The Collegian Wednesday, April 26
On Rob'S- Behalf
Letters
Dear editor
I'm one of Love Rob's recent
victim's, so I'm well-qualified to
comment on his column. I think
he should be severely punished
for his mistake. I have in mind
something lingering; with
boiling oil in it.
That, was irony.
This is really a fan letter. I
like Love Rob, despite his horrid
mistake, which is of course also
ironic. (but true too). I'm not
really defending his position on
the Tech Disaster. Mr. Loell had
every right to object: Rob
shouldn't have used the teacher's
name. (Innocent victims should
always be sold separately.) In this
case Rob may have been off base,
but he is usually well within the
limits of responsible writing. He
has gracefully and fully
apologized. Enough.
Part of the reason people have
trouble with Rob's column is
that they don't get what he is
doing. We're short on a healthy
sense of the uses of irony in the
Reagan-Bush era. Many times the
ranting I've heard about Love
Rob _comes out of a complete
misunderstanding of the genre
Keep Writing Love Rob
pear -editor,
I'm sorry for those who got
upset with Rob Prindle's column
a couple of issues ago. The Love
Rob column is the best thing to
happen to the Behrend Collegian
newspaper since I've been on
campus the last 41/2 years.
I know Rob, as we have been
in a couple of classes together,
and I know he can be abrasive on
occasion, but he is a bright and
talented young man. Okay,
maybe he made a mistake; we all
do when we're young. That's
what happens when young people
grow. Growing up is a process
that doesn't happen over night. It
is done mostly when we "screw
up"- if we learn from our
mistakes. Some of us make the
same mistakes twice. Some of us
can't even make up for the
damage done by a stupid mistake.
In Response To Mr. Loell
Dear editor,
This letter is a comment
about the recent letter by Mr.
Loell to yourself. First, I must
say that I do not know Mr.
Prindle or Mr. Loell and I did not
attend Tech High School. I am
35 years old and a student at
Behrend.
I was very dissappointed by
Mr. Loch 's letter. Here was an
opportunity to prove Mr. Prindle
wrong and he miserably failed.
As an educator, why did he not
present a solution to the
problem? Instead, Mr. Loell added
more fuel to the fire! I think
everyone that read the Love Rob
column of April 6 realized Rob
made a mistake, but obviously
Rob's relationship with a teacher
To The Editor
he's working in and the tricks he
uses. When he's a pro, he'll
pattern his rhetorical moves more
elegantly, and learn exactly how
to interweave passionate
conviction and parody. He's on
his way to it now, and getting
better every month. Sometimes
he backslides but most of the
time this guy is good. He takes
chances and I'm glad he does,
even when I'm on the losing end
of it.
In Rob's recent column on
smoking, he delicately refrained
from using my name, but that's
about all he refrained from. He
implied that I'm betraying a
moral trust by functioning as a
role model (yuch) and remaining
a smoker. I didn't know I was
teaching kindergarten. I always
figured my students could
exercise their own judgement on
what they find admirable or
despicable in me or in any other
professor. Who says I am not
supposed to have serious
character flaws? My failings are
my own business and Fm entitled
to them. As my son would say, ,
get out of my face!
But no, Rob hung me up to
But leCs not lose sight of the
process.
Rob took the job as a writer
with a little more creativity than
some others who have been in
print. We, students and faculty at
Behrend, should show that we can
understand the need to exercise as
much good judgement as possible
in our writings (our's and Rob's),
but for goodness sake, don't let
this one situtation get out of
proportion. The issue involved
was and should be the bad
situation in the school system.
Mr. Trott and Mr. Loell are
within that system. They have
[compromised?] interests. To put
it bluntly "If you're not part of
the solution, you're part of the
problem." I know many good
teachers who fail to help the
system because they don't want
to rock the boat. I'm sorry for
from the past has left him with
some not so pleasant memories.
It is obvious from Mr. Loell's
letter that his intent was not to
do anything more than discredit
Rob Prindle by revealing the
imperfections of Mr. Prindle's
heart and soul. Mr. Loell's
prejudices against Rob Prindle
surfaced at this point. The
question I really asked myself
when I read Mr. Loell's letter was
"Why didn't he (Mr. Loell) give
any insight into the character of
Mr. Trott the individual in
question? "
Mr. Loell mentioned that
Rob's bitterness is well known to
himself. Did Mr. Loch ever try
reaching out to understand the
dry. He got me. Thrust , parry,
jab, all in the right spots,
accomplished through sustained
satire in the best Swiftian
tradition. As a person I was
mortified. As one of Rob's
former writing teachers, I was
delighted.
