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All letters become property of Collegian Inc. 28, 2010 Students: Take role While campaigning for State College mayor, Eliz abeth Goreham said she would encourage student involvement within the borough. Now, about a month after most authorities, boards and commisions (ABC) positions were filled, there is only one vacancy left: an alternate position on the Rental Housing Revocation Appeal Board (RHRAB). While Penn State stu dent Patrick Gordon has been a full board member of RHRAB since fall 2009, other students are not stepping up to the plate. The lack of student TH. APEH' Fans should learn to appreciate talent By Jacquie Tylka I love hockey. I love the fast pace and the fistfights. I love watching young boys and men the size of gorillas gracefully skat ing and splitting defenders to get a goal or an assist. I love that players go off the ice with injuries, get stitched up and are back on for their next shift. But there is one thing I hate: When people in the stands can’t appreciate good talent when they see it. And given that I am a Pittsburgh girl, the one that really gets to me is, “Crosby sucks! Crosby sucks!” Sure, that may sound biased, but hear me out. Sydney Crosby does not suck at hockey. Since being named the No. 1 draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, he has some pretty impressive career stats, including 165 goals, 299 assists, 194 power play points and an average of a goal every 6.87 shots. Terrible, isn’t it? As an 18-year-old rookie in the 2005-2006 season, Crosby scored 102 points surpassing Mario Lemieux’s team rookie record of 100. involvement within the Borough Council shows an alarming amount of apathy on campus. Stu dents are content to sit around, grumbling about landlords and unfair laws (think back to the outcry surrounding the proposed noise ordinance). But when presented with an opportunity to advocate change, most students turn their backs. Applications are still being accepted for the RHRAB position, and while it may not be the ideal chance to have stu dent concerns heard, it could be used as a spring board to more meaningful Breaking team records of one of the most well-known hockey players of all time? Horrible! Crosby won the Art Ross Trophy (awarded to the player who scores the most points in the league in a season), the Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league's MVP as voted on by hockey writers) and the Lester B. Pearson Award (awarded to the league's MVP by the play ers) and he did it all in his sophomore season. Keep on chanting, crowd, MY OPINION there’s more. Crosby became the youngest player (he was 19 years and 207 days old) in NHL history to start in the All-Star Game since bal loting began in 1986 and became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup after just four years in the league. Beginner’s luck, right roaring crowds? Why isn't the crowd done chanting, “Crosby sucks!"? That is what I don’t know. Is it a jealously thing? He is this superstar player with all the above stats and more, so when Crosby is playing outside Mellon Arena people find it nec essary to try to try to get in his head and break his spirit. Here is the real question, at least in my mind: Would crowds be shouting the same things if Crosby were on their team? Something tells me the answer is no. in borough position, such as on the zoning board. Goreham has shown she is willing to accommo date student membership. She said it would be “no problem” if a student had to vacate a position early because of graduation or schedule changes. Not all mayors in col lege towns are so open to the idea of student leader ship within the communi ty, and students would be wise to take advantage of the opportunities present ed to them. Without involvement, decisions affecting students are left solely to people of the —— rksj'eio' There is so much young talent in the NHL. Look at Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, the first overall pick in the 2004 draft. His career stats include 252 goals, 238 assists, 195 power play points and an average of a goal every 7.99 shots not to mention his incredible speed. Ovechkin played in Pittsburgh not too long ago, and I don’t recall hearirig, “Ovechkin sucks! Ovechkin sucks!” Do Penguin fans like Ovechkin? I don’t. But it isn’t because “he sucks." It’s because he is a (this is going to be tough) good player. He is a player I love to hate because he is good. He is fun and stressful to watch as a Pens fan. But sports are all about great talent. Whether it is in hockey, football, basketball or any other sport, there are going to be great athletes. There are going to be people you want on your fantasy team that don’t play for your prized Steelers or Eagles. And that’s OK It is OK to appreciate good players. It kind of sucks when you don’t. Jacquie Tylka is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Collegian’s Thursday columnist. Her e-mail address is jmtso94@psu.edu. The