Hello. My name is Heather and I’m a BYU fan.
With all due respect to Greg Wilcox and his aversion to BYU, (UVU Review Opinion, Aug. 24, 2007) I’m a little disturbed that I have not only been compared to a presumably smelly guy no one wants to dance with, but also accused of soiling this sacred university. And so, in my own defense, as well as that of a large portion of the 15,000 plus UVU students who grew up in the shadow of Y Mountain, I must turn to my own main man, William Shakespeare: “In a false quarrel there is no true valour.” And may I also add “The (man) doth protest too much, methinks.”
The flaws with Greg’s crusade are many, the first being that he is picking a fight where there is no fight for the picking. Perhaps he’s feeling left out of the usual red/blue rivalry, but I’ve taken two semesters of art and I’m pretty sure adding green to the palette will only produce a lovely shade of mud.
There is no beef between Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University. Not yet, anyway. Each institution has its own buffet of offerings for students far and wide. And they are very different-in attitude, size, age, and management. The incredible growth of UVU is evidence that it is filling a niche that is long past due. Great! But on the extensive list of ‘things to do as a university,” a cat-fight is way down at the bottom. There will come a day when UVU finds it has earned a level of respect that motivates each and every student to bleed green, as is only right. But until then, demanding loyalty is childish and frankly, a blatant rejection of the free-exchange of ideas Mr. Wilcox claims as our greatest strength.
There is also the issue of football. Particularly BYU football. Simply put, it rules. This is where my rebuttal gets personal. You see, I was raised on BYU football. My father graduated from the University of Utah and sent none of his children to BYU, but when it came to BYU football, he was a rabid fan. Each week during football season, he would take one of his eight children to a game in Cougar Stadium where we witnessed the glory days of BYU football with Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco. And all through the bleak years that followed, we still stayed true. Then my husband took me to a game on one of our first dates. I predicted a loss, and we wagered a dinner on the outcome. He told me later he knew BYU would lose, but if he owed me a dinner, he was guaranteed another date. BYU football has never let us down.
So now, it’s football season. And when I buy jackets and coats, I buy them in blue. Sweatshirts and hoodies? Blue. If they sport a block Y, all the better for game day. I should also mention that each semester when I pay my tuition, no one asks me to verify the color scheme of my closet. There may come a time when I can enjoy world-class college football right here at UVU. Until then, I beg forgiveness from my fellow students who have to sit next to the girl in blue. Don’t take it personally, and um, no wedgies please.
Heather Jones
During this heated election season, amid the flinging of ridiculous propaganda and the outlandish smear campaigns, I hope that when people hear our nation’s would-be-leaders make a speech, they take into consideration one major detail: Politicians hire writers to make their speeches for them.
That’s right. Those moving phrases which often go remembered in our society for generations (John F. Kennedy and Tony Blair come to mind) are often NOT the speakers’ own words. So please, when considering whom to vote for, realize that “the truth” is usually buried in a well-written speech by an obscured writer — not by your favorite candidate.
Shawn Newton
