LETTERS: The end of a 30-year tradition

To the Editor,I would like to address the decision of Josh Callahan in his weekly "A View from the Porch" (The Daily Pennsylvanian, 10/15/98) column to release the date of the upcoming men's basketball ticket line. By deliberately ignoring 30 years of tradition, Callahan has single-handedly mined this year's experience for the veterans of past overnight camp-outs. If the Athletic Department wants to change the way it does things, let them handle it themselves. They've hired a new PR guy, Bill Richter, so let him earn the big bucks they're paying him. Who does Callahan think he is? He needs to get off of his full-colorhead-shot ego trip and run the DP as if he were a real journalist. Just because he knows a secret doesn't mean he has to let everybody know that he knows it. The belief that all students should have time to prepare for the line eliminates the competitive advantage that experience gives those of us who know what to expect. As a freshman, I learned about the line the day the information was released and the line was formed, and still managed a respectable spot in line -- and tickets in the second row. But everyone ahead of me in line had the leg up, and therefore a better spot in line. I'll be damned if Callahan forces my place back in line in favor of four freshmen who can't even spell Romanczuk, let alone know who he is. Angry Season Ticket Holder College '00