Surgeon judged too quickly
To the editor,
I am responding to the article about Dr. Paul Nakazato in the December 4th paper. Dr. Nakazato is an admirable man who goes above and beyond for his patients. I have never heard of another surgeon going and inspecting the organs for themselves as he does. He transplanted me five and a half years ago, and I can't say that I have one honest complaint about him and the way that he does his job. He has kept me healthy in a situation that makes staying healthy extremely difficult. When he makes the decision to put a patient on the waiting list as "status 7" there is a good reason for it.
Everyone is very quick to judge and to say that this man is in the wrong and that he is abusing the power his position gives him, particularly those who are not benefiting from it. When a person is taken from the list for non compliance with policy it is to save a life. When a person who doesn't take care of themselves is given a transplant two people die as a result. The first person is the one who got the liver and neglected it. The second person is the one who didn't get the liver because it was given to the person who killed it. It says within the article that there aren't enough donor organs to go around, so why waste one by giving it to someone who won't take care of it and cherish the life that was given to them? Why kill two people just to keep one from complaining about it?
Dawn Davis
Pre-physiology sophomore
To the editor,
I would love to respond to Pattie Cates' letter on December 4th, "Alumni deserve tickets". After reading your letter Pattie, I'll have to be blunt, it was the most ridiculous letter I have read in the past 4 1/2 years since I started at the University. Do you really watch college basketball like you said in you letter? Do you understand what Duke's fans actually do for the team? Maybe there is a reason that every team dreads walking onto "Coach K's Court"! If you desire an "enjoyable and relaxing opportunity to mingle with those around" you then go to your country club and mingle there.
This University consists of students, not a bunch of alumni. We battle through classes and exams day in and day out. This basketball team is ours first and yours second. The athletic department should be ashamed of themselves for letting the controversy continue, and give one half of the court to the students and the other to the alumni. Just as in the football stadium, where we have a small section down low and the alumni has there section near the field. That seems fair enough to everyone..... students and alumni.
I would love for the Wildcat to run an article that would ask the basketball players if they truly feel they have a home court advantage at McKale. For Patties info, when I graduate, I will still battle for the current students to make Lute Olsen's Court a true home court advantage every home game. Just like all alumni that suffered hanging from the rafters when they were students.
David Tyrrell
Mech. Engineering Senior
To the editor,
This is concerning Ms. Pattie Cates and any other U of A alumni that shares her view. It must be true when they say ignorance is bliss. For Ms. Cates to say that the students of the University of Arizona do not deserve basketball tickets and a student section is complete ignorance.
Let's take a look at the first point she made which concerns the matter of money. Granted, many alumni do contribute money to this university for the various improvements around campus. They help raise funds for scholarships and other programs around campus also. While Ms. Cates and other alumni are contributing their money, what do you think the 35,000 students are doing by attending this university? All of us pay tuition to attend this university. Who is she to say that we should not be able to enjoy the benefits from attending?
In her second point, Ms. Cates states that she does not want an ambience in McKale like that of Duke where "the student section is destructive, disruptive,unruly and chaotic more often than not." She wants to be able to go to the game and be able to enjoy it by "mingling" and cheering quietly. What the hell is that!? Last time I checked people went to basketball games to yell and cheer for the team. Do you honestly think that Richard Jefferson is going to throw down a windmill dunk so that you will sit there and cheer quietly? He does that so the crowd will get louder and louder. If I remember correctly one Wildcat player said last year that he would give tickets to students so that they would be loud and cheer at the games. The players feed off this excitement and energy. When they look at you and see you just sitting there what kind of impression do you think they get? You are given a privilege that so many students cannot have and yet you fail to prove to the students and players that you deserve this privilege.
