You guys actually PRINTED that?!?! You must
really read what your columnists write before you put it in print.
The column by Dylan Hernandez (“Forget
the skills: Lavin’s image is wrong for UCLA,” Feb.
22) was completely ridiculous. The material in the article was
sub-standard and had nothing to do with sports except for the fact
Lavin is our coach. You can’t print a column written by a guy
who is just “annoyed” with Lavin because of his
hairstyle and his reluctance to lie (this kills me), especially
after what Lavin has done for this school against so much
adversity. Even if it’s important to get everyone’s
opinion out, this opinion is not one that anyone cares to read.
Hernandez even states that he has not watched enough basketball to
understand why so many people are behind Lavin. He has not done
enough research to see that Lavin is extremely emotional (which he
claims he is not) on the court, especially during games. I’m
not a student anymore, but if I pick up the paper and read
something as unintelligent as this, I begin to wonder about the
integrity of the sports section. I can’t believe that you are
so desperate for stories that you have to print this.
Stephen Anesi Class of ’00
This guy is a moron. I could care less about his political
opinions or his views regarding Lavin’s appearance. As a UCLA
grad I can whole-heartedly say that I am embarrassed to have
Hernandez writing for the undergrad school paper. Regardless, I
hope this article and writer is not representative of current UCLA
undergrads. As for Lavin’s hair, take a close look at yours
before you comment on others.
Stefan Scheumann Class of ’93
Give students the best seats Earl Watson is
right (“Bruins
step up, fell Arizona in overtime,” Feb. 16). The only
way to create an intimidating environment at Pauley Pavilion and
the Rose Bowl is to bring the students closer to the action. Or at
the least, they need to stop taking away the good student seats
every year, moving them farther away from the court. I graduated
from UCLA a few years ago and I will never forget the experience of
jumping up and down on the floor of Pauley, screaming at the top of
my lungs, shaking my empty soda can filled with nickels that Ed
O’Bannon told us to bring to the Arizona game. But I also
will never forget when the athletic department took away blocks of
good seats from us. I will never forget 1996, when I run-walked
into Pauley after spending the night to get a seat on the floor to
see that half of the floor seats had been taken away from the
students and the band and given to boosters and donors. I will
never forget looking over to the floor seats we used to stand and
jump around in being occupied with the likes of Magic Johnson,
Jerry West and Jaleel “Steve Urkel” White. I will never
forget the students screaming at those “boosters and
supporters,” pleading them to at least stand during the game.
The athletic department always said the reason why they took away
the students seats was because students never bought all of them.
If so, why couldn’t they take away the seats that students
didn’t use? Take away the ones at the top of Pauley instead
of the floor seats. Take away the ones in the corner of the end
zone at the Rose Bowl instead of the ones on the 50-yard line. But
those seats won’t bring as much revenue as the prime seats
that the students used to have do. It must be hard to turn away
someone who is willing to write a big check to buy the good student
seats at Pauley Pavilion and the Rose Bowl. But when you fill those
seats with people who don’t stand, don’t cheer and
sometimes even boo the players, people who won’t come to the
games if the teams are having “down” years, who only go
to the “big” games, then the environment you create is
the quiet, lifeless one that Pauley has become.
Pete Veravanich Class of ’97
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