Megan Westbrook was right

I was watching the UNC-Chapel Hill versus Boston College game the other day and saw John Edwards being interviewed by a reporter in the stands.When was the last time anyone saw Edwards at a State game? At a State function? Mentioning N.C. State? He touts his status as a UNC alumnus then somehow forgets about N.C. State. Personally, I don’t mind his being a (partial) Tar Heel, but to all but publicly disown your undergraduate university is shameful.I am willing to bet that if N.C. State would have had as much success in athletics as UNC has had in the recent years, Edwards’ promulgation of his education career would be completely different. I agree with Megan Westbrook’s letter completely, and I’m glad someone else has realized this.

Thomas Andersonfreshman, political science

The admissions process

Thank you for your interest in the freshmen admissions process and for your Feb. 1 article. Selecting new students to join our academic community is a very important task, and N.C. State has a dedicated staff that works hard to enroll the best, brightest and most diverse freshmen class possible. I want to clarify a couple of points in your article.

First, about 99 percent of N.C. State’s undergraduate applications are completed online. For 2007, N.C. State received more than 20,000 undergraduate admissions applications. More than 16,000 freshmen applications and more than 4,000 transfer applications were received last year. Although final application numbers are not yet in, we anticipate growth in the number of applications for 2008.

Second, the Undergraduate Admissions Office makes all undergraduate admissions decisions. Applications for prospective student-athletes are reviewed by the Undergraduate Admissions Office, not by the Athletics Department. While all admissions applicants are reviewed holistically, applications for prospective student-athletes receive even more scrutiny in the admission process than most other applicants. N.C. State’s requirements for the admission of prospective student-athletes are more stringent than the requirements for NCAA eligibility.

Thomas H. GriffinDirector of Undergraduate Admissions