The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, September 08, 2010, Image 8

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    I Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010
Tin D\i i \
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 weli as the second
six-week summer session.
The Daily Collegian publish
es Monday through Friday.
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campuses and subscribers.
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torial complaints should be
presented to the editor.
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complaints should be pre
sented to the business man
ager.
Who we are
The Daily Collegian's edito
rial 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
necessariiy 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 Burnham, Paul
Casella. Kevin Cirilli, Beth Ann
Downey. Amanda Elser.
Zachary Feldman. Ashley
Gold. Stephen Hennessey.
Aliison 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
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ments on our coverage,
editorial decisions and the
Penn State community.
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gian. All letters become
property of Collegian Inc.
New stadium rules show promise
The university
announced last week that
it is looking into different
means of curbing alcohol
induced rowdy behavior in
Beaver Stadium and at
tailgate parties.
These include students
being subject to a Bretha
lyzer upon entering a
game if they’ve been
ejected in the past, as well
as a tighter patrol on tail
gate Lots 12 and 13,
which are known for out
of-control behavior, police
said.
This is a step in the
right direction for the uni-
■V/I A
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Section shift will affect next season
By Jessica Uzar
didn't realize how upset I
was about the student sec
tion shift proposed for next
season until I
walked into the
stadium last
Saturday after
noon.
I had great
seats for my
first game as an
upperclassman.
Then as I
looked around, I
remembered that next year
for my senior year I might be
stuck high in a nosebleed sec
tion of the stadium.
The shift of the student sec
tion in 2011 will take away the
prime 50-yard-line seats that
were a part of the junior and
senior section in order to open
them to the public mostly
alumni.
This leads me to wonder who
the athletic department values
more: current Penn State stu
dents or returning alumni?
That’s a tough call. But
changing the location of the stu
dent section makes a statement
about which group is more
important when it comes to foot
ball tickets.
Students will be moved to the
other side of the current under
classmen section. Since fresh
man year, I have been looking
forward to getting some of the
best seats in the stadium. And
now my senior year, I’ll be
moved right back to where I
started.
Yes, they’re adding 800 stu
dent seats and another gate for
students to enter. So that should
versity in taking control of
this problem.
The university needs to
start somewhere to
attempt to sustain the
commendable football
atmosphere that Penn
State is known for, and
this appears to be a good
way to weed out the bad
eggs.
But hopefully the uni
versity will develop this
policy more fully and cre
ate a consistant plan to
reference.
We believe that rowdy
students should be pun
ished, but all punishments
make up for it right?
I don’t think so.
I understand that football
even at the college level is
also a business that needs to
make money to operate. Giving
those 50-yard-line seats to alum
ni, who make much more money
than the average student, will
bring more revenue to the pro
gram. Especially since football
and basketball are the only two
sports that make a profit at this
school, as was reported by the
Collegian last year, and the two
basically pay for the other 27
varsity teams we have.
But taking away benefits from
the students and giving them to
those who can afford to pay
much more money is not a fair
solution. Students are the rea
son Penn State is such a well
known football school Blue-and
white students grow into blue
and-white alumni who keep
coming back year after year to
watch the games or simply tail
gate outside their favorite stadi
um.
Penn State students already
have one of the highest student
season football ticket prices
around.
Ohio State, University of
Michigan and University of lowa
students paid around $l5O for
their student tickets this year.
University of Illinois tickets are
a low $BO, University of Florida
tickets are about $7O and
Indiana University comes in at
just $3O the price of a single
game here, according to the
schools’ ticketing websites.
Other schools are also sizably
expanding their student sec
tions. There will be about 2,000
more Alabama students this
should match the severity
of the crime.
Any inconsistancy could
ruin the university’s plan
and credibility on this
issue.
And if a crackdown on
student behavior is
enforced, we believe that
all alumni who attend
games should be held to
the same standards. It’s
no secret that alumni do
more than just cook hot
dogs at tailgtes, so we
hope that Penn State
Police should treat misbe
having alumni the same
way under this new policy.
weekend who file into the
Bryant-Denny stadium in
Tusculoosa to watch the fate of
our Nittany Lions play out
before them than there would
have been at this time last year.
Expanding the Crimson Tide
student section was promoted
as the administration’s way to
foster a better bond between
students and the university.
How nice.
Penn State season tickets
were $2lB this year, and Beaver
Stadium still only provides seat
ing to only half of the University
Park student body.
We already pay a very high
price, and starting next year we
won’t even have a chance at get
ting some of the best seats,in
the stadium.
The athletic office claims that
the student section will sound
louder with the move. Even if
that’s true, that’s not a fair trade
off for worse seats.
We’re already a pretty intimi
dating crowd to visiting quarter
backs.
And if we’re the loudest in the
stadium, then we should get
good seats so we can see what is
going on down on the field the
best Alumni do their part but
students are, and always will be,
louder.
