Firstly, I’d just like to say how thrilled I am to be writing for Onward State. Congratulations, everyone, for ranking 1st in the US News and World Report poll, and thanks for doing all the legwork and getting Onward State to prominence just as I joined. Good timing all around.

For my first post, I sat wondering for some time about what I could bring to the table here at Onward State, how I could make my voice unique on ye olde Series of Tubes. Then I thought, again, instead of doing all the legwork, why not let someone else do the talking for me?

One thing I’ve always liked about the Daily Collegian is the Opinion section, particularly the Letters to the Editor, and what a veritable circus it is. On a single page, one can find the most insightful comments on collegiate life and, just a few lines below that, the certifiably insane ramblings that Penn State’s worst have to offer. Fortunately, the Letters to the Editor today gave us the former rather than the latter. Hallelujah!

Take, for instance, Randall Ross’ response to the Collegian’s coverage of Friday’s KissOut on campus, which was published today in the Letters section. “Not trying to let it bother” him, Randall just managed to trudge through yet another day of the Collegian’s coverage of the event, wishing aloud that the Collegian would “promote the good things the students at our university participate in,” like the IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (which, he reminds us, is known as “Thon”, just in case, you know, you forgot or something). Why write a second article and clog up space over an event about “the gays” exercising their rights and affirming their love in front of their peers, when it would be just as easy to write yet another article about Thon? Because, according the the Collegian website’s Google search tool, there have only been, roughly, two dozen articles or letters mentioning Thon in the past week.

God forbid we take away print space from the selfless, caring, compassionate individuals who “braved the cold temperatures” over the weekend (which, by the way, were an average 38 degrees) and throw yet another bone to those selfish, selfish gays.

Of course, this comes just days after the Collegian reminds us of all the great coverage they had the last time there was a KissOut-related uproar. If you’ve ever seen the documentary The Paper, which is based on the Daily Collegian around the time the first letter was published, you’ll know that Collegian copies should be flying off the shelves. All in the name of well-rounded journalism, opposing viewpoints and freedom of speech? Sure, but it still sucks that such ignorance is so rampant, and a little disappointing that we have to read it in such a public forum.

[Picture courtesy of Flickr’s diadsie.]