After reading the article in Tuesday’s Lantern that got top billing over lives lost due to November tornadoes, I feel compelled to address some issues.
It amazes me that in the very short time Dr. Holbrook has been the leader of one of the largest universities in the country, she is so quick to change tradition and make unfounded judgments against the university body as a whole. I am referring to the Nov. 12 article “Committee to address game day.”
I have been affiliated with this university off and on for 15 years as an undergraduate, graduate student and employee. In all of these years I have attended football and basketball games. At times, people get a little rowdy, but does she think it is realistic to expect that out of over 150,000 people gathered together, a few would not get out of line? Think of the percentage – it’s low.
This brings us to modern day. I have worked in a concession booth at the stadium this year for five home games. Our group that works the stand continually makes comments that we are impressed with how polite and well-behaved the fans are (including the students). Keep in mind, we are a church group with occasional workers who could be easily offended, but have not.
The article states this committee is the result of one (not numerous) e-mail that Dr. Holbrook received from a family that was too emotionally distraught to attend the Penn State game after seeing a couple of naughty T-shirts. If that’s all it takes to start a committee around here, that’s amazing. Does that mean if I write you a letter to bring back Pepsi to the university, you’ll start a committee on that?
Of course, I’m sure all of this takes precedence over the campus-area rapist and other violent crimes in the campus area. Maybe the Columbus Police Department could put together a sting operation for the Michigan game. I’m sure that will take the wind out of the sails of the fans whose support is crucial to team success and adds to the “home field” advantage. We, as a collective group of fans, have rooted our team to victory for years on end. Dr. Holbrook is here for a couple months and wants to tame our Buckeye pride. Has she cleared this with Tressel?
No disrespect intended toward Dr. Holbrook, but why make such hasty judgments on the handful of games you may or may not have attended and one e-mail you received? Give it some time and you’ll see that we’re not so bad. If you didn’t think you would see this at a Big Ten powerhouse, you didn’t do your homework.
Wayne DellingerStaff
