I THURSDAY, AUG. 26, 2010 z o THE DAILY Collegian Elizabeth Murphy Editor in Chief Kelsey Thompson Business Manager About the Collegian: The Daily Collegian and The Weekly Collegian are pub lished by Collegian Inc., an independent, nonprofit cor poration with a board of directors composed of stu dents, faculty and profes sionals. Pennsylvania State University students write and edit both papers and solicit advertising for them. During the fall and spring semes ters as well as the second six-week summer session, The Daily Collegian publish es Monday through Friday. Issues are distributed by mail to other Penn State campuses and subscribers. Complaints: News and edi torial complaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising complaints should be pre sented to the business man ager. Who we are The Daly Collegian's edito iial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. The letters and columns expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of The Daily Collegian or Collegian Inc. Collegian Inc., publish ers of The Daily Collegian and related publications, is a separate corporate institu tion from Penn State. Members are: Lexi Bel culfine, Caitlin Bumham, Paul Casella, Kevin Cirilli, Beth Ann Downey, Amanda Elser, Zachary Feldman, Ashley Gold, Stephen Hennessey, Allison Jackovitz, Kevin Kline, Samantha Kramer, Bill Landis, Andrew Metcalf, Nate Mink, Elizabeth Murphy, Laura Nichols, Michael Oplinger, Edgar Ramirez, Heather Schmelzlen, Caitlin Sellers, Laurie Stern, Katie Sullivan, Jessica Uzar, Aubrey Whelan, Alex Weisler, Somer Wiggins, Steph Witt and Chris Zook. Letters We want to hear your com ments on our coverage, editorial decisions and the Penn State community. ■ Email collegianletters@psu.edu ■ Online www.psucollegian.com ■ Postal mall/In person 123 S. Burrowes St. University Park, PA 16801 Letters should be about 200 words. Student letters should include class year, major and campus. Letters from alumni should include year of graduation. All writers should provide their address and phone number for verification. Letters should be signed by no more than two peo ple. Members of organiza tions must include their titles if the topic they write about is connected with the aim of their groups. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters. The Collegian cannot guaran tee publication of all let ters it receives. Letters chosen also run on The Daily Collegian Online and may be selected for publi cation in The Weekly Colle gian. All letters become property of Collegian Inc. New THON rules divert focus The 2011 THON rule book released Monday revealed changes in poli cies for the upcoming year that THON officials hope will make the event fair for all participating student groups. Changes include differ ent requirements and cat egories for participating student organizations, and a shorter list of recogni tion for top fundraisers. Dissent among mem bers of the greek commu nity and the THON overall committee also ignited after the announcement that the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils would not be part of the selection for the Greeks 4 Kids communications liaisons this year. In light of these changes and controversy, we urge I do not Like them Uncle Sap, do not Like GtvenEBBs Nam. I' 1 , 0 :-) / - -- ( k ( o 4 'N, iiii,.... POOl6 r Alif - jil jik - I / (6 /,/ ifk:o p- - 4 4 , ( 1 RE-Gu • , -F-Asot Starbucks wireless won't add charm By Amanda Elser IT'S sort of embarrassing to admit now, but a large rea son why I applied to Penn State was because I could envision myself sitting under the large trees on campus doing home work. But after a few weeks stumbling around University Park I realized that the giant tree roots under the enormous elms on the Old Main lawn were anything but a cozy, study atmosphere. Plus, ants are gross. So I redirected my study ambitions towards coffee shops downtown. Too timid to venture into unknown neighborhood cafes, I entered the tried and true Starbucks. When I stationed myself in the back corner and opened my lap top, I realized the Caffeine Empire had failed me. There was no free wireless access, and let's face it, there is no point in studying if you can't be Facebook stalking simultane ously But the Seattle-based chain has recently made big steps in redeeming itself. Since July 1, Starbucks offers free, unlimited, one-click Wi-Fi access in all of the executive members of THON to make it easier for students to participate in this worthy cause, rather than harder. More time and effort should be designated to the preparation for the big event in the Bryce Jordan Center instead of these outlying and minute details. We also don't under stand why THON execu tives are potentially alien ating the greek communi ty from the philanthropy when it is undoubtedly both its founding body and its biggest fundraisers. Changes like reducing the announcement of totals to only the top five groups in each category meant to combat the competitive spirit of THON could also MNIIIM CAN Vou Se its U.S. store locations. This means new freshmen can bring their laptops, iPads or any other gizmo or gadget to either of the two downtown locations and gain instant access to the Internet without paying or hav ing to create a username and password. But other than stu dents living in Centre Court, who conveniently don't have to leave their building to grab a dark roast cup of Joe, I seriously doubt whether free Wi-Fi will change the dynamic of State College coffee shops. Before this summer, students still had an abundance of famil iar options to itch their coffee scratch. Dunkin' Donuts not only offers free Internet, but is open an unyielding 24 hours. Panera Bread also indulges your appetite and your mini- Free Internet may be just another attempt by Starbucks corporate to capitalize on a cer tain market. One of the mega company's slogans is "expect more than coffee." This used to just include buttery pastries and Tazo teas, but with the addition of Internet access this slogan reveals an attempt at an even higher standard of customer service. Starbucks prides itself with being a daily stop on their cus tomer's regular routine. And perhaps with the closing of Webster's Bookstore Café on reduce the total of money raised for the kids. And will this reduction whittle away THON's internal competition in trying to beat that grand total year after year? We doubt it. Unless the competitive nature of THON becomes a detriment to the cause, we believe it has a heal thy place in this philan thropy. THON