HAPPY ENDING

TWO YEARS BACK  A GOOD FRIEND CALLED WITH SOME SAD NEWS, TEARFULLY RECOUNTING HOW HER SON, A CRACKERJACK STUDENT HAD BEEN REJECTED AS AN APPLICANT TO ONE OF AMERICA’S FINEST UNIVERSITIES. I FOUND THIS TROUBLING FOR SEVERAL REASONS. I HAVE KNOWN THIS YOUNG MAN SINCE HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD, KNEW HE WAS EXTREMELY QUALIFIED AND ALSO FELT A SENSE OF PRIDE THAT HE WAS APPLYING TO MY ALMA MATER, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AND THAT HE WANTED TO STUDY BROADCAST JOURNALISM, JUST AS I DID MANY YEARS AGO.

DAN CRONIN ATTENDED A FINE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ON LONG ISLAND, MAINTAINED A 95 AVERAGE,  HE’S A VARISTY TRACK MAN AND IS THE SPORTS EDITOR OF THE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER. WHEN I WROTE A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION ON DAN’S BEHALF, I JOKINGLY TOLD HIM HE WOULDN’T NEED IT, SEEMED TO ME HE WAS MORE THAN QUALIFIED. WELL AFTER HE GOT A TERSE E MAIL FROM THE SCHOOL, DAN’S MOTHER ASKED IF HERE WAS ANYTHING I COULD DO. NOW I’VE GIVEN A FEW BUCKS TO THE SCHOOL OVER THE YEARS….BUT NOT THE KIND OF DOUGH THAT GETS BUILDINGS NAMED AFTER YOU…IN SHORT I DON’T HAVE A LOT OF JUICE WITH THE POWERS THAT BE AT MY ALMA MATER, BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD AT LEAST GET A FAIR HEARING…SO I CALLED AS HIGH AS I COULD GET UP THE ADMISSIONS FOOD CHAIN AND ASKED IF THEY COULD KINDLY GIVE DAN’S APPLICATION PACKET ANOTHER TRY. THE ANSWER CAME BACK QUICKLY AN UNEQUIVACAL NO. THE ADMISSIONS GUY INFORMED ME THERE IS NO APPEAL PROCESS, SUGGESTING THAT WHILE DAN’S CREDENTIALS WERE EXCELLENT, HE WAS SQUEEZED IN A NUMBERS GAME, HE WAS ONE OF MORE THAN 29 THOUSAND APPLICANTS FOR 21 HUNDRED SLOTS IN THE FRESHMAN CLASS….

THE NUMBERS WE’RE TOLD ARE SIMILAR AT STANFORD…A PRIVATE SCHOOL VERY MUCH LIKE NORTHWESTERN. THE APPLICANT NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT IN A RECESSION….A TICKET TO ONE OF THE TWO WILL RUN ABOUT 60 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR…WHILE APPLICATIONS ARE SOARING, THE ACCPETANCE RATE IS FALLING .AT STANFORD, IT’S ABOUT 7 PERCENT THE LOWEST IN IT’S HISTORY.


IT GOT ME TO THINKING THAT AS MUCH AS LOVED MY TIME AT N-U IN THE 70’S, I PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE MADE THE CUT THIS YEAR AND IT GOT ME TO THINKING ABOUT THE ENORMOUS PRESSURE THE KIDS AT THESE ELITE SCHOOLS MUST BE UNDER.

TAKE THE CASE OF CAMERON DABAGHI, A CHILD OF PRIVELIGE FROM AUSTIN TEXAS…HE WAS A JUNIOR AT YALE. CAPTAIN OF A CLUB TENNIS TEAM, HE HAD MAJORED IN EAST ASIAN STUDIES AND DURING SUMMERS OFF HAD TRAVELED MUCH OF THE WORLD…FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS SAY HE WAS A HAPPY GUY…..HIS FORMER TENNIS COACH…DESCRIBED HIS AS A ROCK STAR, THE KIND OF KID WHO WOULD CHANGE THE WORLD. HE DIDN’T DO THAT BUT HE MADE SOME NEWS BY CLIMBING A TEN FOOT FENCE AND JUMPING OFF THE OBSERVATION DECK OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NY, HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY, AFTER AN 86 STORY PLUNGE TO 5TH AVENUE.

DURING MY COLLEGE YEARS, I DON’T RECALL ANY SUICIDES..AND ANY PRESSURE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT ON OURSELVES. THE KIND OF PRESSURE THAT TOO MANY PARTIES OR SKIPPED CLASSES CAN CAUSE.

EXPERTS SAY SUICIDE IS BROUGHT ON BY DEPRESSION WHICH IS BROUGHT ON BY A CHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND IT’S HARD IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR NORMAL PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, BUT FOR ANY STUDENTS WHO MAY BE LISTENING.THERE IS LIFE AFTER COLLEGE…AS FOR DAN CRONIN..HE’S RUNNING TRACK IN STATE COLLEGE AND IS  BIG CHEESE ON THE PENN STATE NEWSPAPER AND RADIO STATION…AND WITH THE ARREST AND CONVICTION OF JERRY SANDUSKY AND THE SAD DEMISE OF JOE PATERNO…MIGHT SAY FOR DAN WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSED…ANOTHER OPENED WIDE.

CRANE’S CORNER.