OBSERVER SHOWS FLAWED

PRIORITIES

Sunday, September 4, 1994

Section: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Page: 3C

Column: The Observer Forum. Today's focus: Cows vs.

computers

 

The writer is professor of mathematics, UNC Charlotte.

On Aug. 28, The Observer offered interesting articles about

two young men in our community: Jeff Seipel in ``The making

of a cowboy'' and Brian Dean in ``Latin grad competes in

Stockholm.''

Both are 18-year-old 1994 high-school graduates: Jeff from

North Mecklenburg, Brian from Charlotte Latin. Both will start

college this month, Jeff at N.C. State, Brian at MIT. Both

realized at a young age what they enjoyed and had a special

talent for: for Jeff, horseback riding and rope skills; for Brian,

computer programming. Both turned out to be so good at what

they love that they were invited to special training sessions.

Jeff spent two months on a ranch in Wyoming, preparing for the

National High School Rodeo finals featuring 1,400 of the best

competitors in 38 states and Canada; Brian spent six weeks

studying at home and a week at the USA Computing Olympiad

Training Camp at University of Wisconsin-Parkside (where he

studied cows, among other things). Brian was one of the 15

national winners of the U.S. Computing Olympiad and was

competing for a place on the four-student U.S. team which was

to compete in Stockholm, Sweden, in the International

Olympiad in Informatics. Brian was selected, won a silver

medal and placed 24th in the world among the top high school

programmers from 50 countries.

Now, considering these similarities, it would not be surprising

to see The Observer give these students fairly equal coverage.

Not quite! Jeff's story (with 10 pictures) occupied 90 percent

of the front page and all the back page of the Living section.

Brian's story took 3-3/4 inches of ``In the spotlight'' in

Mecklenburg Neighbors.

Is it fair to conclude that The Observer values team roping,

cutting and steer-wrestling more than mathematical

problem-solving and computing?

HAROLD REITER, Charlotte