YSU Commencement

[ForumManager]

I guess all of the whining paid off!
http://cfweb.cc.ysu.edu/news/news_viewnew.cfm?RecNum=495

[Frank Rizzo]

There are plenty of universities in short distance of poverty or the appearance of it. She has no class and it's surprising her class backed her. Boo!

[ForumManager]

Dana is also very well known.
Every school has it's share of problems and issues.
Addressing them at commencement will not bring resolution.
I could see and hear  reactions from those around me.
At least I wasn't alone in my dismay.

I am a believer in freedom of speech and she is entitled to her opinion.
She did mention that she is well known for being opinionated. If the professors and advisors knew she was so negative about the university I am surprised she was asked to speak.  I guess you could look at it from the standpoint  that they also support freedon of speech.   

I still can't get over the fact that she complained that her classes were not all in one building.  The campus only covers a few square blocks. 

She transferred from another school.  I don't know how it is laid out or how well known it is, but apparently YSU was her ultimate choice.

Oh well. 

[AllanY2525]

I have always thought VERY HIGHLY of Y.S.U.    Both of my sisters and one of
my brothers went to school at Youngstown State University.  My brother got
his degree in music and the performing arts at Y.S.U.

I've heard that their engineering and sciences departments are among the
best in the nation.

[ForumManager]

This section is for editorials so here goes.

My son participated in the commencement at YSU today. I felt the event was well planned and everyone was as comfortable as could be considering the mass of humanity that attended.  I was unable to hear a couple of the speakers, but not due to sound equipment issues.  There was a medical emergency in my section and  much chattering due to the emergency.  I find it very disturbing that one man  complained to security  about being ask to leave his row as they may have needed to carry the person out.  But I guess that is human nature.

The reason I write is to comment on the student address to the class.  I found myself wondering how they chose her to speak. She spent the first few minutes talking about how she came up with her speech and that she decided she couldn't say anything that would inspire the graduates.

I felt that she basically trashed the university. We are the unknown college and no one knows of us except through various past sports achievements and that people refer  to YSU as the ghetto college.  I inferred that she felt like she could get nowhere substantial  in her career because she attended YSU ...but much to her surprise, she was accepted at a renowned children's hospital. She went into how her classes were not in one building but  all over campus and how there weren't enough facilities for her classes and the school had to turn away qualified nursing applicants due to lack of supplies and rooms.    But she perservered and figured the walk around campus would get her into shape.  One positive thing she did say  was that  someone commented on the outstanding  preparedness of YSU students. The additional commentary hinted that  YSU students work harder to overcome their  adversity. 

My son is going on to grad school.  He had been offered positions by several universities.  Even though he would love to travel, the best offer specific to his field of interest came from Ohio State.  Would he have been offered more opportunities had he gone to a more renowned university? ... perhaps... we will never know...but I am grateful for the education he received at our very own ghetto college.

I believe that out of all the students attending the ceremony, they could have found someone  to speak that was more positive about their time at the college.  Not that she needed to be sweetness and light and candy coat everything  -  But come on, the people sitting in that gym were there to celebrate  a positive event in the life of someone they cared about.  We get enough  negative news about our community at 6 and 11.

Go out and kick the world's ass and show em you can succeed even though  you went to YSU.  It made you tough as nails and if you can survive its mediocrity, you can make it anywhere.  Afterall it is the ghetto college.

ranting done...for now.

Forum manager