Dear Editor,
As someone who could only be described as a marginal sports person, the attitude and assumptions of those who take sports seriously often amaze me. First, I am always amazed when someone like David Thomas, your correspondent of last week [“Letter to the Editor,” Oct. 5], devotes the amount of vituperation as he did to something that in the large scheme of things ( the aftermath of Sept. 11, perhaps?) is not truly that important. Second, what amazes me even more is when sports aficionados such as Thomas get inordinately upset when teams lose. Does he not realize that with athletic competitions being what they are, one team is going to win and one team is going to lose and that in the long run each team is only going to win about half the time? Look at Penn State, which for years was considered to be a college football powerhouse and currently languishes in the middle of the Big Ten (Eleven).
As far as I understand it, ULV women’s soccer is having a respectable although not winning season. People are playing hard, playing good games, and contributing individual acts of valor and athletic prowess. Just exactly what more does Mr. Thomas want? Continual victory? Get real.
As an aside, I am dismayed when CT prints a letter so full of personal, unsubstantiated attack as Mr. Thomas’s letter complaining about Coach Wendy Zwissler. It offends me as a faculty member when the CT becomes a forum for this kind of pure meanness. It should offend all faculty members. Coach Zwissler is a valuable addition to ULV and has given most of her professional life to developing and promoting women’s soccer at this school. She deserves more respect than to have anyone pay attention to one angry student taking words out of context. If we’re getting rid of deadwood here, I would much more happily say: Bon Voyage, David Thomas!
David R. Werner
Chair, Department of English
Director, EPIC
Dear Editor,
I regret not having the chance to read the Campus Times of Oct. 5 soon enough to respond more immediately to David Thomas’ libelous and immature letter. Perhaps Mr. Thomas ought to identify himself in person to Coach Zwissler, since he seems to think that he knows so much about soccer and how to coach it. He only identifies himself as “a fan of soccer and former club player.” So who is living in their “glory days” as he claims Coach Zwissler is? Maybe Mr. Thomas is really the one who is living in the past, since he clearly does not understand the La Verne women’s soccer program.
Coach Wendy Zwissler is a hard working coach who knows the game. She does not live in the past, she continues to play the game at a competitive level, and she surrounds herself with hard-working assistants who bring additional expertise to the team. To be subjected to such an insulting and immature letter is a terrific disservice to her efforts. Shame on David Thomas for his irrational attack on an exceptional coach, and shame on the Campus Times for not following its own editorial policy. If this is not libel, what is?
Paul Alvarez
Professor of Movement and Sports Science
Dear Editor,
In response to the article “Activism nonexistent at ULV” [Oct. 5], I am appalled that a student member of our own campus newspaper could maintain such an uninformed opinion contrary to the facts. I am currently a member of an internationally ranked organization that you may have heard of it; is called debate. If you would like to debate about the current issues dealing with the current terrorist attacks, please feel free to visit us. At the front of the University of La Verne, there is a rock. If you have never seen it, it is located on Third Street directly in front of Founders Hall. I am very pleased to see that the students of the university voiced their opinions by writing feelings and thought s on the rock immediately after the terrorist attacks in New York and The Pentagon. These opinions were both for and against the actions made by our government. I deeply regret that you were not able to join the entire Greek community on the Sunday after the attack for a candlelight vigil that was open to the public. It was pleasing to have the Greek community collectively hold an event in memory of the victims in New York. I am a student of the University of La Verne and I do care about “social, political and economic issues.” I am a member of clubs and organizations that do have “forums to speak about current issues and debrief about recent events.” The problem with the author is that they would rather spend their time in bars running exposes that are exaggerated. Perhaps the author should heed their own advice and become pro-active on campus as opposed to criticizing clubs, organizations, and students through an anonymous article.
Anthony Granillo
Senior
David Werner
Paul Alvarez
