Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1998
University oversteps bounds with gyms
I completely disagree with your editorial yesterday that stated that the University should provide a modern, well-equipped gym, similar to the downtown gyms, for less money than it costs to use the downtown gyms.
It is unfair for a nonprofit entity to compete with a for-profit
entity. The University does not have a tax burden to pay, and
thus its gyms have lower operating and capital costs.
The University, which is indirectly subsidized by taxpayers, should
not be unfairly competing against the downtown gyms or any other
for-profit small business in town.
It is the small businesses of downtown that make it such a special
place. Let the University provide the education, and let the downtown
businesses provide the goods and services.
Unfair competition by the University will only lead to a degradation
of the downtown businesses, and to a loss of jobs for the students
and residents who work there.
Gerald E. Yeatman
Class of 1991
Increased Olympics coverage warranted
Two words: Winter Olympics! Athletes have dedicated most of their lives to be the best that they can be to represent their country in the Olympics. Once every four years, the best skaters, skiers, curlers and many other athletes join together to determine who will step on top of that podium and listen to their country's national anthem as their nation's flag rises high above the others.
Unfortunately the coverage of the eighteenth Olympic Winter Games
from Nagano, Japan, has been practically non-existent in The Daily
Collegian. It's bad enough that many events are broadcast via
TV media a day late or not at all. It seems that the Collegian
also has neglected to cover such an important worldly event. A
day after the Canadian snowboarder won the first-ever gold medal
in giant slalom, he tested positive for marijuana.
The Olympic Committee had recommended stripping him of his medal.
On Thursday, as we were flipping through the pages of the precious
Collegian looking for an update on the controversial issue, the
only Olympic news that we were able to find was a skimpy section
with the medal standings, titled "Eye on Nagano."
COME ON PEOPLE! These are the greatest winter games in the history
of sports. The athletes deserve some kind of recognition.
On Thursday, Page 6 of the Collegian featured a full-page story
on a resident assistant. That's great that you can feature a profile
of a University student, but an entire page? This wasted page
could have been used more efficiently to cover at least a few
Olympic highlights. We feel that Olympics are much more interesting;
whereas some of the articles that you cover are a MERE WASTE OF
SPACE.
Lukas Okoniewski
sophomore-economics, management information systems
Mark Pope
sophomore-marketing and international business
