of a University publication because of my tattoos.

To whom it may concern: Upon initially receiving my Spring 2004 issue of "Perspective", I was pleasantly surprised to see a front page article regarding the 2004 Innovation Day competition, of which I participated in and placed fourth.

http://www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/30.3/PerspectiveSpr2004.pdf

I read the article all the while noting the wonderful pictures of the placing contestants found throughout it. I was not on the front page, but saw that the article continued on to page nine of the magazine. To say that I was disappointed to see EVERY other placing entrants picture upon turning to page nine would be a lie on my part. In fact, I was infuriated. I was puzzled, knowing my invention had sparked interest in the community at large, being featured in a story by the Wisconsin State Journal.

http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=wsj:2004:02:13:327529:LOCAL/WISCONSIN

I was further distraught after seeing my picture hadn't been lost, as it was on engineering news website.

http://www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2004/Feb13.html

It did not take my Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering to figure out why I was not shown on the pages of "Perspective". My visible tattoos so disgusted the writers/editors that I was left on the cutting room floor. I thought UW-Madison was a place for the free exchange of ideas, and a place free of prejudice. I guess some bigotry dies hard, especially in the conservative world of engineering.

I understand many "Perspective" readers are older alumni who donate generously, but you also need to be aware of your younger, more recent alumni. Not many College of Engineering representatives came to my speech regarding my Barrel Tattoo machine, but one fact I brought up was that 1.3 billion people in the world (2 in 10) have tattoos. The man or woman standing next to you in business formal wear may have a fire breathing dragon sprawled across their back.

My point, other than voicing my anger, was to inform you that I would like all reference of my fourth place victory in the 2004 Schoof's competition removed from any publications the College of Engineering has. I would also like my subscription to "Perspective" cancelled. I do not enjoy reading half truths and only seeing what the College deems appropriate. My second and final point is that any money I see for the rest of my life, be it through engineering or through my Barrel Tattoo Machine sales, will NEVER be seen by the Engineering Department of the University of Wisconsin Madison in the way of donations or my children's tuition. You have offended and estranged an alumnus of your program.

Thank you AFL

Damn the man! He's always trying to keep you down. Anyway, here is the official response

Dear Andrew: In addition to being the person in charge of the Schoofs Prize competition, I'm also in charge of the team that produces Perspective. I can assure you that there was absolutely nothing sinister in your picture not being included in the publication. It was a complete oversight and you have my sincere apologies. Your invention was extremely clever and admired by the judges. I have never heard anyone here at the college, or in the judging of the competition, say anything whatsoever about a distaste for tattoos. I am the only person in a position to know this, and I know it with complete certainty.

I completely understand how you would be angry and hurt, but I think you've come to the wrong conclusion. I'm asking you to consider that this was not done intentionally. The fact that the picture is on our website, which is certainly accessible to far more people than Perspective, indicates that we had no qualms about your photo. I'm going to run the photo in the fall issue of Perspective, and I can include an update with it if you have made any progress toward commercializing your idea. Please let me know and I'll be happy to include any additional information. Again, Andrew, I'm sorry this happened. I assure you it was not deliberate.

Sincerely, Karen Walsh Assistant Dean, External Relations UW-Madison College of Engineering

This is total bullshit, they are just being lap-dogs for all the rich old alumni out there. It's too coincidental that only my picture was left out.

And in the end, they did print an "I'm sorry for forgetting you" in a later issue on page 13.

http://www.engr.wisc.edu/alumni/perspective/31.1/PerspectiveFall2004.pdf

You can even see a little bit of "babies" ass. It made me feel a bit better.