I was absolutely shocked at the results of human stupidity two weeks ago. I had pulled my brother aside and asked him to wake up with me -- in what's become a tradition since freshman year -- to order my Penn State football tickets. This year would have been my legacy year at Penn State. Unfortunately, what I did not plan for was human stupidity -- the second year in a row!

Last year I was traveling abroad in southeast Asia, so my brother and I spoke over the phone while he ordered them for me on the -- not surprisingly -- faster Internet, only to be told that I could not place my order. As it turned out, because of my semester studying abroad in Hong Kong, my credits didn't transfer in time, and I was not able to purchase tickets under junior standing. Silly me to think PSU would try to help me. Once again, the corporate face of Penn State has gotten the better of us students. I do take partial fault for not checking the Web site more frequently, but Penn State's decision to not e-mail students reminders to pre-register for tickets is ridiculous. We have enough Web sites we are required to check on a daily basis. During the school year, I bet I get a dozen and a half e-mails a day from various places on the University Park campus, that for one single e-mail to tell students to check a Web site, rather than the usual reminder to preregister, is just plain silly. In the future, if Penn State is going to brag to the national football schools that they have the best student section in America, one would think maybe it should do everything in its power to allow students to actually be able to attend games as a part of the best student section in the country.

Becky Perlow

senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management