FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK . . .
Letters to the Editor: From
Is PSU higher eduation or a place to pratice punting?
the best academic colleges in the country have
the worst sports teams, and that the best teams
typically belong to the worst schools.
I studied this proposition for three
days, halting only for prayer and sleep, and
have concluded that it is sound.
Dear Editor,
Every time I pick up a newspaper and
read that Penn State has won yet another
football game, I run out of the house and emit
a defiant yell. And every time I see a Penn
State game on the television, I tura it off and
hide in the cellar. What ails me, at bottom, is
fear; fear not that Penn State will lose, but fear
that Penn State will win.
It is my belief, perhaps in error, that
there is a disturbing correlation between ath
letic success and academic failure - in brief,
that every time some oaf of a halfback scores
a touchdown, my beloved Penn State drops
another notch in the realm of academic merit.
And every time a scrawny place kicker punts
the ball through the uprights the same high end
is achieved.
Treasonous? To be sure. Blasphe
mous? Even so. But it is surely no secret that
SOMETHING TO SAY?
IF SO, SAY IT IN THE
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Is there a college or university to be
found that is both academically and athleti
cally superior? I rather doubt it. What about
Dartmouth, Amherst, or Swarthmore? Hardly.
Columbia, Johns Hopkins, or Princeton? An
unequivocal no. Stanford, Yale, or Harvard?
The quest becomes ridiculous.
Of course, this theory is not new, but
it has been (more often than not) shoved under
the table, especially on game day, and hence
there is little record of it. Even the teachers at
Penn State cherish it - at least privately - and
rather hope that the quarterback stubs his toe.
They long to be part of a school that
EDITORS,
EDITORIAL
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holds academic achievement in the highest
regard. As it is, they have to settle for watch
ing some chump parade around in a lion cos
tume. And they must watch him, not only
courteously, but even reverently, and with
their mouths open.
Kelly Thomas
Teaching & Curriculum
This year was no different than any other, even though my family and I were hundreds
of miles away from home.
We all gathered around the television to watch the annual Miss America Pageant,
with Regis and Kathie Lee hosting.
Like past years, my mother and I were critical of all the ladies competing for the
crown, wondering how many ladies had a little "help" from "doctors." And, yes, like all other
years, we both, urn, were turned off by our own state's choice of women. (Is it me, or will
Pennsylvania ever have a good "competing" contestant for the top ten finalists?)
One thing changed the pageant for me this year, though. Previously, I read about a
host of excitement concerning Miss Alabama, Heather Whitestone. She is a truly lovely lady,
overflowing with talent and grace.
Why the big fuss over Miss Alabama? Miss Whitestone is legally deaf, having lost
complete hearing in one ear when she was an infant, and has only about five percent hearing
in the other one.
She is also the first in the history of Miss America contestants to have a physical
disability
She is also the first in the history of Miss America's to have a physical disability.
Do you notice a trend? My mom and I sure did.
When looking at all the contestants introducing themselves to the television camera,
I couldn't help thinking that Miss Alabama would win.
It's awful to say, yes, but sadly true.
Why?
I have two words for anyone arguing with me.
Affirmative action.
Don't get me wrong, in my opinion Miss Alabama deserved to win. She has all the
grace, talent and beauty that every Miss America should have.
But did the judges see what I saw, or did they just see a young woman with a
disability? Did they at all feel that if they didn't give her high marks that they would be
discriminating against her?
I know, I know, I'm horrible for thinking this, but affirmative action has not only
made me a cynic, but many of my friends and co-workers as well.
If I had a penny for everytime I heard the phrase, "The only reason they got the job
is because of their . . .(sex, nationality, religion)" I'd be able to go to school free.
As a full-blooded Korean female, I can honestly say that I think affirmative action
stinks. Too many times rve seen perfectly qualified people passed over for something because
quotas needed to be filled.
What's my point I'm getting at?
Heather Whitestone won the pageant because, in my opinion, she was the perfect
example of who Miss America should be. Her only obstacle to overcome as Miss America is
affirmative action.
Because she does have a physical disability, she can't enjoy being crowned without
skeptics, such as me, wondering whether or not she got the crown just because she is
handicapped, and not because she was the most qualified contestant there.
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CAPITAL TIMES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
E. MIKAEL HEIN
ASSISTANT EDITOR/ PROD. MANAGER
ANNE-MARIE MILLER
LAYOUTiASSIGNMENTS MANAGER
MICHAEL RETENELLER
VOLUNTEER ADVISER
PROF. BETH HALLER
WRITERS COPY EDITORS AND COLUMNISTS
CATHERINE CLEMENTS YVETTE MARTIN
DAWN DANNEKER CHRIS McCORKEL
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MATT FISHER CATHY NOLAN
TINA MARIE FIELDS TRUNG NGUYEN
AMY FLEAGLE STACEY RODIN
RENEE JACKSON TISH WHITMAN
808 RUDY JEFF WITTMAIER
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arrisburg Area Community College student newspaper. Thanks for your assistance.
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Assistant Editor/Production Manager