Letters: Fix needed for ‘cellular black hole’; Where is PSU’s report card?
Fix needed for ‘cellular black hole’
After moving to State College this past year, I have been frustrated on a daily basis by the poor cellphone service in my home, Toftrees neighborhood, and surrounding community. I have since spoken with many community members who share my frustration. Disrupted conversations, dropped calls, and often no cellular service are daily occurrences. Network extenders, WiFi calling, and other solutions have resulted in little to no improvement. No one seems to have a definitive cause or effective solution. Some have speculated airport proximity, tall trees, or an overloaded network to be the problem. However no one seems to know for certain and no one is offering a solution.
We have all come to depend on our cellphones for business and leisure, but I find myself having to add a home landline for use in case of emergency. Imagine that ... a landline in 2023. And if that’s not dependable, I might have to resort to tin cans and string.
This can’t be rocket science. We are living with the availability of 21st century technology and by a major university. Poor or nonexistent cellular service is unacceptable. I am calling upon cell service providers to work with local government authorities in seeking a solution to this longstanding issue. C’mon Verizon, Patton Township and others who have the knowledge and authority to solve the cellular black hole problem. Step up to the plate. Our lives might depend on it.
Paul Haber, State College
Where is PSU’s report card?
Penn State’s mission and operation is defined by three documents: Charter, By-Laws and Standing Orders. Standing Order XIII-1b states “The Board of Trustees shall inform the citizens of Pennsylvania of the University performance of its role in the education of the youth of Pennsylvania.” This implied “report card” would set forth transparency about the board’s priorities and University performance. One would expect current and past performance be made available to the media and archived. Apparently, this is not the case and raises the question, why? Some board member should inquire about this Standing Order.
High performing organizations relish the opportunity to distribute facts about their performance. Stakeholder support is strengthened and the case for additional resources is reinforced. In March, we requested an unprecedented 47.6% budget increase from Harrisburg. Surprisingly, our General Support request was largely devoid of any performance metrics. Instead, the main justification was that Penn State students deserve as much per-student funding as other state-related universities. This low-expectations approach of featuring “injustice” has not worked in the past nor likely in the future.
Alternatively, enhanced support for Penn State should be based on a “report card” with quality outcomes for students and faculty across all our 20 campuses. And unlike Pitt and Temple, our PSU “report card” would have relevance in all 67 counties. Our local Representatives (Benninghoff, Conklin and Takac) should create a “PSU Caucus” with supportive House colleagues to promulgate PSU performance and excellence.
Al Soyster, Boalsburg
High tuition has consequences
A woman I know has stopped studying psychology at Penn State because she can’t afford the tuition.
I fully understand this, for the tuition has gone up here each year since I left the university in 1975.
The result of this is that the university now only draws people from the upper-middle class, leaving the poor and lower-middle class excluded.
This I feel contributes to our political polarization with the rural and small town populations raising their fists at educated urban elites. The resentment could fuel the rise of a dictator and end American democracy.
The university says truly there is a book at the center of the world. How each of us opens it has great, great consequences.
John Harris, State College
