Spin and Re-Spin

College tuition being high and post-graduation job prospects being low, it is time for our institutions of higher learning to make their courses more relevant.

English departments could offer "Spinning 101". Graduates adept at putting the proper "spin" on the news would certainly find employment in politics as well as in corporate PR. Advanced students could tackle "Re-Spin 102", taking that spin and reversing it.

For example, Penn State is now requiring a $600 per seat "donation" to the Nittany Lion Club to purchase season tickets between the 40 yard lines. Previously, a $100 "donation" had sufficed. At first blush, this is a money grab, pure and simple. Let the spinning begin:

Penn State Spin - Schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, and Florida already have similar plans in place.

Re-Spin - Listen to every mother in the Keystone State, "If Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, and Florida jumped off a cliff, would you?"

Penn State Spin - We are doing this for fairness. We need to properly allocate our tickets according to how someone is willing to support us and currently we don't do that.

Re-Spin - Gee, what not simply charge more for better seats? The scalpers outside Beaver Stadium do it. Theaters do it. The airlines do it. Oh, you have to share gate receipts with the visiting team and you get to keep every penny of Nittany Lion Club "donations". That's fair!

Penn State Spin - Now we'll have the money for fan requests like upgraded rest rooms and concession stands.

Re-Spin - Assuming there are 20,000 seats between the 40 yard lines and you are getting $500 more in "donations" per seat than you used to, that's a cool $10 million per year. Those are going to be some great rest rooms and concession stands. Rest room construction costs must be really high in State College, PA if the $2 million per year you were getting under the old plan couldn't cover it.

Penn State had good news for its students as well. The Student Section now wraps around the south end zone. It had previously extended from the 40 to a goal line.

Penn State Spin - The south end zone packed with students will create an intimidating atmosphere for opponents.

Re-Spin - Freeing up more prime seats for season ticket "donations" wouldn't have anything to do with this, would it? Also, unless you change the rules, those intimidated opponents can always score in the north end zone for half of the game.

I'd give the Penn State "spin" a B and the "re-spin" a B+.