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Football has earned playoff season

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the Penn football program on an exemplary season and another Ivy League championship won in convincing fashion.

Only one question remains: When is our first playoff game? Surely this team, boasting the nation’s top defense and ranked in the championship division poll, would have earned a spot in the 16-team NCAA football playoffs ahead of Holy Cross, Eastern Illinois or Weber State. Alas, because of the Ivy League’s antiquated, arbitrary and egotistical playoff ban, we will never know.

Denying football a postseason opportunity while allowing every other sport to compete for championships is hypocritical and patently unfair. By doing so, the eight Ivy presidents have said Al Bagnoli’s team does not deserve the same chance as tennis or basketball does. Perhaps lacrosse teams (Penn women, Cornell men) should have watched the NCAA Final Four from home last May instead of playing in it.

Fine football teams of the last few years such has Harvard and Brown, both of which included players currently in the NFL, would have represented the league well, just as Penn would have this season. But no.

We should strive to have all of our programs excel on the national stage, be they academics, arts, athletics or otherwise.

Jeff Shafer

The author is a 2006 alumnus and former Daily Pennsylvanian editor SAC structure should stay

To the Editor:

A recent column suggested a reform for the Student Activities Council board that would make the distribution of money dependent on every student’s choice; however, this system would be extremely detrimental to the student organizations on campus. We all know that when it comes time to vote for the Undergraduate Assembly, many people don’t have time, aren’t interested or forget to fill out the ballot. If this were to happen for the proposed SAC reform, the student organizations would begin losing money. I know there are more than 500 student organizations on campus, but I could only list maybe 20. These smaller and lesser-known organizations wouldn’t be able to compete for people’s support as heavily as the larger groups would, which would result in some groups receiving little to no funding.

A UA reform would affect every student on this campus, whereas a SAC reform affects a much smaller number, mainly the people involved in these student groups. It seems appropriate then that the people involved in these groups elect a liaison that in turn elects the SAC executive board. Although the system put in place may not be perfect, it is a much better option than the one proposed in the DP last week.

Kathlyn Herrick

The author is a College sophomore

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