Letters to the editor
Defending Senior Ball
As I opened up The Santa Clara on a beautiful Thursday morning, I couldn't help but read two articles pertaining to fellow seniors and Senior Ball, particularly the news article titled "Senior Ball changes venue" in the April 16 edition of The Santa Clara.
Although the article did get some of the facts straight in terms of what happened last year, it was incredibly biased. It made Senior Ball out to be the equivalent of an elementary school field trip to a waste treatment plant.
While I realize that Senior Ball isn't going to be the wild party that seniors had last year, I also realize that even having this event is a huge accomplishment. I feel obligated to point out some of the pros of this year's Senior Ball and why all students -- not just seniors -- should support it.
While $125 per person seems like a steep price, you are paying for the opportunity to have one night to look sharp and enjoy a memorable night with your friends. Besides, doing anything similar to this ends up being more expensive by the time you pay for all of the components.
A number of students are also bothered that buses will be taking them from school to the dance. Apparently, seniors want to save money but don't mind wasting money on gas or a limo.
If this year's seniors don't step up to the plate, there may never be another Senior Ball. Big deal? For some, maybe not, but as I recall there was a huge outcry when the administration suggested cancelling Senior Ball at the beginning of this year. The administration has given us one more chance.
Would Senior Ball be wilder if it was still held on Memorial Day weekend in Monterey, Calif.? Perhaps. However, beggars can't be choosers, and we should realize how lucky we are to be having Senior Ball at all.
I wish more seniors would share this attitude instead of criticizing efforts to save a long-standing tradition. After all, don't we all deserve to end our college career on a happy note?
George Durando
Communication '09
Senior Ball Planning Committee
Grammar fail
In an article titled "Wasting time on a new generation of sites" in the April 16 issue of The Santa Clara, I noticed an egregious spelling error: Apparently some people enjoy "waisting time" on various Web sites, as opposed to "wasting time." Now, granted the two words sound the same, but waisting is not even a word. It is entertaining to find this "fail" in an article about FMyLife.com and FailBlog.org.
This reminded me of other instances at Santa Clara where poor grammar slaps me in the face. Our cheerleaders hold up a sign which reads, "Lets Go" as opposed to "Let's Go." Would someone please take a Sharpie to that?
All over, I see people writing "Vote 4 John" or "Take Pix!"
I cannot spell very well, and I assure the reader I do not have perfect grammar. However, in the age of spell check and the Internet, there is no excuse for blatant mistakes. Proofread people!
One must be aware of and adhere to the basic rules of grammar because they are the core of communication. I am aware of the continuous evolution of language, but what I mentioned is not evolution. It is laziness and ignorance. There is a time and place for abbreviations and shorthand, but excess amounts lead to confusion and language degradation.
I will close with a joke from one of my favorite grammar-related books, "Eats, Shoots, & Leaves": A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.
"Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly-punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"Well, I'm a panda," he says. "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."
Chad Dupic
Accounting '09