I don’t think the student sec
tion will feel or look the same
next year, and I don’t think this
shift is fair. However, I hope that
since this is a plan already in
place that it works and works
Jessica Uzar is a junior majoring in
journalism and political science and is
the Collegian’s Wednesday columnist.
Her e-mail is Jlul2sopsu.edu.
/fliiCflWOEßs/
*M eor*\
debate. We’re giving people fish when we
should be teaching them how to fish. Spend
the money up front to get these people the
help they need to become independent
again, and they’ll never need to ask for
another penny.
These programs should only ever offer
handouts to people who truly cannot pro
vide for themselves, mentally or physically.
Jim DeLancey
Class of 2008
In Tuesday’s letter, “U.S. balances greed,
charity,” Garrett Evans argues that self
interest and charity are mutually exclusive,
which they are not. In raising healthy chil
dren or giving to charity, I may be satisfying
the interests of others, but I am certainly
satisfying my own as well. It would be naive
to assume that people engage in charity
merely out of an altruistic desire to help the
public interest. Just take a quick stroll
around campus and look at the names of
some of the buildings.
I am curious to hear how Mr. Evans’ pro
poses building this “beautiful, harmonious
and efficient society” without the engine of
“selfish” interest (hiving the economy and
giving us the standard of living we enjoy. In
a free economy, those who work for their
own interest also work for the welfare of
society as a whole.
Buying a new flashy car, in addition to sat
isfying the selfish desires of the consumer,
supports the employment of thousands of
workers. Is this not as much as a public good
as direct charity? Therefore, we should be
proud of the pursuit of our own interests in
this country, whether materialistic or phil
anthropic, for both serve to benefit us all in
the end.
The Daily Collegian
Football is second to educating
In regards to Tuesday’s article “Grad
calls for Patemo stadium,” Coach Joe
Patemo already has a library and a statue
named after him. I believe that graduate
Warren Armstrong wanting to honor Penn
State football coach Patemo is admirable.
But to rename Beaver Stadium to Joe
Patemo Field, in my qpinion, is being disre
spectful to James Beaver. If Patemo is to be
honored with an edifice being named in his
honor, it should be largest and best educa
tional building on campus, not a football
field. Coach Patemo is an educator first, and
I think even the coach believes that being a
benefactor and coach are secondary to Ws
ability to teach young men and women.
Joe Patemo field wouldn’t stick
Talk of this has been going back and
forth for a few years now, and I just don’t
see it happening. What would we call it, Joe
Patemo Field at Beaver Stadium? Think
about Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Who
calls it that? It’s too long and after a while,
people just omit one of the names (sorry,
Lubrano). I don’t see the name Beaver
Stadium being redacted. It is as much a
part of Penn State tradition as are the jer
seys, Patemoville and tailgating. Where
would it end? Would we call Rec Hall, Russ
Rose Court at Rec Hall? Sanderson Mat
and Rose Court at Rec Hall? Plus, doesn’t
it seem like a small 120 yard patch of grass
isn’t gratifying enough for the best coach
college football has ever seen?
If Joe were to read all this (we all know
he doesn’t read his own headlines), he
would push it all away. He would rather the
university build a building of academic
excellence in his honor. Besides, sports
should always take a back seat to academ
ics. Without this belief, all of his successes
wouldn’t have occurred.
Russ Beck
senior-security and risk analysis
Holistic welfare system needed
In Tuesday's letter “Economy warrants
welfare,” Valerie Clark asked for a solution
to the economic problems that “warrant” a
welfare state, so I’ll offer one.
First and foremost, I don’t think that any
one is proposing the immediate elimination
of all social welfare programs in this coun
try. I think most taxpayers want to see a
change in the way the government admin
isters these programs.
Instead of simply giving unemployed
people a check each month, give them
actual help help them find jobs and help
employers hire them. If the government
would stop setting up new hoops for
employers to jump through, it would be a
lot easier for them to hire new employees.
When employers get hit with a massive
increase in overhead courtesy of the health
care bill, it makes it tough for them to
retain their employees, let alone hire new
ones. When they know their taxes are going
to increase, they have to tighten their belts.
As for welfare, the idea is the same: help
people help themselves. It’s the old “give a
man a fish” vs. “teach a man to fish”
Personal pursuits benefit all
EXPOSURE
Views from New Mexico
Cimarron, New Mexico is an average
small town by most standards.
It has a high school, a gas station, and
even a small restaurant known as the
“Cree-Mee-Drive-In” (though it does not
feature any sort of drive-in at all)
Andrew Dunheimer
Senior phptographer
Read more of The Daily Collegian’s blogs at
psucolleglan.com/blogs.
Thomas M. Kupchlnsky
Class of 1969
Kal Kaapro
graduate-law