Comment from Kenneth Bloom

[200.300, 200.218] To Whom it May Concern: I am a full professor and department chair whose research is in experimental particle physics. I am writing in my personal capacity to oppose the proposed revisions to sections 200.300 and 200.218 that would impede STEM recruitment and retention initiatives and restrict certain research fields vital to broadening participation in STEM. I co-lead a summer student program that specifically targets students who are at universities that have not traditionally participated in particle physics. There are no selection requirements beside that, but the groups of students we select turn out to have a much greater variety of social and ethnic backgrounds than we typically see in my field. Even though that kind of diversity is not the goal of our selection process, it might give the appearance that it is. If we were to halt this program, we would lose access to talented students who just happened to be attending a university that didn't have this area of research available. Talent is equally distributed around this country and around communities but opportunities aren't. It's important to have the tools available to recruit the best minds and most enthusiastic students, regardless of their background, so that we can train them to lead the scientific workforce of the future.