In closing it is obvious that Ms. Cates wishes that she could relive her experience with U of A basketball as she did in the 1940s. The bottom line is that she needs to realize that things change. She had her time as a student to enjoy watching her peers, now the time is ours. I, like 35,000 others students, pay for this right to go and have a good time at these games. We seem to be entitled to this right when it comes to football so why isn't it the same for basketball? In my opinion, the opinion of my peers, and even in the opinion of a U of A alumn (and former U of A basketball player) if Ms. Cates wants to enjoy "mingling" and cheering quietly during games then she should gather with her friends in a group and watch the game on TV as so many of us students have to do. Whenever she feels the fans are being too disruptive she can simply pick up the remote and turn down the volume. I know that in writing this letter things will not change. I will still have to watch most of the games on TV, while the alumni get to "mingle" at McKale.
Andrew Clark
Molecular and Cellular Biology Junior
To the editor,
I am writing in response to Pattie Cates' letter against a student section for basketball. Ms. Cates in your letter you have single-handedly embarrassed the University and made yourself appear to be a complete fool. I am a third generation Wildcat and my family has been UA supporters since before my grandmother's graduation in 1938. Our family has held football and basketball season tickets for several decades and I have been one of the few students who supported the alumni's right to be there. However your comments have inspired me to become an advocator for a student section. You seem to be missing the big picture.
As an athlete I know that nothing gets you pumped up like the deafening roar of a home crowd. A student section would give us the same advantage as Oregon State or "The Pit" of New Mexico, both are places our Wildcats have suffered upsets in recent years...partially due to the noise level. Frankly "cheering quietly" as you put it does not accomplish the intensity a student section can bring. It s our team, let us support it.
I am so glad to hear that you are so much more valuable to the university than us. If only we could all be wealthy some day so we can flaunt it. Which by the way if you are talking about the new student union, every dime of that has come from the state. Maybe we should all just leave and take our tuition money elsewhere and let you enjoy the University. You have just given every student here a reason never to donate to the University upon graduation. For the U of A's sake I hope you have not swayed anyone toward this direction. Show off your money elsewhere, we students do not want to hear it...especially in our own newspaper.
I am going to continue to root for my 'Cats like I did before I was a student. When I become an alum I will cheer just as hard, but I will let the students have their turn, because it is the student's school, the student's team, and the student's friends and classmates out there. Oh and a wake up call those are students out there playing...not alumni. School sports are meant to be loud and intense! You want to cheer quietly? How about you take that money of yours and buy a pro-franchise.
Matthew Romanoski
Undeclared Freshman
To the editor,
I am writing in response to what might be the best letter to the editor I have ever read. I am writing in response to Pattie Cates' letter which supports cheering quietly. First and foremost, Pattie is right about alumnus being more important to the U of A than the students. After all, over the last ten years, the students have brought in at least $300 million since 1990 to the University in tuition alone. C'mon students, let's pay more than $10,000 a year for out of state tuition! How about $100,000 a year instead!
I also side with Pattie's statement about the U of A not being where it is without alumnus donations, which justifies giving the alumnus their own section. This logic is awesome because of what it means for students! Assuming that your average student pays $350 a month for their cost of living, and that they pay rent in Tucson for 9 months out of the year; the whole student body brings about $110,250,000 to the city of Tucson every year, in rent alone. The city of Tucson wouldn't be the same without us Pattie. What do the students get in return? Using your logic Pattie, I think that the student body should receive possession of Speedway Boulevard.
Anyone who is caught walking, driving, or biking down Speedway without a CatCard should be automatically detained, breathalyzed, and searched for marijuana. After all, that's what happens to most students who are pulled over in Pattie's neighborhood after midnight. As long as we're giving the student body special rights, let's make anyone 65 or older take a driver's test, so that helliens like Pattie won't be able to drive 25 mph down Speedway.
My favorite part of Pattie's letter is where she says that student sections only bring disruptive, disorderly, unruly and chaotic behavior to the arena. Right on, Pattie! I wouldn't want to disturb your precious little ears. God forbid, you might have to turn down your hearing aid! Or maybe Pattie would get scared of us "crazy youngins" and have a bowel movement in her seat! Pattie, if you are going to basketball games to mingle with members of the prosthetic community, you should probably buy your senior citizen's home tickets to golf events instead.
