To the Editor:
The nice thing about editorials is that they are opinion based. The bad thing about editorials is that they are opinion based and herein lies the problem.
On March 8, the Vanguard ran an editorial, “Don’t gentrify our lanes.” In this rambling, they stated, “ASPSU, your student government, wants to tear down the bowling lanes … Why … They don’t use it.” And, “after all wouldn’t another computer lab be of much more use to the PSU community.”
I am an elected member of the student government and used the bowling alley just last week. In fact a group from ASPSU went to the bowling alley to relax and enjoy each other’s company. For the Vanguard to arbitrarily state, “they don’t use it so they don’t care,” is a complete fallacy.
Another fallacy the Vanguard is clinging to is that ASPSU makes uninformed decisions. When the conversations surrounding the future of the bowling alley first arose it was I, a member of ASPSU, who demanded that we have a survey to ensure that we are doing the right thing for students. This survey was just completed and sent out to more than 2,000 random students. The results are obviously not in yet, but these results, not ASPSU alone, will determine if the bowling alley becomes a computer lab.
In the end I believe that the Vanguard staff was trying to bring awareness to an issue. However, making misleading statements and disregarding facts, such as the bowling alley lanes can no longer be resurfaced and must be replaced, which could cost more than a conversion to a computer lab, is irresponsible journalism. Other facts, such as the change to a computer lab would have no effect on the building or student fee seemed to have been misrepresented as well.
Awareness of our community needs, which seems to be the Vanguard’s latest fad, also comes with a requirement to disseminate correct information to the community. As one of the media sources for PSU, I hope that in the future the Vanguard will do that. Or if someone in the community would like to speak directly with the Vanguard, the staff can always be found Wednesday in the basement of Smith Center at their weekly bowling night.
-Shane Jordan
student fee committee chair