Not a whole lot has changed since I was an art student at Syracuse University in the ‘70s, creating satirical illustrations for a column in The Daily Orange. Back then we were also concerned about politics and political influence, and just as now, the bellyaching was kept pretty consistently on one side of the political spectrum. (Former President Richard) Nixon was target in chief, with Walter Mondale a close second. I remember drawing both of them for Pete Heimlich’s column.

Following a Moses-like hiatus, I’ve returned to the area and find myself picking up The D.O. for old times’ sake and reading to see what the mindset is today of the SU undergrads. I might be forgiven (I hope) for expecting —  with the radically enhanced research opportunities provided by the internet — a more enlightened reportage than what I read in Feb. 2’s D.O.

Today’s Daily Orange has as its lead article, “Buying Influence,” which is about — STOP the presses — funding being used to curry favor and influence.  Whether on the Hill or the Quad, that little fact has not changed since Moses lived in Pharaoh’s palace. Fact is, this sort of thing hails from both sides of the political coin. Have you heard of George Soros? The articles might seem less ingenuous, were the lament broader in scope. After that naiveté in two articles and one op-ed, on page 6 is “Stick To It.” This article lauds a student’s idea of using “stickies” to comfort the students. My own son is 18 now, but it seems like only yesterday that he was in pre-school and, yes, stickies were used for comfort. Got a boo boo? Get a stickie. Got the wrong president? Get a stickie.

Recently, I understand, The Daily Orange hired two conservative writers. I’m looking forward to seeing what sort of balance might be offered by a George Will, or two, on board. More than anything else so that the student body might be encouraged to view conflicting philosophies as an avenue for debate and discussion, rather than just a pill to be swallowed with a stickie.

Victoria Bingham

Fayetteville, New York 13066