People cheer for their team to give them confidence. The louder the cheering, the more the Wildcats benefit. They benefit because their opponents can't hear what their teammates are saying to them. I guess Pattie would rather see our Cats not make the Tournament, where there are all kinds of hooligans cheering loudly, because she'd rather be able to hear herself fart during the Cat's home games.
And Pattie, when was the last time any sane person went to a place with 8,000 people sitting very close together and expected everyone to "cheer quietly"?
In fact, are you even sane, Pattie? Or are you just bitter at the 35,000 students who bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Tucson every year! Remember Pattie, because of us, your property values on Tucson's North Side are going up. We're flooding this town with money and look what we get in return. A student section for 6 football games a year?
Last time I checked Pattie, your "even trade" gives the alumnus section 12 games a year while the student section gets 6 games a year. As our beloved Pattie would say, "Case closed."
John P. Kamin
Journalism junior
To the editor,
The case is not closed, for your base arguments are invalid. As an alumna (proper feminine ending, second year Latin proficiency being a requirement for graduation in 1971), and a student of the University of Arizona, I take exception to your letter published in the Daily Wildcat for a number of reasons. You do not speak for me and the vast majority of the alumni/ae, yet your royal "we" implies that you do. If anything, your letter constitutes a reason why students and younger alumni/ae deserve better treatment when it comes to the allocation of basketball tickets.
By my calculations, you are 80 years of age, if you graduated at the age of 22 after the customary four years. As a college education for women was not a universal then, and indeed still was not in 1966 when I graduated from high school and entered college to earn my first degree, I presume that you were a child of privilege as am I. However, I was brought up to believe that being born into a life of privilege carried with it a duty to serve one's community and it did not constitute an entitlement to look down on and be critical of others.
The taxpayers of Arizona foot the largest part of the bill for the construction and major improvements around the university, not the wealthy alumni/ae as you state. Just because the name of a wealthy alumnus/a is given to a building, one cannot assume that they paid for it. If your "donation" to the university is limited to the cost of your season tickets, you are hardly worth more to the university than tuition paying students. If looked at from a cost/benefit perspective, the cost of your season tickets probably falls well short of recouping your proportional share of the cost of operating the basketball program and McKale and paying Lute his salary. I for one am getting tired of subsidizing other peoples' entertainment with my tuition and tax dollars when I can not get a ticket to a game unless it is through my husband's alumni associations.
So you don't like the ambiance you have observed in the student sections.
Who ever said that attending a basketball game is supposed to be relaxing? If you want a relaxed atmosphere in which to watch the game and mingle, might I suggest you stay home and invite those with whom you normally mingle to watch the game on your large screen television with you? Donate the cost of the season tickets to the scholarship fund of the college from which you graduated. That would satisfy your desire for quiet socializing and put your money to work where it is most needed- in the education of students. That is the purpose of the university, not providing mock gladiatorial contests for the entertainment the alumni/ae.
My ties to the university span two generations. My father (Harvard, Class of 1949) was one of the young officers who trained on campus in 1942. He thought enough of the university to make a provision for a donation to be used for scholarships in his will despite not having graduated from the university. As an alumna, have you done the same?
Nancy Dehlinger Daly
Non-Degree Graduate Student
To the editor,
In response to Pattie Cates letter advising us lowly students of the Golden Rule, that those with the gold make the rules, I would like to help her understand how her argument is flawed.
One, the university is here for the students, it is publicly financed by the state of Arizona, so that students can achieve their academic goals. It is not a playground for Alumni to try to relive the good old days. These days are our good old days and we should have the opportunity to enjoy our university experience the same way that you did. This is not to say that Alumni should be excluded, but they should not monopolize the resources that are here for everybody.
Two, giving money to your Alma Mater is a donation. This donation is not given so that you can have first choice of basketball seats. This is similar to the wealthy giving to churches to guarantee themselves a place in heaven, it does not work by the way. I would hope that most Alumni that donate to their school do so because they value the quality of education they received at that institution. They are appreciative of the financial and intellectual success they have achieved and would like to contribute to the institution that was a part of this success. Most people that are kind enough to donate to a enterprise do not do so for selfish reasons such as the ones Mrs. Cates espoused. They give, because they receive satisfaction from the act of giving itself, nothing more.
