Editor:The opinion section in The Maroon is by far my favorite aspect about the newspaper. I flip to that page before I even glance at the headlines. This week I was surprised to see “The Man in Black” (a.k.a. Kurt Amacker) featured again. In his most recent column, Amacker complained that students around campus have been behaving in a disrespectful manner. The column before that, he complained professors weren’t sticking to class material.I agree with Kurt that certain situations call for exceptionally polite behavior. I don’t believe that the Underground is one of these places though.The Underground houses a bustling coffee shop, a place to purchase po-boys and beer, and many television sets blaring music. He complained students were singing “Happy Birthday” too loudly. I ask, is there a better place anywhere else on campus for such birthday cheer?Personally, I enjoy laughter, giggling and singing while I dine. It’s a nice change from the classroom setting.Amacker also has strong opinions about how to behave properly in class. According to his previous article, he wants to end political and current event discussions in class.I agree teachers shouldn’t preach their beliefs, but I hardly call discussing strong women in Greek tragedies preaching (could the play have been Antigone?). He complained that teachers talked too much about the Sept. 11 incident.I, however, found that hearing the opinions from my highly educated professors helped me to analyze the situation better.I felt the TV media and magazines (like Amacker’s ever-so-distinguished Esquire) gave a skewed perspective of the situation.Lastly, I am somewhat insulted by Amacker’s sexist tone. Why should we always be polite to older women but not always to men? Why is it OK that girls aren’t asked to remove hats indoor? I don’t complain when we discuss how strong males are in plays.Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t appreciate the “Clint Eastwood” chivalry. I can carry my own books to class, thank you.

Writers Note: This author apologizes if Amacker is insulted, but maybe he should finish improving himself before criticizing others.

Regina RivardCommunications Freshman