OCR Text |
Show Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 Page 7 VieW S & 0 PIS Ili Oil Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurView A time to give thanks raditionally, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and express our gratitude for the many blessings we all enjoy. It is a holiday primarily celebrated in the United States. We have more than 1,500 international students gaining their education here at USU. Thanksgiving to them should not be more than just a few extra days off from classes. It is the time of giving and we should give these students a true "American" experience. Turkey, pumpkin pie and stuffing are all staples of the Thanksgiving experience. We have enjoyed them for years and as we have grown up, we look forward more and more to the holiday where it is OK to overeat and let that button on your pants go undone. Many of these students visiting the United States have never had this experience before. They have never sat around the table and patiently waited as each family member said what he or she was thankful for. Nor have they watched their mom labor endlessly in the kitchen for the meal that she has been preparing for days. We have a lot to be grateful for and celebrating it with those of a different culture and background is just one small way of welcoming our international friends to our school and country. Inviting them to our homes and letting them see a little bit of what life is like away from school and with family and friends is bringing the feeling of Thanksgiving to them. Here in Cache Valley, the Cache Valley Unitarian Universalist (CVUU) Church has held a Thanksgiving dinner for the past three years for students who can't go home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Fifteen to 20 students attend the event every year, and people at USU are not the only ones getting into the giving spirit. For example, in places such as Chicago, Manchester and St. Louis residents have been strongly encouraged to host international students and invite the students to become like family during the Thanksgiving break. Numerous locations across the nation plan dinners specifically for these students who are so far away from home. They give these students a little taste of the American culture they otherwise would not have received during this five-day weekend. Why can't we, as students, bring a friend home for our Thanksgiving feast? We need to get into the holiday spirit. Invite an international student home with you this holiday break. Give them a little taste of American culture and a large piece of pumpkin pie. ForumLetters The universal language To the editor: find ways to blend in with those already there, many changing names to be more American and learning the world's Universal Language, English. I spent several years abroad and didn't try to impose my language; rather, I "embraced" the many new things I could learn and the advantages of speaking a foreign language fluently. In the editorial, America was compared to ancient Rome; I would suggest that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do". It is not the responsibility of the citizenry of a nation to acquiesce to newcomers. Hopefully, in the future the staff will be more interested in quality journalism instead of trying to make this "mutt" of a language play runt in the litter of world languages. "Single Last week's Language" editorial was yet another letdown by The Statesman editorial staff. Not only was it riddled with factual errors, but it showed yet again that they would prefer to have the Microsoft Paperclip be the editor of The Statesman. The Nov. 11 editorial was centered around the idea that we should adapt to all the new cultures we come in contact with. This idea is simply ridiculous. While I believe in welcoming others to this great nation, I do not agree that I should have to "broaden my horizons" every time I meet someone of a different nationality. If we were to follow The Statesman's advice we would have to learn thousands (not 690) of languages. This proposal is both impractical and unattainable (like the use of proper grammar in The Statesman). As an American, it is not our responsibility to cater to those who have yet to learn our language. We live in a country that speaks English and requires those who seek citizenship to speak it. Even an average middle school student could tell you that English is a West Germanic language in its root. Or, as they have suggested, we could learn our "ancestral language", which according to The Statesman, is Latin (one only spoken by biologists in naming flora and fauna). History has shown that the current citizenry of a country has always been antagonistic of newcomers, whether they are Irish, Spanish, Chinese or any other nationality. Immigrants to America have long had to To the editor: in lieu of prepping for the group project? How many acres of beets did you plant on Farmville while that $150 textbook lain unread on your desk? Nothing lengthens lethargy more than mundane brain candy. Let us admit our sloth and do better tomorrow ... or Wednesday. You would think that those geeky science kids are the ones most committed to their studies. Half true. Facts are, most of the science majors at USU were born with that dorkapotomus gene. They usually finish their NASA death lasers two weeks early and watch their "Clone Wars" DVDs between Dungeons and Dragons tournaments. They are not as ambitious to finish their work so much as they simply do not have anything else to do on a Friday night. The really ambitious students at USU - the ones we should emulate to alter our lackadaisical ways - are English majors. Given the lim- ited professions that English majors have in their future, namely housewife and weekend shift supervisor, you would think English majors sit around and do nothing but complain all day. That description actually fits political science eggheads better. English majors have to read 300 books every semester and pop out 5,000 words on each book once a week. And many of the book they are required to read suck. I can honestly say that halfway through the horror of reading "Heart of Darkness" that I had a literal heart of darkness. I have this image of a secret meth lab somewhere in the basement of the Ray B. West Building that helps English students maintain verticality