In regard to last week’s commentary, “For Communication Majors, R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” nobody should be criticized or marginalized for the direction in which they choose to take their education. Claiming that all majors are created equal, however, is different-and silly. If someone attempts or achieves something challenging, they are due respect just for that reason, more than someone who was not similarly challenged. Think of it like extra-credit respect. You don’t automatically get an A in personality for being a pilot and a C for being a communication major, but the difference between these majors should not be ignored. What difference? It boils down to two things: difficulty and consequences. Last week’s article made it clear that to get a communication degree one must “sit through class and take notes on – theories – that apply to our major.” There’s even a jest about not really needing to go to class. Engineers have to fundamentally understand and apply complex mathematical theories and be able to weave years of accumulated knowledge into a sensible solution-usually in about 10 minutes. When communication requires classes that test your mental faculties to their very limit, you’ll earn some of that extra-credit respect. As for consequences, let’s say a communication student needed to know about a spiraling slipstream for a test. If he/she forgets, oops, that’s one point lost of an overall score. But if a pilot momentarily forgets about that or any of dozens of other things, he could cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and put his life and the lives of others in danger. Ultimately, no person should be judged by his or her major. But to think that everyone who gives a pilot or engineer a nod of respect ought to do the same for everyone because they all sit through classes and take notes, is ridiculous. Communication is a legitimate and respectable major, but it just doesn’t require the risks and challenges of the majors you to which you compare it. To equate them devalues the efforts of the people in them.Andy RenoJunior, Parks College