I applaud Eric Miller’s use of logic to support his argument in

“Supporting stability,” however there is one thing I would like to

point out. He seems to think that the only healthy family structure

consists of a single mother and father, which indeed seems to be

the pervading belief nowadays.

However, I have seen no research or evidence that shows that

children growing up within the boundaries of a “normal” family are

any better off than children growing up within a “diverse” family,

such as two men, two women or, as Miller has pointed out, even

several of each. Miller admits that our current “family structure

… is hurting in America,” so obviously the average one father and

one mother isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Maybe the government should encourage diverse family structures

and see if it helps clear up some of the problems within the

existing family structure, or at least point us in the right

direction toward fixing them.

Al Watson

Freshman, mechanical engineering

Perhaps it is second nature for a student studying English to

look at the newspaper’s articles through a critical,

deconstructionist lens, so forgive me if I present my case with

bias or ignorance.

“Sexism Corrupts Sports” was the title of Max Karson’s atrocity

of a column printed in Tuesday’s Collegian, in which Mr. Karson so

boldly announces that he “will never stop fighting for the equality

of the sexes.”

Does Mr. Karson consider that “flocking to sporting events to

see women bouncing and jiggling in all the right places” might be a

form of exploitation of women?

This is what he so proudly claims he would most certainly do, if

CSU had a

“Bikini Football Team.”

These statements are made after presenting his initial argument,

stating that

“America’s subconscious” (I thought “subconscious” was an

adjective) tells women that they are weaker and less competent than

men.

Thus, the problem manifests itself in our universities’

gender-specific (and oppressive) team names: “Minutemen” rather

than “Minutewomen,” and “Rams” instead of “Ewes.”

Before concerning himself with the public degradation of women

via university sports, perhaps Mr. Karson should analyze his own

moral perspective on women. He ought to worry more about whether or

not they are being shown proper respect as opposed to being seen as

objects of sexual interest.

While I search my American History book to find the section on

the Minutewomen, I suggest The Collegian work on eliminating Mr.

Karson’s name from its list of writers.

Chris Martinez

Sophomore, English

I am writing in response to an article written by Mr. Karson

titled “Sexism corrupts sports.”

In the article, Mr. Karson says he has traveled 2, 000 miles to

escape the sexism and racism of Amherst, Mass. As the author found

out, this is an issue everywhere. As a UMass alumnus I must come to

the defense of my alma mater. Yes, the UMass mascot is indeed the

Minuteman.

However, if Mr. Karson had attended one of the women’s sports

events, he would have noticed that the team is introduced and are

always referred to as the Minutewomen. In fact some people may

question the gender of the UMass mascot, Sam the Minuteman. After

all, Sam can also be a woman’s name. Although I defend the name of

the school’s mascot, I must admit I’ve never been comfortable with

being called a Minuteman (for obvious reasons).

So if we must change the school mascot for the purpose of

equality, then I’ll be the first so sign a petition. Also, current

research indicates that a “nugget” is indeed female.

On a more serious note, I find the Amherst community to be

culturally diverse and always willing to accept people from all

walks of life. This is regardless of sex, creed, ethnicity,

lifestyle etc…This is more than I can say for some other cities I

have lived in.

Nuno Carreiro

Professional Vet Med

Class of 2007

Proud Ram and former Minuteperson