Three, Mrs. Cates and Alumni that feel the way she does, should not donate money to school. Much like a Christmas Grinch they should pay a homeless person to stand in line for them and purchase tickets on their behalf. If they fear homeless people, which is entirely possible since they fear rowdy students, they should look in the newspaper and buy tickets from a scalper. Why waste your time giving to the University when all you are after is floor level season tickets? This would be much more efficient for selfish Alumni that only give so they can get good tickets, it cuts out the middle man.
One day the current student body will be the "Wealthy Alumni". How giving will we be if we are ostracized from the recreational and social events that Mrs. Cates enjoys so much? Or are we the children at the little table and when we graduate we'll be able to join the alumni as full members of our university? I for one will not be donating a red cent to the Alumni Association if my college experience is not satisfying. This satisfaction will come from being able to participate in activities that strengthen my bond with the University such as sports, music, visual arts, and other university sponsored activities. As are most students my financial resources are limited, if the events are pushed beyond our reach by the selfish actions of a few the future support of the university by alumni is in jeopardy.
Scott Marley
Educational Psychology Graduate Student
To the editor,
Another basketball season is upon us, and undoubetly, so are the blue-haired gummers that plague our fair McKale Center. Pattie Cates' recent letter to the editor was the biggest disappointment in the UA alumni I have ever read.
I am not saying that I'm surprised at the nature of this letter, considering alumni have been stealing seats since I have been at this school, but it was Cates' tone that startled me. How in the world can you say that a basketball game and a football game are a fair trade-off? We deserve both, we actually go to the school. And to say that students have enough seating is proposterous. I didn't get tickets again this year, making that four in a row. Thanks for nothing.
And we're too rowdy at games? I apologize on behalf of all basketball fans who care if we win or lose. Unlike yourself, who is too concerned when Murder She Wrote comes on to stay for the entire game. Also, concerning the construction that you say to have paid for. What is my tuition going toward anyway? It's not like you make a donation of $8,000 a year.
In closing, McKale is dying because of people like Pattie Cates. In all honesty, I don't believe the players bust their ass for the class of '42.
When I see the players point to the stands, they aren't pointing to Pattie Cates. It's all for the students.
Josh Oakley
Journalism senior
To the editor,
All of the rich alumni who feel like Patti Cates are getting annoying, and by the looks of it, senile too. I would hope that 4 years of college, even if they were in 1942, would give one the sense not to go to a basketball game for "an enjoyable and relaxing opportunity to mingle."
That is what bridge and shuffleboard are for. Basketball games, especially ones that include the number one collegiate team in the nation, are for screaming, yelling, and shouting until your throat is sore. That's what school spirit is all about. I don't care how much money you give the school, if you can't support whatever team you're watching by standing up and yelling then you have no right to be in the stadium. If you want to "watch the game in peace," watch it from one of the many televisions you helped purchase in the classrooms. That's what your money buys. It does not buy a seat at McHale. I think future ticketholders should prove their worth by spirit, not cashflow, spirit that was suprisingly evident at the Gonzaga game. Thanks to all the people who normally stay seated who got up for a change. Were you there Patti? Did the noise offend you, or did the excitement and passion in the air make your heart beat a little faster? Please, get excited or get out. Stand up or stand outside. Show us young people that old doesn't mean boring and joyless. And thanks for the tv's.
Andy DePew
Media Arts Senior
To the editor,
I am writing this in response to Pattie Cates' letter (Dec. 4), which spells out, for everyone, why students do not deserve a student section at basketball games. Well, allow me to retort. You are correct. It is a matter of money. The alumni may be responsible for the improvements around campus and the construction (which I might add, is an incredible pain in the ass for those of us who will never reap any benefits from it) but who is responsible for almost everything else? Who pays tuition? Who pays room and board?
Certainly not the alumni. So I ask you Ms. Cates, do you still feel that you are "more deserving of the floor sections because you are worth more to the university?" The university can still go on without construction and improvements, but I would like to see how well the university would function without students.