Daily Collegian Overcrowding at Penn State causes inadequate housing In response to Christina Johnson’s letter, “Excessive heat in dorms unnecessary and wasteful," I suggest she and her friends take a walk to the nearest supplemental housing dorm for some relief from the excruciating heat. If you think waking up sweating is bad, try waking up in a freezing room and then, if you have enough courage to actually leave your bed, walking outside into even more frigid temperatures. While residents in normal dorms are lounging in T-shirts and shorts, their peers in supple mental are bundled up in every sweatshirt and blanket they own. This is not a criticism of the majority of students lucky enough to be comfortable in their own rooms. It is obvious that the University Park campus is overcrowded. There is no need to bunk four or more stu dents in one room that isn't accommodated for living. Seven girls were shoved into what I call “home" this year at Penn State. When three of them moved out, we weren’t even given permission to un-loft our beds and remove unused furniture because of a lack of storage space. Storage space is the least of our worries on this campus, as there is hardly enough room for students. Not a day has gone by when I haven’t need ed to wait in lines or big crowds just to get back “home" where I am still crowded. The university needs to lower the number of students accepted per year. As for those students who feel as if they're living in Florida heat, count your blessings, and help out your neighbors in supplemental by opening your doors instead of your win dows. Obama deserves more time for healthcare initiatives Kevin Sullivan's recent column. “Obama must deliver on promises." has a lot of salient points. His critique, however, of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform approach is as problematic as the many commentators who have been writ ing premature political obituaries of the Obama agenda. When Mr. Sullivan states, “Since being elected, Obama has been more silent than Milton Waddams' pitiable crusade for his stapler in the movie 'Office Space.' " I'm compelled to ask how much more visible could Obama be? He's appeared on numerous talk shows, held town hall meetings and called a joint session of Congress all in an effort to drum up support for comprehensive healthcare reform, resulting in numerous voices of dis sent. This also does not mention a large swath of the American polity that has absolutely no idea how bills are passed and signed into law. Healthcare reform, like sausage making, is a messy business, and Americans are impatient backseat children asking ad nauseum, “Are we there yet?” This is not to say that I don't have my own criticisms of Obama's approach, but I believe we need to be reasonable in our cri tiques and perhaps read an elementary textbook on the American political process. Saalim Abdul Carter Class of 2007 United States benefits from Obama’s slow progross After reading the "Obama must deliver on promises" column by Kevin Sullivan, I was compelled to speak on behalf of all con servatives. At one point, Mr. Sullivan openly suggests that conservatives feel the presi dent has "Muslim-inspired Marxist poli cies." This is a predictable attack but it has no merit. Ninety-nine percent of conserva tives believe that President Obama is a Christian with no communist agenda. However, we do wish the president fails at delivering on his promises because at the very core of these is a progressive agenda that would fundamentally trans form this country to resemble that of Western Europe. “Delivering” on his prom ises would put a huge chunk of the American economy in the hands of the gov ernment, which is exactly what our found ing fathers were trying to avoid. I disagree with the premise of the column because President Obama is doing a fantastic job by breaking his promises. Hopefully he keeps screwing up the economy, piling on the debt and letting the Democrats fight amongst themselves. Small World Everyone I have talked to since I stepped off the plane at Tel Aviv’s Ben- Gurion airport has asked me how I am adjusting to living in Israel and studying at Tel Aviv University. My answer is sim ple I have barely had to adjust at all. Besides the first and very stressful day in which my friends and I scrambled around the local mall, struggling to find simple things like hangers and com forters, I have felt completely at ease. Since I made the decision to go abroad here, one steadfast fact about my choice has remained clear in my mind: I chose Tel Aviv because I feel at home in Israel. The Hebrew letters, Israeli people, for eign food and Jewish culture are innate to me. Traveling from America to Israel, it was almost like I instantly turned on my second nature. Read more from the study abroad blog Small World and the rest of The Daily Collegian's blogs at psucolleglan.com. Amy Camacho freshman-film/video Derek Davis senior-political science
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