long enough to carry such an imposing workload. Laggards need not apply for a Jane Austen class. With fewer than three weeks left, I got some major work to get done. I will do it. Fear and talent will get me F. Parker Bond Didn't need to know Opportunity. College. Two words usually used synonymously. When Anthony Diloreto came to USU, I'm sure he felt the same way many of us feel: nervous but excited to meet new people and have experiences - essentially, to grow up. So he left mistakes in Wisconsin and embarked on a journey to a new world. He probably thought he was being given a second chance at life. He probably assumed that few, if any here in Logan, would know of his past. He probably assumed that no one would be able to judge him for a mistake he once made. He probably didn't expect what happened Wednesday, Nov. 18. morning, Wednesday Anthony Diloreto showed up in The Statesman's office. His Letters to the editor • A public forum picture on the front page, with the headline reading, "Basketball player to do 100 hours service, 90 days in jail." As I read the article on my way to class I was confused, confused why a school paper would publish something so negative about one of its own basketball players. On the day of the big game, the University of Utah couldn't have done a better job at slandering our player, our team and, ultimately, our school than did our beloved Statesman. I drove to Salt Lake City to watch the game. While it started, I heard from behind me many conversations about the team. Diloreto came up often: "Did you read the paper today? That guy robbed a bank" and "I think number 54 shot somebody in Wisconsin." I'm sorry. I just don't get it. Why? What good does it do us to know about someone else's mistakes? You would almost think The Statesman was trying to sell more papers with stories like this one. Last time I checked, the papers were free, so I'm still left wondering why. I didn't want to know nor did I need to. There isn't a single person here at USU who would ever need to know. We've all made mistakes. Lucky for us, they don't show up on the front page of the paper. This is not what our university is about. The plaque overhanging the entrance to the library reads, "In all thy getting, get understanding." For Diloreto, that understanding may be too far gone here at USU. I hope that instead of spreading rumors and lies, we can welcome him to Logan and give him the second chance he truly deserves. Daniel Clark Laziness as a habit I always wanted to write a column about procrastination. I just never got around to it. Now that I can count on my fingers and toes how many days I have left until I graduate, I can say with full sincerity that it is a miracle I got this far. Take away my rather shaky health, and what is left is what most college students suffer from: a lack Unconventional Wisdom Re-Entry Thoughts of initiative. From my own life experiences, I have to believe this has to do more with the college culture than it does me, Utah State University, life-sucking Mormon church responsibilities or Cache Valley's dirty air. To some extent, laziness is a criterion for being a college student. In the days before I became that creepy old guy who walks aimlessly around campus, I actually held a job. I worked in the hotel business back in Philly. Most of my work was as a concierge. The great thing about hotel work is that you are happier when busy. The more you work, the more gratuities you earn. (Side note: For those of you who are lifelong Utahns, a gratuity is money given to food servers and those who work in the hospitality business for the service they pro- vide you. Traditionally, a gratuity is based on the level of service, but for food this typically ranges between 15-20 percent of your bill. I am not sure anyone from Utah ever heard of a gratuity before.) As a concierge, my responsibilities were to move fast to provide service and trustworthy information to those who asked it of me. I would multitask at any given moment. This was also welcomed because in the hotel industry, there are long periods when workers sit around doing absolutely nothing for countless hours. I loved being busy. I loved getting my work done. That zest for positive inertia ended the day I became a full-time college student. While my never-quite-thatgood health has much to with my falling behind, I feel that something about college makes most people languid. Writing essays is incredibly simple, maybe too simple. I think that many of us need to challenge ourselves against the tedium that much of college life can be tethered to. The best way to do that? Avoidance. Put things off until the last minute and allow panic to guide you to an awesome paper. If you think about it, the best swimmers are usually those people who are drowning. How many of you knocked out your DVR cache when you should be doing an assignment? Who took on the new "Call of Duty" game into the end zone. And when I do walk down that aisle, I can say, with no guilt, that I did what I was asked to do. Maybe not everything was on time but it was done and done well. And someday, maybe we can get together and laugh about how much time we wasted as students here. Maybe in five years. Or 10. Harry Caines is a senior re-entry student in interdisciplinary studies, from Philadelphia. Unconventional Wisdom appears every Monday. Comments can be left at www.aggietownsquare.com AboutUS Editor in Chief Patrick Oden News Editor Rachel A. Christensen Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Greg Boyles Sports Editor Tim Olsen Assistant Sports Editor Graham Terry Copy Editor Mark Vuong Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Tyler Larson Web Editor Karlie Brand About letters • Letters should be lim- ited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups - or more than one individual - must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters - no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu , or click on www.aggietownsquare.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. (Link: About Us.) Online poll Thanksgiving dinner is only a few days away. What is your favorite part of the annual feast? • Turkey. • Mom's secret recipe side dish. • Pie, pie and more pie. • Football. • The nap that follows. Visit us on the Web at www.aggietown sq uare. com to cast your vote. |