Secondly, have you ever been to a college basketball game at Duke or Stanford or any other college that has a dedicated section for students. It is a totally different environment. Basketball is a high-energy sport and when the fans are excited, that translates into the players being more excited, which means a better game. Being a fan involves more than just cheering after a dunk or 3-pointer. It means making opposing teams afraid to come into McKale. Stanford has the 6th man club. Duke has the Cameron Crazies. These students are not and I quote: "destructive, disruptive, unruly, and chaotic." They are supporting their team by cheering their peers on. What do we have for "enthusiasm"? The McKale mutes. It is pathetic. If you desire an enjoyable and relaxing opportunity to mingle with those around you then go to a restaurant, host a Tupperware party, or invite some of your rich alumni friends over to your house and watch the game in the peacefulness of your living room. I'm sure that somebody, who would rather watch the game and not mingle, would be more than willing to take your seats.
Lastly, Ms. Cates, I hope that you recognize that the students are the lifeblood of this university. Without the students, there would be no basketball team for you to watch. Case closed.
Sean Duffy
Regional Development Senior
To the editor,
In response to Pattie Cates, who writes to you wishing to close the case on the McKale Center seating arrangements, I wish to include some discussion on the impact these arrangements have on our basketball program and our school. The good of the university, after all, should be considered before satisfying the demands of any particular group of supporters.
Ms. Cates is certainly correct when she says that the reason alumni receive the prized floor seats is a question of money. However, the quality of the program is the reason money is generated. One only needs to attend a UA football game to be convinced that boosters don't care too much about a losing team. Reward those who are doing the work to make Wildcat basketball a success. Not a single player would prefer a floor section of reserved alumni to a crazed student section, I guarantee.
It is interesting that Cates mentions the student floor section at Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium. What she describes as "distructive, disruptive, unruly, and chaotic" behavior is most certainly one of the most beautiful spectacles in all of college sports. Witnessing fanatics who have that much visible enthusiasm for their team is heartwarming for anyone who loves the game, unless of course you root for the visiting team. Since 1980, Duke has a 236-42 record (84.9%) in Cameron, and they have beaten 120 of their last 122 non-conference opponents at home. Analysts and sportswriters have long attributed their success at home to the swarming sea of blue and white and the deafening noise demoralizing visiting teams. This is a model that should be copied.
Give the alumni seats, and give them good seats. They provide support to the team in substantial ways. But alumni, like Cates, who "desire an enjoyable and relaxing opportunity, to mingle with those around" should enjoy the company of their retired friends far from the visitors' bench at McKale. Luckily for me, many of these supporters leave after the first half anyway. Perhaps next game I could find an empty seat behind Pattie Cates and allow her to hear a true Wildcat fan in action.
Daniel Shorb
Physics graduate student
To the editor,
After reading the recent contribution to the debate regarding alumni basketball tickets from the UA alumni segment of the Tucson population, I felt outraged and obligated to reply.
Mrs. Cates defended her position supporting the current system on two fronts. First, she argued that it was a matter of money. Then, she supported that defense with the charge that having smaller student sections scattered throughout McKale was in the best interest of keeping the peace or maintaining the "ambiance" that "we" want. I can only assume "we" means the social club that occupies her section, as she made references to "their" desire for "an enjoyable and relaxing opportunity to mingle with those around us."
While Mrs. Cates' first defense of the current apportionment of basketball tickets does have truth. Alumni get tickets because it is a matter of money. However, its truth does not make it a valid defense, nor does it make it right. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think some athletic departments and their supporters used the same argument to hinder the development of women's athletic programs. Certainly, a matron of sport like Mrs. Cates did not support that argument it that particular case.
Her second defense of the current system was simply outrageous.
Citing her and the alumni's desire for a appealing "ambiance" for them to "mingle" as a reason to scatter the few student sections is ridiculous. We are talking about a basketball arena not the new cigar bar or Anthony's in the Catalinas. Perhaps bridge club, a cocktail party, or tea would be a better venue for mingling.
