Letters to the Editor

Penn State denies problem of racism

With regard to Laura Hennessey’s revealing column dealing with "The Patriot," let me make a few observations and comments.

It seems to me that "The Patriot" is a coward who lacks the courage to confront his nemesis face to face. I do not dispute "The Patriot’s" right to be ignorant, but the he abuses the privilege. Yet the sad and bitter truth is that he articulates the views of many (if not most) of the white people indigenous in this region and on this campus.

Overt or covert racism is wrong and very destructive to the very foundations of this country, and no good can come of it. Racism, be it individual or institutional, divides and destroys the justice that unifies us as a people and a nation. The Penn State community lives in a state of denial, more concerned about its image than rooting out the injustice and racism present. We always seem timid and all too willing to turn a blind eye, pretending that it doesn’t exist here. No, not at Penn State -- we sweep it under the carpet and hope that it will go away on its own.

One last observation and question. The silence from Old Main is deafening. Where are our advocates? Who is looking out for us?

Jennifer Mosley
senior-rehabilitation

This letter is in reply to Terence M. McMenamin’s letter to the editor on the blue separator sheets in computer labs. First off, the blue separator sheets are a great way to ensure you get your document, know how many pages in length it is and how many pages you’ve printed. This allows you to make changes as to which billing choice you want -- to stop at the 110 pages or to be billed for those pages printed over the 110-page limit. Those blue pages also make great notebook paper for class notes and are even hole-punched already for your convenience. If you’re not crazy about using those smurf-like pages, then just pitch them in the recycling bin located near every printer.

If you feel that you’re running through a maze trying to find your print out, then try returning to the starting point, your computer. If you notice, once you hit the print button, a window pops up notifying you of the printer from which your pages are printing. If you also would like to change the setting and not print out the blue separator sheets, this change is easily done. Center for Academic Computing lab attendants also are available to help out those who do not know their way around a computer. Hey, this is what they get paid to do, why not take advantage of it?

Blue separator sheets are our friends. They help us to identify our documents, make us aware of the number of pages printed per print job and the total number of pages printed during the semester. If you’re against keeping the pages for note taking, just throw them into the recycling bin. Blue separator sheets are not to be portrayed as the devil, the enemies are those who believe the pages are a waste when they don’t realize the actual potential of them, the value they hold and their usefulness.

Michael J. Rowley II
CAC help desk consultant

Ouch, my throat hurts -- it’s swollen and just unbearable. What to do, what to do? I think I’ll go to University Health Services. It’s not really urgent, but I would like to sleep the whole night through and maybe get an idea of what I can do to help it heal. But, wait, it’s after 5 p.m., and they’re closed!

I never seemed to notice this until it happened to me. Though there are thousands of students living on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, somebody out there had this idea that the world stops getting sick after the daylight shift. Well, I must be an exception because it was quite dark outside, and I had nowhere to go but to the Centre Community Hospital emergency room. So, there I was being rushed to the emergency room for a condition that could have been handled right down the street had it only been bothering me a few hours earlier. I really felt as if some kind of hypochondriac as other people in the waiting room looked at me, seemingly fine, while they awaited news of their loved ones.

I guess I’m just concerned with the fact that there is no convenient place to go after hours for problems that rear their ugly heads when the sun goes down. I’m sure there are people who have let their illnesses or injuries wait overnight or through the weekend, feeling as if it wouldn’t be important enough to have to go to the hospital.

You would think that in a place that offers numerous 24-hour computer labs for the hard-working students, the procrastinators and the instant messenger addicts, we might be able to enjoy the luxury of a full-time health service on campus.

Julia Adkins
freshman-advertising

In response to The Daily Collegian Board of Opinion editorial on Friday, I have only one question. Can we really use the words "equal opportunity" and "affirmative action" in the same sentence? "Equal opportunity," in this case, implies that everyone has an equal chance of attending the campus of their choice. "Affirmative action" implies that certain groups of people have a better chance than others. Correct me if I’m wrong, but does this not contradict itself?

By giving certain ethnic groups preference in selecting what campus they attend, other equally qualified students are going to be turned away simply because they weren’t a member of that ethnic group. By ending this preference for Asian and Pacific Americans, Penn State has taken the first step towards becoming a truly "equal opportunity university." Perhaps the administration will see the merit of their actions and eliminate all forms of preferential treatment.

Until admission and campus choice is granted based only on academic achievement and personal merit, Penn State will never truly be "equal opportunity."

Adam Drake
sophomore-computer science
Lehigh Valley Campus