This is in response to the columns written by Gretchyn Lenger.

Your first article complained about life at NIU and was addressed to freshmen. Freshmen—the ones who come here with awe in their eyes and anxiety in their hearts, and you give them an article like that?

Did you actually stop to think that maybe some of them like the food, that maybe it is better than what was available at home? Did you ever stop to think that maybe there are some students who aren’t spoiled with wealthy ways, and maybe, just maybe, NIU offers a better life than they’ve ever known? Who are you to murder their hope and tell them what they’re looking forward to isn’t worth poo?

You’re the one with the audacity, the nerve to complain about people’s negative and pessimistic attitude! Guess who’s got their head screwed on loose! Give up? Ask your mirror.

Oh! And about your Miss America column, don’t knock it before you’ve tried it. In case you haven’t noticed, walls have more bumps than some of the contestants.

What about the exploitation part? If a five-year-old child enters a child beautiful contest, is he/she being exploited? Hardly!

Could it be that I detect jealously? A “perfect” body varies from eye to eye. Obviously you think the barbie-doll image is the “perfect” image to a majority of men in this day and age, but if you know any history or art, women back in time were thought to be beautiful if they were “healthy” or had “some meat on their bones.” In other words, awhile ago a “perfect” image was what we now call “chubby” or “fat.” Words are relative.

If you don’t feel you are the “ideal” of this day and time you can either change it or live with it. Most of us readers would greatly appreciate it if you stopped complaining and criticizing in our newspaper.

If nothing I’ve suggested appeals to your exquisite taste, try this on for size. If you’ve got a great personality, who cares what you look like?

Mary-Edna Ball

Sophomore

Elementary Education