Mrs. Cates pointing out that the student section at Duke is more often than not distructive, disruptive, unruly, and chaotic causes me to seriously question her claim of being a basketball fan. Any true basketball fan will openly admit, regardless of their love or hate of Duke, that Cameron Indoor Stadium is a treasure in the NCAA basketball community. This is not because it is the most modern facility, but because the crowd acts as the sixth man who gives Duke that extra edge in close battles. Disruptive for opposing teams trying to run an offense? Yes! Unruly and chaotic, causing visiting teams to flounder? Yes! Distructive? If Mrs. Cates had ever been to Cameron Indoor Stadium, as I have, she would know that despite its age it is in pristine condition because the fans value and honor their home. If you are a "fan" Mrs. Cates, I suggest you review the definition of fan, short for fanatic, before you go to another Wildcat game. A fan is a person with extreme and unreasoning enthusiasm or zeal. Showing up for a game that you bid highest for a ticket and "cheering quietly" is not a display of enthusiasm.
In closing, I would like to comment on the most offensive of Mrs Cates remarks. According to her, "alumni are more deserving of the floor sections because the are worth more to the university." While alumni provide the important aspects of history and tradition to the university, there are people of equal importance despite Mrs. Cates elitest beliefs. A university is a diverse population, and no one segment is more important than the other.
Without any given segment, be it alumni, students, faculty, or administration, any university would fail. The alumni are the past, and no one will forget the marks they have made. However, the students and faculty are the future. Without students and university faculty, Mrs. Cates, the alumni, and their families would have no basketball games to attend, and would have no one to carry their tradition. Mrs. Cates, I hope I have just misunderstood your comments.
Taylor Archambault
Political Science Junior
To the editor,
Upon reading Pattie Cates' December 4th letter concerning Alumni seating at McKale Center, I felt sick to my stomach. “Fans” like Mrs. Cates are what makes McKale one of the least enthusiastic and menacing places to play in the entire NCAA.
First of all, Mrs. Cates, do you have any idea how much money the University recieves from each and every student on this campus? Did you pay the U of A twenty thousand dollars a year for each of the past three years as I have? To say that you deserve floor seats because you paid for campus improvements is a gross overstatement. Alumni has played a role in the growth of this University, but one can not forget the importance of the current student body as well. We do not enroll here for free.
Secondly, your attack on the "Cameron Crazies" of Duke University is laughable at best. The "Crazies" are the “6th man” for the Blue Devils. You could ask any player on that team, and they would tell you that the fans have played an integral part in the success of their program. Every game, those true fans root for their team with all their heart and soul, the way that one should. "Cheering quietly" has no place at sporting events. The whole idea of going to a game is to root for your team. Mrs. Cates, do us all a favor, if you want to relax and mingle with your friends, join a Pinochle tournament, play Bingo, or better yet, move to a nursing home and watch Matlock reruns. Leave the cheering to those of us who care for our team enough to stand up and make our presence known.
Oh, on a side note, just because you paid to attend the U of A and received a degree does not make you Alumni. Love and respect for your school, which includes its Athletic Programs and their fans, is what makes a person a true "alumnus."
Paul Ensley
Media Arts Junior
To the editor,
I am responding to the ignorant, irresponsible peace of junk letter that was sent in by Pattie Cates. Who in the hell do you think you are? Writing a letter so demeaning to the students of a school that you actually attended yourself. Unfortunately, Arizona basketball wasn't as big back than in 1940's when you were going to school. We are dealing with a top ranked team in the country and these players are representing us, the students. You think that the alum's poop doesn't stink. Well, you know what, we all go to the bathroom the same way, we all put on the pants the same way (at least I think) and just because you alumni have lots of money means you can do whatever you want. Well, that is a bunch of crap. Well, we the students are the ones paying hellish tuition's here and we deserve a section devoted just for students, so we can watch our fellow classmates play ball.
You mentioned that you want to go to a basketball game to relax and shmooz.
