This letter is being written in response to two letters to the editor published in the October 26 issue of The Polytechnic. It seems that two freshman had their beanies on a little too tight when writing to try to destroy RPI’s time-honored sports traditions. We are not living in 13th century Europe; this is America in the 21th century. Chivalry is not a characteristic we should be proud to possess.

The Houston Field House has had a reputation for being a very difficult place for the visiting team to play. As fans, it is our duty to make sure the visiting team hates to play in our barn. We want to keep the opposing team’s minds off the game and on being scared of the crowd. If we were to not heckle our opponents, we would not only be seen as a joke to our opponents (whose fans do very similar heckling in their arenas), but I would not have an uplifting sense of school spirit, and I don’t think that our players would feel that they are adored by us, the fans.

Since these two complainers were freshmen, I do know that it takes them time to develop a sense of pride for the college they attend. However, I will say this to these two complainers: You are not going to a throwback college for SUNY rejects, like Clarkson. You have earned the right to attend one of the highest quality colleges in the world. Have some pride in where you go, and help root our beloved sports teams to victory.

And with that, I leave you with a quote taken from the title of a song performed by The Beach Boys: “Be True to Your School.”

William M. Schmarder