2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Opinion
Lighten up!
In response to Kevin Keating's letter ("Time to grow up," March 5) about maturity, lighten up! Our college years are the best years of our lives, and we should be enjoying them. Yeah, I agree people should not be taking dumps in sinks and microwaves, but if people want to have fun and be a little immature, let it happen! Students who are too young to go to bars will drink in their dorms and act the exact same way as most older students act coming home from the bars. They're going to get a little wild.
Instead of planning out every second of your life and being all uptight about having fun, grab a few beers with some friends and go a little crazy. Once you graduate, there will be plenty of time for the seriousness and maturity you desire. And as for nap time and recess, what college student does not take naps and/or play outside?
Alain Parcan
Sophomore
Communication
A different look at housing
This is in response to Brandon Blische's column "Luxury Life," printed March 4. First, I think he needs to be disabused of the notion that all students from rich families are "snotty, immature" or big spenders or that the students he sees wearing luxury clothing can actually afford it.
Second, I disagree with his statement that rents in the region are not "reasonable." Who decides what prices are reasonable? He would do well to remember the words of Publilius Syrus: "Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it."
I sympathize with his complaint that there are more options for high-paying students in this region, but the answer is to let high rents attract developers instead of shutting out developers with price controls. You can't increase supply by making it less profitable to produce student housing.
Finally, his solution is students should refuse "to accept the status quo," but gives us no glimpse of what doing so would look like. Here's my take: Demonstrate some initiative and solve your own problem. Rent a house in Berwyn and cram in as many students as you can. It'll be close (only in America have I heard people complain about walking two miles), you can save money by cooking your own food, and your share of the bathrooms will probably be better than the share dorm students get.
If you can scrounge together the capital (or, if desperate, get a no-down-payment loan), you could even buy one of these houses and maintain it as a low-cost apartment building. If nothing else, just looking into what it takes to do this yourself will give you a wider perspective of how housing works.
Matthew Graves
Sophomore
Economics and physics
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback's editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.
In response to Kevin Keating's letter ("Time to grow up," March 5) about maturity, lighten up! Our college years are the best years of our lives, and we should be enjoying them. Yeah, I agree people should not be taking dumps in sinks and microwaves, but if people want to have fun and be a little immature, let it happen! Students who are too young to go to bars will drink in their dorms and act the exact same way as most older students act coming home from the bars. They're going to get a little wild.
Instead of planning out every second of your life and being all uptight about having fun, grab a few beers with some friends and go a little crazy. Once you graduate, there will be plenty of time for the seriousness and maturity you desire. And as for nap time and recess, what college student does not take naps and/or play outside?
Alain Parcan
Sophomore
Communication
A different look at housing
This is in response to Brandon Blische's column "Luxury Life," printed March 4. First, I think he needs to be disabused of the notion that all students from rich families are "snotty, immature" or big spenders or that the students he sees wearing luxury clothing can actually afford it.
Second, I disagree with his statement that rents in the region are not "reasonable." Who decides what prices are reasonable? He would do well to remember the words of Publilius Syrus: "Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it."
I sympathize with his complaint that there are more options for high-paying students in this region, but the answer is to let high rents attract developers instead of shutting out developers with price controls. You can't increase supply by making it less profitable to produce student housing.
Finally, his solution is students should refuse "to accept the status quo," but gives us no glimpse of what doing so would look like. Here's my take: Demonstrate some initiative and solve your own problem. Rent a house in Berwyn and cram in as many students as you can. It'll be close (only in America have I heard people complain about walking two miles), you can save money by cooking your own food, and your share of the bathrooms will probably be better than the share dorm students get.
If you can scrounge together the capital (or, if desperate, get a no-down-payment loan), you could even buy one of these houses and maintain it as a low-cost apartment building. If nothing else, just looking into what it takes to do this yourself will give you a wider perspective of how housing works.
Matthew Graves
Sophomore
Economics and physics
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
POLICY: The signed letters, columns and cartoon represent only the opinions of the authors. The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Diamondback's editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor in chief.
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Be the first to comment on this story