Last Wednesday, DJ Ryan stood up and delivered a speech criticizing the treatment of Commonwealth Campus students.
In case you don't follow these things, one of the biggest stories in American politics this week involved Sarah Palin and the word "retard."
In response to the Feb. 5 article, "Some Commonwealth Campuses left out of THON," I realize it must be difficult to create and enforce the rules and regulations pertaining to THON. But a fairer and more equitable way to determine who gets dancers must be found. The Commonwealth Campuses should all be allotted two dancers with no contingency on how much money they raised.
Immediately upon reading the title of the Feb. 5 article, "708 students selected to dance in THON 2010," I was met with an onslaught of emotions. My eyes began to water and my heart pounded as I reminisced of this day one year ago -- the day my best friend and I were picked to dance in THON 2009 from the dancer lottery. As a past independent dancer, I can relate perfectly to the intense feelings of anxiety leading up to the lottery, when what you worked so hard for since the first day of fundraising was decided.
To the students who think State Patty's Day should be banned: At some point in your college career, I'm sure you, like the rest of us, have made bad decisions or gotten entirely too intoxicated. It's part of college and part of growing up. Now, mistakes such as these may be prevalent on State Patty's day, but things like this happen every weekend at every college campus across the country. Penn State is one of the largest institutions in the country, made up of diverse people who lead different lifestyles. As in any situation in life, there are people who take things too far and thus the rest of us must deal with the stigma a few have created.
No doubt about it: It's been a couple of very big weeks for THON.
Peter Trippett is not crazy. When I asked him about the perception of groups like the 9-12 Project or the Tea Party protesters, he laughed a perfectly sane laugh and asked, "Do I seem crazy?"
"State Patty's Day" is nothing but a joke from my perspective as an Irish Catholic. The saint's actual feast day upholds a meaning that is not only important to men and women of faith, but it also pays tribute to the life of a great man who was not afraid to live out God's will. Obviously, the 17th of March is a day to celebrate Irish heritage with friends and family -- the problem is that Happy Valley fails miserably in doing so.
As THON approaches, I have started to think about community service and helping the less fortunate. As a political science major, I learn about the struggles and hardships of the world. I have recently suggested my house for a place that my brothers and I can go on for our canning weekend. It became my responsibility to contact and organize the locations to help raise money.
This letter is in response to the Feb. 4 article, "Panel clears three claims." If this had been a scandal involving claims that an Exxon Mobil scientist had falsified and manipulated information, and Exxon had "investigated" and "exonerated" him, would we take that at face value? Of course not. We don't blindly accept the results of self "investigations" by corporations or government agencies that "exonerate" themselves or their personnel in other areas -- why should we do so here?
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