Since Rob's column on
smoking Tye had to take a lot of
guff, most recently from Provost
Lilley. He just wondered (snake
oil oozing in his voice) if
perhaps I might be the one who
taught a certain senior
psychology major to smoke.
Hah. The non-filtered cigarettes
he smokes would put me in a
coma. I couldn't walk a mile for
one. If I smoked one I wouldn't
be able to walk, period.
And it's all Rob's fault that I
have to put up with this. I will
get you for this, Rob. It will
come when you least expect it. In
the meantime, now that you've
apologized for being out of
bounds on one occasion, please
go back to being your dear nasty
self. I can hardly bear all this
unadorned wights . tness-
Dr. Diana Hume George
Professor of English
13eci4e - they are still part
of the problem and the problem
is getting worse while they stand
still. I have seen many concerned
parents walk away by removing
their children from "problem
schools" and sending them to
private schools.
You can't avoid this problem,
If it doesn't get you today, it will
get your children or at least your
tax monies or other socially
demanded services down the road
in a few years. We need all the
help to face the next century that
we can get. "A mind is [still] a
terrible thing to waste." So Rob
keep on telling where it's at. but
do it with care for the individual.
You are bright and creative, and
sorely needed in an apathetic
world.
Marlynn Tomlin
9th Semester English
kid? If so, he did not mention it.
Of Mr. Loell-- It was very
childish to apply pressure to
Penn State Behrend (via
mentionings of a lawsuit and the
possible loss of his respect) if
they would not discipline Mr.
Prindle the way he wanted Mr.
Prindle to be disciplined. This
type of behavior is common
among siblings when mommy
and daddy don't discipline a
brother or sister the way they
thought it should have been done.
Mr. Loell, in his attempt to
discredit Mr. Prindle, has in this
readers eyes discredited himself.
Earl Ebert Jr.
B.A. Physics
Editorial
Saying
Goodbye
We've done it. With only a few days remaining
in the semester, The Collegian staff can wipe it's
collective brows and look back on this year with
some pride.
It wasn't an easy semester for us. It seems we
ran up against more than a few obstacles, but for the
first time in its history, The Collegian has become a
weekly newspaper. It was a lot of hard work and
were it not for a hardworking, enthusiastic staff, it
wouldn't have been possible. Becoming a weekly
newspaper meant a lot more hard work for a lot of
people, who were willing to surrender large blocks
of time to work on the newspaper. _
Unfortunately, the time has come for us to say
goodbye to some of the people who made it all
possible -some people whom we will miss very
much.
Nancy McGartland, who has served as The
Collegian's advisor for the past two years, will be
leaving in the fall. We've appreciatedall the
guidance and support she has given us. Through
minor disasters with Kathy Felong, Kanty Village
and Love Rob, Nancy has stood by us. Good Luck
Nancy.
Bill Warner, who has served in a number of
capacities with The Collegian, ranging from Layout
Editor to Science Writer to crack reporter, will be
transferring to University Park in the fall.
Pete Weichlein, 'Unquestionably- our favorite
German columnist, will also be transferring to
University park.
Tom Wilkinson, our computer consultant, the
man who stood as a silent guardian over our
Macintoshes, scramming at us whenever we covered
our cooling vents, will graduate this spring.
Marybeth Zawistoski, for two years our
photo editor who smiled through problems large
and small, will be transferring to Rochester Institute
of Technology.
Maria Plaza, our extremely able news editor,
for the past year and a half, plans on making this
her last semester on The Collegian. We're not sure
why, but if you know any good news editors...
To all these people and to everyone who helped
us out this year, thanks.
- Ed.
Editorial Policy
The Behrend Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by the
editor, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed
in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the Behrend Collegian or
the Pennsylvania State University.
Letter Policy: The Behrend Collegian encourages letters on news
coverage, editorial content and university affairs. Letters should be
typewritten, double-spaced and signed by no more than two persons.
Letters should be no longer than 400 words. Letters should include the
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Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for length and to reject
letters if they are libelous or do not conform to standards of good taste.
Postal Information: The Behrend Collegian (898-6488) is
published weekly by the students of the Behrend College; The Reed
Union Building, Station Road, Erie, Pa 16563.
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