needs to be more transparent in the deci sion-making process, and allow input from the stu dent groups and leaders they serve before making these decisions. Keep one main thing in perspective: The real rea son for THON to raise money for kids with can cer should never be forgotten. EYE Ti-i 1 S ? Allen Street the locals who enjoyed Webster's friendly com munity atmosphere will find refuge in a Starbucks commune. Or maybe they will stick to other neighborhood coffee shops who having been offering free Wi-Fi for a few years now. Either way, another place to check email is neither a bad nor a new thing and here in State College they are a bit behind the times. Local businesses have prided themselves for being a refuge for the State College community offering a range of amenities for their loyal fans. At Saint's, patrons can enjoy their cappuc cino in large mugs with pretty floral designs in the froth. Inside Irving's, they offer a cozy atmos phere in the lower level equipped with a fire place and a couple of couches, perfect for sipping on hot apple cider. These two locations are also family-owned and operated, which is a refreshing step away from Starbucks chains that just don't offer that State College charm. Starbucks installing internet access to customers is definitely not a bad thing, but they will always be missing that special quirk that makes a State College coffee shop your daily stop. FOLOG,IES Tr) DR 5E C 55 TRE - t3 a - MD NCwS CA6I..ecAR - root\ S C_'/..01 Amanda Baer is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Collegian's Thursday columnist. Her e-mail is aleso4s@psu.edu THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Student vets ought be visible From a recent graduate and war veter an, I commend The Daily Collegian for fea turing the growing military veteran com munity so early in the semester. Veterans and other adult learners peak on campus during post war periods, but they have always been a portion of the undergraduate community To my fellow veterans, this means there still exists a responsibility to be equal par ticipants with all students in serving our campus and community. Every student is called by the Alma Mater to be "For the Glory of Old State." It requires modesty to remember that exceptional young leaders on our campus have a great deal to teach us despite not yet having left the academy. The experience and discipline that older students possess is wasted if you keep other undergraduates at arms length. Step forward again and meet a new challenge to improve Penn State. Doing otherwise is a disservice to the university we're all proud to say we love. Debt hard on single parents I am a single parent sending my only child to Penn State as an out-of-state stu dent. I make two-thirds of the average median income as a middle school teacher in our hometown of Fairfield County, CT. I read the article on student debt with inter est and disappointment. As a teacher and single parent, I hoped to receive significant student aid. Instead, we received only 8 percent of the annual tuition in government loans. I called the financial aid office requesting an appoint ment to discuss options and was told there was nothing they could do. I wanted to drive the five hours and have them say it to me in person but I was dissuaded. I trusted the statistic printed in the liter ature that the average student leaves the university with no more than $28,000 in debt following an undergraduate degree. Instead, with personal loans, I expect to owe in excess of $lOO,OOO. As a single par ent and teacher earning less than the aver age income in my home, I have sympathy for other students who must be significant ly worse off and hope they earn more aid and support than we were provided. Islamophobia shows in issue Mr. Settle's letter on Wednesday titled "Islam still threat post-9/11" is a contribu tion of a national campaign of misinforma tion designed to marginalize American Muslims and demonize. The letter, which took verses from the Quran out of context, is identical to the right wing campaign that falsely accused Shirley Sherrod of racism. Fluthermore, I disagree with Penn State's College Republicans Vice President Mr. Christina's argument in Wednesday's arti cle that "sensitivity is key here" regarding the Islamic center being built two blocks from Ground Zero. Sensitivity is not an excuse for bigotry. Constitutional rights must always take the precedent over peoples' sensitivities, something that Republicans often shove down our throats and which Mr. Christina ought to know The argument that it is sen sitive is only true if we buy into the pervert ed logic of Islamophobia. It's unfortunate that particular individuals, politicians and groups around the country have seized on the legitimate emotions generated by the horrific Sept. 11 terror attacks to promote their Islamophobic agenda. Shadi Ghrayep graduate-nuclear engineering Wrongful to blame Muslims Upon reading the letter to the editor "Islam still threat post-9/11" written by Samuel Settle in Wednesday's Collegian, I was surprised by Mr. Settle's willingness to publicly spout ideas so clearly rooted in big otry and wrongful blame. The letter dis- putes the building of the "Ground Zero Mosque," calling it a repugnant project. In his letter, Mr. Settle claims Islam threatens all non-Muslims. This is exactly the kind of generality that lends to the more polarized and prejudice world we live in today. Mr. Settle seems to forget that not every follower of Islam had a hand in the Sept. 11 attacks, and that every person can not be blamed for the actions of a band of extremists. Mr. Settle has adopted an "us vs. them" mentality towards Muslims. Has he forgot ten that Muslims exist in America? Has he forgotten that freedom of religious expres sion is one of the beliefs that this country is built on? He seems to be forgetting one of the most important freedoms that we are endowed with as Americans the free dom of religious expression. senior-political science Penn State College Democrats President SNAP, CRACKLE, POP The Clarks at State Theatre If the Eagles are a bit out of your price range, don't worry they're not the only band coming to town that night. The Clarks will perform with special guest Bishop Clay at 8 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave... David Strader Film reporter Read more of The Daily Collegian's blogs at psucolleglan.com/blogs. Matt Smith Class of 2010 Jill Jansson Stamford, CT Rob Ghonnoz
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers