I was fortunate enough to attend the health care debate at the Eisenhower Auditorium this week between former George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove and former presidential candidate and Democratic National Convention Chairman Howard Dean.

Watching the two political titans square off on our own campus was interesting and at times downright exciting.

I wish I held the same positive feelings towards many in the audience watching the debate.

During quite a few of Rove's talking points or rebuttals, angry people stood up and screamed, trying to interrupt him while acting extremely rude and impolite.

It boggles my mind how people were ever raised with the idea that yelling at these figures while they speak is appropriate.

Speakers like Rove and Dean spend their valuable time to come to Penn State, and people like those on hand last night make our school, and all college students, look like idiots.

Those attitudes are wrong, no matter what side of the debate you are on. Interestingly enough, nobody in the crowd tried to shout down Dean as he spoke, but it would have been just as wrong had a protester did that.

Guests who come to Penn State need to be treated as such, not treated with disrespect.

Dan Tarvin

senior-broadcast journalism