Alternate rail plan is in order
Meg McCabe’s piece “California high-speed rail project will benefit state, study shows” (July 26) was fair but won’t satisfy those like me who supported Plan B long ago as our Plan A. Plan B is a multipurpose upgrading of existing Bay Area Peninsula and LA Country railway to be safer and a bit faster with some electrification. The Amtrak San Joaquin route between Sacramento and Bakersfield could likewise be modestly upgraded and leave only the complicated Bakersfield-Los Angeles track segment to complete an effective high-speed rail line. The wee bit slower Talgo-type hybrid locomotive and trainsets are more applicable to U.S. passenger-rail corridors than the marginally faster Acela-type trainsets. The Talgo LA-to-Las Vegas line, with a hybrid locomotive, could one day reach Salt Lake City and Denver or Portland. I’ve been on both and prefer the Talgo for ride comfort and amenities. Planning rail travel a bit slower builds a lot more track quicker.
— Art Lewellan
Portland, Ore.
Admission of former Penn State football player is flawed
I was deeply disturbed by the admission to undergraduate status of Khairi Fortt, a Penn State football player, only a few days before the new term opens. From all indications, he was “admitted” by the Athletic Department, without application or the critical vetting that thousands of other would-be undergraduates went through nearly a year ago. Many who were fully qualified for entry to UC Berkeley were denied admission because of budgetary constraints and enrollment limitations. Now, in August, a kid who was already enrolled at a major university is permitted to take precious space at UC Berkeley solely because he has some athletic talent.
What a perversion of the entire admissions process! Were I a legislator instead of just a Cal alumnus, I would demand a thorough investigation. Were I a parent of a rejected student, instead of of a grandparent of one who was admitted to a UC campus, I would sue.
It is true that the NCAA’s sanctions on Penn State allowed ball players to transfer immediately without a loss of eligibility. But the NCAA had no authority to waive Cal’s strict entrance requirements, nor did the Athletic Department have such authority. We had no obligation to Fortt. He could have played, and should have played, this season at Penn State. The NCAA did not ban football there, only postseason games. If Fortt wanted to leave Penn State to play elsewhere, he ought to have gone to the state university where he lives. UConn is noted for its athletes who are not interested in graduating. The NCAA recently sanctioned the school for that.
I doubt that Fortt has any interest in getting a degree from Cal, but I don’t know that. At least in the statement released by his family, the only comments were about playing football. Just what does Fortt intend to major in at Cal?
My family has contributed $75,000 to academic scholarships at Cal over the past two years. We are committed to almost as much in future years. That money helps our undergrads meet the rising cost of tuition. Somewhere out there is a youngster who might have received help from our scholarship money, but he or she was denied admission to Cal when decisions were made last spring. Obviously, there was room for one more. Too bad it had to be a kid whose sole interest is playing football.
— Ralph E. Shaffer
Covina, Calif.
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Admission of former Penn State – Khairi
Fortt was originally offered a scholarship to play here and met all the
requirements, as well as maintaining eligibility requirements at Penn State.
His mother has been quoted as saying she is very excited for Khalari because of
Cal’s strong ACADEMIC background and the whole family is delighted that Khairi
has ended up at the school that was so close to getting him in the first place.
Judging from Mr. Shaffer comments, it seems like he’s a bitter individual who never participated in competitive sports. Athletes should be allowed special admissions, just like the sons and daughters of the faculty and staff. The “precious space at UC Berkeley” has never been so precious when you consider in 1987 more than 5,000 straight “A” asian american students were denied admissions, yet some “legacies” were allowed enrollment without SAT scores…..
Fortt was given an athletic scholarship and if he hadn’t used it, it would’ve gone to *another* athlete, NOT back into the General Fund or to a non-athlete. The football program is a profit-center for the school and, for their contribution, athletes are given an education. Seems like a fair trade to me.
And, no, the fact that he transferred doesn’t mean that he wasn’t qualified. And, no, because your Daddy has given Cal $75,000 in the last 2 years does NOT mean that you get to make the damn rules; try multiplying that by 100 if you want to impress us, du.mbass.
First off not all incomming freshman stay all four years at Cal. The easiest way to get a degree from Cal for those that have above average grades in high school but not outstanding is to attend a California Community College and then transfer after two years. It’s obvious to most that Cal lets in athletes that would not have the grades to get in normally. Just like they let in certain minorites only because they are a minority. Your comment that Mr. Fortt wants to come just to play football is like saying most young woman come to Berkeley just to find a husband!
“Too bad it had to be a kid whose sole interest is playing football.” It’s sad to see that we produce some dumb alumni.
Mr. Shaffer, before spouting off…DO YOU REALIZE that Fortt was originally recruited and offered by Cal in high school? Cal was his #1 choice, but he, in his own words, said he was too young at the time to commit to a move across the country. He’s a good student, a HS All-American, and an academic qualifier. So, no, he is NOT taking “precious space…solely because he has some athletic talent.”
Although if that were true, it would’ve been nice if I could’ve been offered a schollie for my beer pong talent…
Mr. Shaffer seems to think that athletes are just dumb jocks, and instead of taking 15 minutes to find out about Khairi, he just starts throwing out stereotypes. If he was more compassionate and open minded, he would have found that Khairi is much more than just a football player taking someone else’s spot at Cal. He is a junior transfer whose mother is an MD and whose father is a fireman. Khairi plans to follow in his mother’s footsteps by becoming and MD. Both his parents were college athletes, who have gone on to become successful. Khairi will make Cal proud both on and off the field, and to sooth Shaffer’s wallet worries, Khairi will pay non-resident tuition.
Mr. Shaffer seems like a pompous blowhard who doesn’t realize that athletes, especially at Cal, are just as interested in academics as other students. Athletes also give back to the school when they compete on the field. Cal attracts some of the most talented students in the world many times you need something, like athletic skill, to separate the field. I too am a major donor and glad I can help another student-athlete compete for Cal.
Does he know anything about his grades or test scores? Oh, that’s right, under Obama rules you just denounce without facts. Cal should repo your degree based on lack of critical thinking.
“I look at the fact that Cal-Berkeley is very academically inclined,” Dr. Fortt said. “Not taking anything away from Penn State, but Cal-Berkeley is a wonderful place for him to finish his academic career. ” — from the Stamford Advocate
It seems Mr. Shaffer failed to perform his due diligence before accusing the Fortt family as being only concerned about football.