<b>President’s way with words: ‘gobbledygook'</b>

Dear Editor,

As I read the Feb. 9 Noland interview, I was, at first, greatly heartened. When Dr. Noland said he’d begin a “strategic visioning process,” I figured he was talking about some superheroic abilities, and this campus could certainly use its own superhero. A “strategic visioning process” might mean something like Iron Man using his helmet display to target evil adversaries, or maybe Dr. Noland’s version was more akin to aredevil’s radar sense. My friends in the medical school, however, assured me that Dr. Noland has no superpowers. How could this be? I read the article again, slowly and carefully. Alas, they were correct. Dr.

Noland had “simply” used the phrase “strategic visioning process” as a substitute for the word “planning.”

Yikes. “Nonchalantly” letting that baby slip into a student paper interview makes him sound like the opposite of a superhero — a politician. Personally, I worry about a man who uses the phrase “strategic visioning process.” Maybe he thinks we wouldn’t notice it means “planning.” That’s not good. Maybe nobody around

him edits his use of phrases like this. That’s not good, either. Maybe, God forbid, he never took a course taught by an actual writer, journalist or editor. We may be in for a veritable plethora of gobbledygook.

All I know is, if I ever find myself yearning for a strategic visioning process, I hope it involves 3D glasses, supermodels and hallucinogenics.

— Bob Diet

<b>The difference between life and death</b>

Dear Editor,

I agree with Mr. Greg Alan’s comments, “On-Campus Emergency.” Whenever a person has cardiac arrest, time is of the essence … and a few seconds/minutes can result (literally) in life or death. In this case, I think the custodian made a big difference.

— Jerry L. Norris

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