Letters
China 101
THE SIDEBAR on the article “China 101” in the fall 2007 issue said that the China trip was the first three-week faculty taught study abroad course. I found this interesting because when I was a sophomore in 1964, I traveled with a group of mostly older students (teaching assistants) to Europe for a term. We were accompanied by a faculty member and received 15 credit hours for our studies—five hours each in European history, geography and art history. So while the China trip may have been the first “three-week” study course of its nature, the university has a long history of students learning abroad. Both of my daughters studied overseas when they were in college, too. All of our family members have made lifelong friends when delving into other cultures (both here and in other countries). This sort of experience is appropriate and important for every student.
Rita (Kirk) Powell ’66
Dallas, Ore.
Apologies to Cross Country
WHEN I RECEIVED the fall 2007 issue of Northern Vision, I was just leaving Albuquerque to drive five hours to Colorado Springs to watch my daughter and the other men and women of the UNC cross country team compete in the Colorado College Cross Country Invitational. I flipped to the fall sports preview and saw only three sports featured: women’s volleyball; men’s and women’s soccer; and football. However, the 20+ students who make up UNC men’s and women’s cross country team were not even mentioned.
This is an egregious error. I realize that no one pays admission to see these students run, but a cross country meet is a true spectator sport where fans can get close to the runners, cheer them on from just a few feet away, and give them an encouraging pat on the back. There are no stands or bleachers to separater unners from spectators—and everyone receives encouragement, from first to last. I feel you owe an apology to these students, to their coach, Doug Bell, and to the runners’ parents for your omission. It reflects poor reporting, inadequate knowledge of the athletic program and disregard for the hard work of these university athletes.
Cathy Intemann ’73, MA ’75
Proud parent of a Bear runner and music education major, class of 2010
Albuquerque, N.M.
Memories of the ’40s
IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE reading Northern Vision. It is apparent, though, that you get little from students who graduated in the 1940s—I guess we are getting fewer and fewer. There is one topic that should be written about. During WWII , Coach Dobenmeier created what was known as “Dobby’s Letters,” which was a report on what was then the Colorado State College of Education for people in the service. It came out monthly and, for us in the service, it was welcome mail to read about our fellow classmates. I believe there is a file of these somewhere on campus. President Frasier wrote in a letter that it was the greatest public relations tool ever for the college. It’s time for a story about this!
Marvin Billings ’47, MA ’48
San Bernardino, Calif.