Letters to the Editor

Faculty should be more willing to help students

Lately, some faculty and staff of the university need to be reminded where they are. Seeing how Penn State is an educational environment, I shouldn't have to explain to instructors that they should be willing to help students of all majors. Last Fall Semester, I took a broadcast journalism class, which required me to choose a current news story, talk to a faculty member in that field and produce a 1-minute radio news package, all in fewer than 3 hours. Yet my classmates and I ran into roadblocks disguised as faculty and staff of the university. Although many times we explained that it would have taken two minutes of their time and it would never have been broadcast, some faculty still treated us poorly.

It is part of our curriculum in practicing how to become better reporters once we get out into the field. But why is it if my classmate does a story on the stock market, not only does the economics department turn her away but then tells my professor not to send students to the department? Shame on you economics department.

Another department that should hang its head in shame is University Health Services. As if your reputation for being non-productive wasn't enough, when I went seeking a medical opinion, I was told by the head nurse that my teacher was a moron for giving me only a few hours to complete my assignment. Should a person like this be working for a university? In her ignorance, she failed to realize that we are being trained to respond as journalists with deadlines.

And I have a message for those who turned myself and my classmates away or called our assignments moronic when we came asking for your help. Everyone depends on the media and being a future journalist (possibly even in the State College area) I will remember how I was treated.

You would be surprised how many times people feel they are not being treated fairly in society and turn to the media for exposure and help. I will be coming to more faculty members seeking expert advice in the near future and I hope not to receive such unprofessional treatment. Equally, I will remember those who did help me last semester.

Dave Aneckstein
senior-journalism

Denial of benefits not discrimination

In the Board of Opinion editorial about the denial of same-sex domestic partner benefits, the board sounded quite bitter. The board has reduced itself to scape-goating state legislators and even their own university President Graham Spanier as caving to "pressure." The Board of Opinion should let it go and move on.

The editorial bordered on absurd, alleging Spanier and state legislators have some hidden agenda against diversity and equity. Let's sit back and think about this like reasonable adults. First of all, who is being discriminated against? Two straight men cannot enter into a same-sex benefit program. Neither can two gay men.

The same goes for women of both orientations. So if everything is the same for everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender, who is actually being "discriminated" against? No one! The whole thing is something that the Collegian needs to move past. Attacking the reputations of state legislators and the university president is not a productive thing for the Collegian to be undertaking.

Also, they are ignoring the goal of the university to foster values and respect; even of opposing viewpoints. They need to be more open-minded about the decisions their university makes.

Steve Markle
Class of 1998