6 I THURSDAY, SEPT. 16, 2010
THL DAILI
Collegian
Elizabeth Murphy
Editor in Chief
Kelsey Thompson
Business Manager
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Letters
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No. 1 spot
The Wall Street Journal
published a survey Mon
day ranking Penn State ,
the No. 1 college for stu
dents hoping to be
recruited for a career.
After six months of col-
lecting data from 479 pro
fessional recruiters, the
results placed Penn State
at the top of a list of 100
colleges.
We are glad that this
statistic seems to recog
nizes the well-roundness
of Penn State students, as
well as book smarts, when
it comes to our readiness
gOlar, zoo
horIECXNAR-tX.L,E.SE.
Boy band fever could see new day
By Amanda Elser
Istill remember my first col
lection of CDs. They were
the soundtrack to my
young teen
years and are
still on my iPod
to this day.
1. Blackstreet
"Another Level"
(that was a pass
down).
2. Alanis
Morset "Jagged
Little Pill" (first
time I heard the F word)
MY OPINION
3. Backstreet Boys.
"Millennium" (I still have that
entire disc memorized).
It is pretty safe to say that this
eclectic mix of music is still mir
rored on my Mines, but one
early genre in particular
sparked a fever in me like none
other the boy band fever.
I spent countless nights blast
ing the smooth pre-pubescent
melodies of Hanson and 'N Sync
out of my snazzy CD and cas
sette playing stereo. That was
while my sister stood in the
doorway trying to convince me
that these bands were not on
par with her beloved New Kids
on the Block
Boy bands weren't just a
trend; they were a way of life
STREET JOURNAL SURVEY
shows PSU promise
for landing careers post
graduation.
Penn State's success
with job recruiters is a
testament to the dedica
tion most students seem
to have to both their stud
ies and extracurricular
activities.
It's also no secret that
Penn Staters love to see
other Penn Staters suc
ceed. Our vast alumni net
work must play a huge
role in the amount of stu
dents that are employed
after leaving Happy Valley.
The camaraderie we show
The late '9os would have been a
sad time if not for the hours I
spent learning dance moves to
"Bye Bye Bye," and boycotting
Britney Spears because she
dared sink her claws into my
: future husband, J.T.
Years have passed, and I have
grown up. But so have the baby
faced boys who popped their way
into the hearts of our generation.
Last week, LFO's lead singer
Rich Cronin died after his long
battle with leukemia. The sad
news sparked flashbacks of
memorizing the lyrics to
"Summer Girls" at recess and
begging my mom to take me to
Abercrombie & Fitch, which got
me to thinking.
What happened to all the boy
bands?
The two most prevalent,
Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync,
have fallen off the map since the
2000 s and I am still waiting for
an equally popular successor.
I'm waiting for the next gener
ation of auto-tuned eye candy
the next influx of boy bands
made up of five or more
teenagers who know how to lip
sync well (cough cough Justin
Beiber at the VMAs) and pop
and lock it.
Who knows if or when another
group of this nature arrives, or if
I will even be a fan. But I am
towards one another tran
scends basic alumni rela
tions.
We hope that the nation
takes this news as a state
ment about the quality of
Penn State students. Of
the top 25 schools listed in
the survey, only one was
from the Ivy League.
Something about our state
school education and
experience gives us the
leg up on the assumed
This is a No. 1 spot we
can and should be proud
of.
looking out for the younger gen
eration, a generation that needs
some separation from Disney
stars.
There is a world full of tween
girls that will be heart broken
when Justin Beiber's voice
changes and he starts to date a
leggy blond. They will need
another fad to hold onto a
revival tour of Hanson doesn't
count.
The good news is that our age
group still has outlets to remi
nisce on the glory days. The hot
ter and short-haired Hanson
brothers came to play at Penn
State a few weeks ago, while
plans are in the process for a
combined 2011 tour for
Backstreet Boys and New Kids
on the Block. In an attempt to
resurrect the boy band phenom
enon, these two bands will be
uniting two separate genera
tions of crazed adult women,
and consequently produce the
perfect Bachlorette party.
I will probably not be waiting
in line for hours to be front row
at either of these revival tours,
but I will enjoy their attempted
comeback none the less.