Well, you know what Starbucks is right around the corner and maybe you should go there to relax and talk about nothing with all of your friends. Going to a basketball game is to root on the home team and get into the game and create as much noise as possible, so the basketball players know that we support them. You are telling me that you are going to sit and watch Richard Jefferson slam home another spectacular dunk and you are going to sit there and give a golf clap.
You say that the student section at Duke is disruptive and disorderly. Did you ever notice that Duke has one of the best home records in the NCAA? That is because the students make it so hard for other teams to concentrate and run their plays. If given the chance, I have faith in our student body to create as much noise as possible and to create a hostile environment for other teams. So, Ms. Cates go to your needle pointing classes and after that go bake some cookies and do us a favor do not attend any more games, because you are the reason that the McKale Center isn't a hostile environment like it should be. Only the students can raise the roof!!! Case closed.
Jason Kissen
Political Science Junior
To the editor,
I am writing this in response to the letter written by Pattie Cates about the U of A basketball tickets. First of all I would just like to say.....are you serious? If you honestly believe what you have written, you must have forgotten that you were ever a student at this university. Students are what this school is all about. I am a student right now, but will be an alumni in less than a year. Does that mean that I should have more of a right to some basketball tickets once I graduate than I do right now, when it matters? That is absolutely insane. Those are students on the court playing the game, why shouldn't there be students cheering them on? I think it is pathetic that 90% of the crowd at are games are older alumni. I think it is completely selfish of these Tucsonan alumni to deprive thousands of students, the opportunity to watch their school's premiere program. I know that once I graduate, I would rather see a huge, screaming group of fans cheering on our team giving us the home court advantage. You say that being like Duke is a bad thing.....if we should be so lucky! If you haven't noticed Duke has consistently been the premiere college basketball program in the nation. To put down them because their fans are too excited... that is just flat out wrong.
Now I realize that the athletic director will probably lose their job if they give the seats to students. But it is the right thing to do. I have been a student here four years, and have never won that ridiculous lottery we have every year. Every student should be able to attend all of the collegiate basketball games they want. I think I speak for all students Patti, stop being so selfish, I think you've seen enough games.
Its high time to get some fans who will actually cheer for their team in the arena. You say you want an "enjoyable and relaxing opportunity to watch the game in peace". Well Patti, it sounds like the couch would suit you better than the arena. Stay at home and let some people who actually want to be there watch the game!
Brian Slocum Business
Marketing Senior
To the editor,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Pattie Cates for her remarks in Monday's Wildcat. For those of you who missed it Pattie entertained us with an article that aimlessly spilled from her head entitled: "Alumni deserve tickets." You can just tell by the title alone that this was going to be a brilliant piece. Pattie could you please tell me and the rest of us, what the one constant binding factor unites all Universities, colleges, and community schools? The answer Pattie is students. They all have students.
You couldn't have much of a school without them. Now you interrupt my day to tell me that I should be given a back seat when it comes to supporting my school? Don't get me wrong alumni play an immense role in providing me with the finest facilities and education that my money can buy. ! p;You raise the issue of the vast money contributed by the alumni every year, and for that we heartily thank you, but Pattie have you seen a tuition bill since Franklin D.
Roosevelt administration? Times have changed, yes indeed. Trust me Pattie us students as a whole attribute our share. After all, these are our college years, you had yours, albeit that was 58 years ago, now it is our turn.
I can't speak for my fellow students, but I like to think that a majority of them would back me up when I say that one of the deciding factors that influenced my decision to attend the U of A was the excellent sports program. There is a reason why we attract some of the most highly regarded student athletes in the nation, and that is our outstanding program.
Just as important as our star athletes are our fans. An over supportive student fan base is the very factor that separates and can define a school. At the very least we owe to our players to give them the fullest of our support, to let them know who they are playing for. You probably haven't seen to many basketball games outside of the University I am willing to bet. The Cameron Crazies of Duke are just an example, but try to watch one of their games with an open mind for once. Regardless of the op! ponent those fans are right there on the court and they are passionate about their Duke Blue Devils and it shows. It shows big time Pattie. It angers me to no end to see the polite clapping a thunderous, eye's closed, over two cheerleaders standing on each other's shoulders, full windmill jam from Richard Jefferson while I missed it because he jumped out of the range of my binoculars. This is embarrassing compared to a school such the University of North Carolina for instance, who may not have the best team one particular year, but guess who's standing right there behind them regardless? Yes, Pattie the students.
