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Championship
Commentary
Great
Opening Remarks on the NCAA basketball championship in the Summer
2003 issue. I graduated in 1986 and never thought I would see this
happen. The cover is awesome, and I would love to frame it. Thanks
for a great job.
Michael G. Weiss 86
East Brunswick, New Jersey
This
commemorative issue (Summer 2003) is a classic piece of memorabilia
for all alumni as it highlights the Universitys NCAA basketball
championship. It is an issue that I read with great pride. It will
be saved and placed alongside some of my other treasured items,
memorializing both my academic years at SU and other important events
surrounding the University.
James E. Higgins 77
Spring Lake, New Jersey
Im
a big Syracuse fan; my father [Richard Balser 66, G68
of Maine] is the ultimate Syracuse fan and has never wavered in
his belief that Syracuse could go all the way. Even after the loss
in the 87 final to Indiana his comment to me was next
time, next year.
Ultimately Syracuse basketball for me is not about the game itself,
but a reflection of my fathers values and beliefs: Perseverance,
loyalty, and conviction are lifelong lessons. I dont consider
sports figures heroes in the true sense of the word. The value of
the sport is what it teaches us all: It took the coach of Syracuse
27 years to gain that NCAA title, yet he never gave up on Syracuse,
his players, or himself.
During
the final game, as I cheered, raged, and finally begged (must it
always come down to the last 60 seconds?), I thought only of my
father. I never gave up. Way to go Syracuseyou, too, Dad!
Heather Balser
Louisville, Colorado
Conservative
Approach
Kudos
to alumnus Anthony Bialy 97 for taking the University to task
for its support of the racist policy known euphemistically as affirmative
action (In Basket, Summer 2003).
If the University is so in love with diversity, let
there be a little diversity of opinion on campus. Hire some conservatives
as teachers; seek out articulate conservatives for graduation speakers.
Have the magazine do fair and balanced articles about conservative
student groups at Syracuse, and publicize the anti-First Amendment
actions of radical groups who seek to silence diversity of opinion
on campus.
R. Bruce Skewes 61
Hamburg, New Jersey
Staging
Stereotypes
It
is, indeed, regrettable that the SU drama department and Syracuse
Stage decided to stage a production of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen
Sondheim musical, West Side Story (Stage Struck,
Spring 2003), which depicts dehumanizing stereotypes of Italian
American, Hispanic American, and Polish American teenagers as violent,
uneducated, crude, and low classbut with great singing and
dancing ability.
There
is a relentless tradition of Bernstein/Sondheim-type writers who,
for generations, have perpetuated these stereotypes in Broadway
musicals. Racism is racism. Greed and profiteering from the dissemination
of racial and ethnic stereotypes under the guise of art and entertainment
are still greed and profiteeringno matter how many theater
patrons hum those catchy tunes as they leave the theater.
Patrick Morelli 66
Cedar Grove, New Jersey
Clarification
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The
article Food for Thought, a profile of Julia Salomón
(SU People, Summer 2003), misstated the number of registered
dietitians and nutrition educators at the University. There
are also four to five registered dietitians and nutrition educators
in the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management at
the College of Human Services and Health Professions. They are
available to help students and the public. |
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