Amanda Baer is a senior majoring in
journalism and is the Collegian's
Thursday columnist. Her e-mail is
aleso4s@psu.edu
LETTERS
Quran reflects human dignity
and does not incite violence
In response to Wednesday's letter
"Islamic texts do incite the violence of
Muslim radicals," I don't know what Mr.
Carter's background is, but I come from
the school of engineering and we are
taught that we cannot just sit under trees
and come up with theories, we actually
have to prove them. Mr. Carter's letter is
an ignorant mischaracterization of Islam
and his accusations of Islamic text are an
abuse of facts.
The Quran and Hadith speak about basic
dignity for all human beings regardless of
their race, color, language or ethnic back
ground. This is contradictory to Mr.
Carter's 'violence' and "savagery' descrip
tion of Islam. Islam emphasizes the estab
lishment of equality, justice and freedom of
religion. The Quran is very clear when it
says no coercion is allowed in matters of
faith and belief ("There is no compulsion in
religion," Quran 2:256).
Islam came to prominence in the United
States during the civil rights movement
era, mostly among African Americans. The
absence of racism in Islam, in contrast to
the brutal and racist enslavement African
Americans endured, attracted many follow
ers. Such a historical fact doesn't sound like
the barbarism Mr. Carter mentions in his
letter. I'd suggest he do a bit of research
before publishing such material.
Fans in Tuscaloosa showed
`genuine hospitality' to PSU
What was stated in Tuesday's letter
"Tide fans made game special" is 100 per
cent accurate. I was 'there as well and have
such a newfound respect for the people of
Alabama for their genuine hospitality. I
have never been treated as nicely and hos
pitable as I was all weekend in Tuscaloosa.
Matt Fine
Class of 1995
blob lines
9/ ig
2010
The real interview process
Editor's Note: This is the fifth part in
a regular podcast. series about the story
behind the story. I will interview
reporters, photographers and editors so
readers can find out just how much
time it took to write that 1,000-word
story or shoot that dynamic photo.
This week, I spoke with one of the
Collegian's music reporters, Lindsay
Cryer. She spoke with Travie McCoy
and Kris Allen a couple weeks ago,
dominating our Venues coverage at the
start of fall publication.
Listen in as Ciyer retells her inter
view with McCoy it's nothing short of
"chipper."
Second Mile loses Sandusky
Fbrmer Penn State defensive coordi
nator, Jerry Sandusky, retired from The
Second Mile board on Wednesday.
According to the Centre Daily Times,
Sandusky sent a letter to donors and
announced he would retire to spend
more time with family and concentrate
on individual needs.
Sandusky started The Second Mile in
1977. He retired as the Penn State
defensive coordinator in 1999 to devote
more time to The Second Mile, a pro-
gram seeking to instill self-confidence in
children who have faced hardship early
in life...
SMALL WORLD
Home is where the host is
The vast majority of people I know
who have studied abroad have stayed in
apartments with other Americans or
with people who at least speak the
same language as them. And I can
understand) why that option is attrac
tive. Especially to people who are
studying in a country where the native
language isn't English. ,
But I wouldn't trade in my host par
ents for a house full of Americans, even
if I could.
I live in an apartment close to the
university with Liubov' Fedorovna, her
husband, Anatoli Valerianovich, and
their adult spn, and his girlfriend.
Liubov' Fedorovna is the program's
housing coordinator, as well as an
excellent cook and a very sweet and
patient woman.
The first time I met my host dad I did
not understand a word he said. That
night, we ate borsht together in silence
and I went to bed wondering what I had
gotten myself into
The next day, I presented my host
parents with the gifts I brought for
them. When Liubov' Fedorovna picked
up the little stuffed Nittany Lion I gave
her and. kissed it on the head, I knew
everything would be all right.
And it has been...
Read more of The Daily Collegian's blogs at
pswxdleean.com/blogs.
THE DA ELY COLLEGIAN
Shadl Ghrayep
graduate-engineering
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Elizabeth Murphy
Editor in Chief
FOOTBLOG
Brendan Monahan
Football reporter
Erin Rowley
Small World blogger