KSU’s funds being misspent

Dear Trustees,

As the proudest Kent State alumna residing in the State of Michigan, let me echo the sentiment of my fellow alumna Jinida Doba. In her e-mail to you on Dec. 14, she eloquently voiced her concerns, along with mine and several other alumni, on the decision to spend $88,000 for a member of the administration to earn a doctoral degree at Case Western Reserve and not at Kent State. While CWRU is a fine institution of higher education, Kent State is as well.

As an undergraduate student between 1987-1991, I was very involved on the campus. As a member of Black United Students, I was on the allocation committee of the Undergraduate Student Senate. I recall vividly reviewing allocation requests and scrutinizing the “highest and best use” of student funding for programming. It was there that I decided to run for USS and won. In 1990-1991, I made history by becoming the first black female USS executive director. This position completed my undergraduate studies on a very high note. I was a student representative on the committee that selected Dr. Carol Cartwright to follow Dr. (Michael) Schwartz. I learned so much about the allocations process and budgeting that it resonates in my current career today. I am the budget administrator for the city of Pontiac. Trust me, as a Life Member of the Kent State Alumni Association, I don’t think alumni would agree with this decision. This is not the best use of these public funds, and I hope and pray that the decision is not made to grant these funds for this use.

Andrea Wright is a Kent State alumna from 1991 and life member.

New year, new woes, new hopes

Dear editor,

After Jan. 7’s upset against Louisiana State University, Buckeye fans have since tipped their hats in defeat, folded their “47” jerseys, stowed them in the deepest and darkest corners of their dresser bureaus and refused to enjoy the delectableness of peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate for a very, very long time. It appears this yearly tradition is not dissimilar to the Indians’ upset in October, the Cavaliers’ in June, the Buckeye basketballers’ in March, and for our own sanity, let us forget about last year’s BCS Bowl Game. The only team deserving of any respect and merit are the Cleveland Browns whose playoff berth would have been solidified if not for cheating teams (i.e. New England Patriots). Regardless, with each game and each championship, the infamous “Charles Nagy” syndrome (a psychological disorder yet to be catalogued in the DSM-IV or cited on Wikipedia) has plagued each team in practically every sport and has stolen our daydreams of proudly displaying our “National Champions” apparel for weeks afterwards. Though the predispositions to “Charles Nagy Syndrome” are obvious given context clues, symptoms and diagnoses including inflated confidence expressed within athletes of Ohio teams during a final game in a national championship resulting in a loss and/or a three- to four-game losing streak, ultimately wrecking the hopes and dreams of loyal fans. I figured it would be best to spread the bad news first by providing reassurance that such travesty is in fact a psychological disorder and not a streak of bad luck (Note: Disorders are treatable, bad luck is not).

Now, I bring good tidings. When is the last time we have seen another state, let alone another region of the country dominate every pro and collegiate sport worthy of media attention? (I apologize to all those hopeful soccer stars, gymnasts, wrestlers and trackies who have yet to see broadcasts during primetime. I feel your pain.) With each win, the Buckeyes, the Cavs, the Indians and the Browns have united neighborhoods and communities, brought needed business to the ever-sinking economy and have rekindled an allegiance to sports once overshadowed by the war on terror. We should appraise ourselves for honing our art of inbreeding some of the finest athletes in the country; there are a select few football programs besides Ohio State whose team rosters include local recruits and basketball teams whose athletes were shooting at nearby basketball courts as kids. Stand tall Ohio, and while we may still refuse to listen to any utterance of Ohio State or Buckeyes for the next week, give it a month, and we’ll proudly take that Buckeyes hat off the hook, Cavs jersey off the hanger and Chief Wahoo foam hand off the garage shelf.

Allison Brager is a biological studies graduate student and is still enamored by Tressel’s sweater vest.