I also gather from your article that you don't get out much, if you consider these basketball games a place to establish yourself as a prestigious citizen in the Tucson community. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that for every 5 students there is a bad one, but Pattie, your going to find that same condition everywhere else in this world. Oh and thank you for generously giving us a student section for the football games, what is the matter can't climb all those stairs? Angry because the sun has closer seats?
Listen when we win the National Championship this year and the years to come you can take great pride in knowing that in some financial way you bought the success of our wildcats and you can pat yourself on the back for that, but Pattie we both know who really won that championship: Our players who just happen to be, you guessed it, students. Any team in any sport in any league will tell you the fans are the extra man. That is the reason why we work so hard to play at home, for our fans. What advantage is gained by sitting our best fans where we can't hear them? Time to step aside Pattie, and give someone else the same opportunity that the class of 42' had.
Christopher C. Wuensch
Business Administration Junior
To the editor,
I am writing in response to Pattie Cates's letter to the editor in Monday's paper, in which she attempts to explain why "Arizona students will never get a student section" at the basketball games. She claims that the oh so wealthy alumni are entitled to floor seats due to their liberal contributions to the University of Arizona's construction and "various other improvements". Well Ms. Cates, in case you haven't noticed, the University, along with the rest of the world's population, is rapidly growing and in order to accommodate this growth, changes must be made. Granted, many alumni contribute their share to the University. However, you are failing to take into account that funding for this construction may also come other sources, such as student tuition, which, I may add is quite a generous contribution to the UA.
Ms. Cates then brings up the issue of a separate student section at the basketball games, much like the football games. We students, just like you alumni, pay for the tickets to support our teams, when money for us is hard to come by. But, despite this, we are true Wildcat fans and choose to support our team. In reference to the student sections that are "disruptive, unruly, and chaotic"; last I checked, it was a basketball game. Sporting events are not exactly meant to be a "relaxing opportunity to mingle with those around us". Once again, we are true Wildcat fans. We simply choose to cheer loudly.
Lastly, all alumni were obviously once undergraduate students at one time who most likely had school spirit and attended sporting events. You can't tell me that you weren't once young at heart and cheered rambunctiously for your Wildcat team? You may think that students are rowdy and disruptive, but have you ever thought that maybe students are just trying to have fun and forget the stresses of school?
Maybe the nosebleed section at McKale should be for sedentary fans who choose to reserve their sportsman-like spirit to a quiet whisper.
Maria Prato
Biology Junior
To the editor,
I am writing in response to the letter by Pattie Cates that appeared in Monday's Wildcat. As a student I find it extremely sad that an alumnus would have such horrible feelings towards the students at the U of A. She feels that because she is a wealthy alumnus that she is more deserving of floor section seats at McKale. How she can state that the wealthy alumni are "worth more" to the university is beyond me. If the students did not attend this school and pay their tuition there would be no basketball team to cheer for.
Ms. Cates also stated that because we have a student section at Arizona Stadium we should be more than satisfied. I don't think that's satisfying at all. Why should students have to participate in a lottery just to get basketball tickets at the school in which they pay to attend? Just because we don't "donate" money for buildings and campus improvements doens't mean we are any less entitled to those tickets. Our tuition dollars pay for many things on this campus and we are just as deserving as the wealthy alumni.
Also, just because Ms. Cates has observed other student sections at other universities that doesn't mean we would have the same result here. To say that students sections are "destructive, disruptive, chaotic, and unruly" is a gross generalization that is unfair to many student sport fans. The alumni and the athletic department need to realize that having a student section at McKale Center is not a negative thing and that it can bring more spirit and excitement to the basketball games held there.
Courtney Koebergen
Second Year Pharm.D candidate
