Keep Homecoming theme

I have never been sensitive, but the people prompting the third Homecoming theme change in three years should consider learning what it means to be a land grant institution.

It was silly enough two years ago when “Blow away UVA” was replaced with “Crush the Cavs” out of sensitivity to college violence.  Then last year’s “Take Out Boston College” was replaced with “Operation T.O’B.” because of similar concerns, using Coach O’Brien’s initials to at least pretend like the original theme was being salvaged.

Now “Shell shock the Terps” is being changed ostensibly because it once described a medical condition afflicting veterans, even though that term hasn’t actually been used by the military since Vietnam (the Department of Veterans Affairs refers to it as “blast trauma” or “combat stress reaction”). We’re a land grant college, folks.  The federal Morrill Act creating land grant colleges specifically requires them to provide instruction “including military tactics”.  The military and its role are both woven into the fabric of this University.  If that offends your sensibilities, there’s a University up the road that would surely accommodate your transfer.

T. Greg Doucette

senior, computer science