In response to The Daily Tar Hell published on February 21:

I am aware that the following words are both in enmity towards a tradition of our University and its primary student newspaper, and harshly critical of the University and its ethos in general. While I will not deny this, I would like to clarify right at the onset that my intention in writing this is neither to be pro-Carolina, or anti-State. Rather, I am pro-sensibility, and anti-benightedness .

In one sentence – The Daily Tar Hell was (at least this year) a cheap shot.

I understand college rivalry; I understand banter. But:

1. It’s ironic and sour that the Technician would choose to take a shot at UNC by mocking The Daily Tar Heel of all things, which by a long way surpasses The Technician in both journalistic quality and integrity.

2. It’s immensely sad that in taking said shot, the Technician, and by extension we:

(A) Scoff at Independent Study and liberal arts education, and the fact that in other Universities, students may be more eager than us to develop unique approaches to learning. By exhibiting our purported pride in sticking to ready-made academic options which represent the standard for economic success, we’re only showing that we just care about money, and not about learning. Which, along with a lack of appreciation and respect for the arts, isn’t something to be proud of.

(B) Use sexist expressions and thoughts. It’s abominably shameful that we cannot poke fun at UNC without having to reduce ourselves to blatant and offensive sexism.

(C) Cannot help but satiate our inner desires and also take a few cheap shots at Occupy, something the Technician cannot do impartially as itself. In particular, it’s incredibly insensitive that Occupy’s efforts to fight the recent tuition hikes are presented satirically, seeing that many students will not be able to afford college (N.C. State included), or may even have to drop out, because of them.

3. It’s a genuine suggestion that if at all the Technician wants to spend so much effort on doing something special, it should run a special cover on something relevant, instead of appealing to the lowest common denominator of coarse, belligerent, competitiveness over sports. For example, on those tuition hikes that are swooping down on the quality and accessibility of our education. It’s about time we stopped engineering an image of ourselves as thinking that learning is a liberal agenda, as thinking that, “We like money, we want money; but, uh, there’s a basketball game coming, so we can’t be bothered to do anything about having to pay more than our fair share right now. Plus, why would anyone want to do that unless they’re arts majors or feminists or leftists?”

That should not be N.C. State.