I don't think this discussion is a waste.  Issues of practice and courtesy
in electronic media are not unimportant.  In this case, I disagree with you.
Everyone is entitled to their private opinions and the private expression of
those, but these should not be confused with or interchangable with
professional or public statements or assessments.  Whether you regard the
comments as derogatory or not (I think that the way they were made certainly
was and probably the intent as well), we have a professional responsibility
(at a minimum) to suit the content and manner of statement to the audience,
or the message to the medium - private is not public.  I can see no reason
why e-mail's ease and informality should lesson this responsibility.

>At the risk of wasting any more bandwidth on a message that was obviously not
>for public consumption, could I just comment that there is another
>interpretation.  There was nothing derogatory said.  If, for example, opinions
>were being gathered whether this person were experienced enough to chair a
>professional organization's nominating committee -- that could be a fair
>assessment of someone with more limited experience than the sender.  I think
>it is inaccurate to conclude that the comments were pejorative.    E-mail,
>with its telegraph style, sending errors, reduced editing, the human distance
>evoked, affords ample opportunity to practice grace with our colleagues!
>
>Celia Walker   [xxxxxx@vines.colostate.edu]
>Director, Regulatory Compliance
>Colorado State University
>970/491-1563     FAX:  970/491-1958
>
>
*
Alexandra Garrison, Ph.D.
Office of Sponsored Programs
New York University
15 Washington Place, #1H
New York, NY 10003
Tel: 212/998-2123
FAX: 212/995-4029
E-Mail: xxxxxx@nyu.edu