— STAFF EDITORIALS —
Bad press?
We’re not going to lie; Xavier’s progress with the Learning Commons project has us impressed. We’ve never been so excited to walk into a building filled with old books, though that’s probably because we can’t see any of the old books.
And though we don’t have a real idea of how the new integration of the library and technology staffs is going, things seem to be fairly well.
Of course, when we got word that Xavier staff members were upset with their recent portrayal in the Chronicle of Higher Education, we were very curious as to what was said that was so “misrepresentative.”
Reading the article, it seems that the reporter may have taken a few steps overboard. Likening David Dodd to “a restaurateur ushering in the fast-food model” seems a little extreme, and on the whole, it’s not an experience we see many people relating to, so perhaps it’s a useless metaphor.
But overall, though the article was critical, it didn’t seem as malicious as Xavier staff members first made it out to be.
Dodd said that “The article did not accurately reflect the forward-looking view of the Learning Commons here at Xavier,” which is entirely true.
However, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s goal is not to present the good side of Xavier. As we understand it, journalists are supposed to report the facts, and though they should be sure to incorporate positive elements, highlighting potential problems is the best way to affect change, or at least reconsideration.
Andrea Foster’s article offers a different side of Xavier, a side that may not be the university’s favorite, but a side that might offer some perspective or raise some points not previously thought about.
Sure, the article did not show the “forward-looking view of the Learning Commons,” but that’s what Xavier’s PR department is for.
Besides, if Xavier really wants to make a statement, it can come back in a few years with a fully functioning and integrated Learning Commons, and then the Chronicle will be forced to report on the progress the university made, in spite of the bad press (if there is such a thing).
Noticing our neighbors
It’s easy to forget sometimes that Xavier is in the middle of several communities, and that the actions of the university, its students, its administrators and its faculty affect these surrounding communities.
However, it’s quite clear that they do.
Xavier is buying up Norwood property left and right to make room for the “East Campus” project, which is obviously affecting local businesses, like the Norwood Café, Betta’s and H&H Grill.
It doesn’t seem like Xavier officials in charge of the campus expansion project are necessarily giving local community leaders a tremendous amount of input in the “East Campus” project, a project that will affect local residents for decades to come.
However, the lack of communication between Xavier and local communities is much more of an endemic problem, one not merely limited to the interactions of local community leaders and Xavier officials.
Xavier student routinely demonstrate a lack of courtesy and respect for local residents by parading up and down Cleneay Avenue on Friday and Saturday nights in ostentatious drunken revelry.
We’re not saying that students should avoid having fun (we at the Newswire are decidedly pro-revelry), but we think that all of us, from Fr. Graham on down, need to be more conscious of how our actions—whether its buying their property or yelling outside their houses—affect the lives of local residents.
Sobering stories
Madeline LaFave
Editorial Board
“Brian was relatively good at keeping control. He knew his limits.”
“I’ve never seen him puke, I’ve never seen him pass out…”
“He wasn’t wasted.”
These are just three quotes spoken of close friends following the alcohol-related death of Brian Threet, 20, of Minnesota, as taken from the WCCO 4 News website.
These friends knew Brian very well. Brian was apparently doing nothing out of the ordinary that Friday night, as he partied until 7 a.m. Saturday morning and was found dead in his own bed by a roommate around 4 p.m. that afternoon.
Despite dying from alcohol-poisoning, Brian was still not considered “wasted” by friends.
This story is just one of four recent alcohol-related deaths which have occurred on Minnesota campuses. Mankato College has experienced three deaths on-campus this past semester alone.
Want me to bring it a little closer to home? April 14, 2007, Beth Speidel, a then-sophmore, died on Miami University’s campus after drunkenly wandering over to the railroad tracks alone and being hit by a 52-car train. Her body wasn’t found until over two hours later at 3:16 a.m. when another train came along. Karl Fazli, 21, of Wittenberg University died on Feb. 17 of last year of alcohol poisoning after a typical night of drinking. In March, Sarah Merritt of Ohio University fell from a fifth floor balcony resulting in a suspected alcohol-related death.
Ask any of your friends, Xavier students, and I bet there is little chance that someone did not witness or personally experience an alcohol-induced injury just on this past New Years. I know of a girl who fell into a glass table enduring numerous large shards of glass pushed into her throat and chest, including one that was pushed five inches into her back, just missing her spinal chord.
I can get a bit more personal as well. I endured a extensive drunken accident myself earlier this year which has opened my eyes to the gravity of this matter.
After some late-night partying in early October, I slipped and fell in the shower, leading to some extensive and somewhat invasive late-night emergency surgery.
roceeding a four day, three night hospital stint, my five immediate family members flew in from three different states and after a week of recovery and missed classes, not to mention thousands of dollars spent, I was taken home to recover and reflect upon my wrongdoings. I was forced to withdraw from classes due to “medical reasons,” losing my entire first semester.
Now don’t get me wrong; I believe in college drinking for many reasons. Acting as a definite social lubricant, alcohol consumption aids many in weekend social interaction. It’s an easy way to unwind, relax and induce some much-needed happiness, laughter or even tears in some cases. Need some courage to get out on that dance floor or talk to that smokin’ hot babe at the party? Have a few beers.
However, consider the validity of the relationships you form while drinking. How many of your weekend “friends” are mere party-friends, and how many of them are true friends? Can your true friends really tell when you’re “wasted,” or will they still believe you to not have been so, even upon death, as Brian’s friends did?
Post-accident, I took a few weeks off from my feigned weekend lifestyle to go out with my friends sober. It was tough in the beginning, seeing as drunk kids tend to be very generous and convincing when they want someone else to drink. However, I ended up learning a lot about others and a few things about myself.
First, there is no need to be self-conscious if you choose not to drink one night…after the initial beer-offerings, most kids will shut up. Secondly, partiers tend to only care about their own buzz, it’s only a big deal not to drink if you make it one. There will always be a need for a driver or a sober decision-maker. It doesn’t make you any less cool if you decide to take the night off; you will more often than not be thanked.
Lastly, these have been some of the most memorable, hilarious and fun nights of my college career. I remembered everyone I met, felt great when waking up for my early-morning run and had no regrets about the night. And most of all, I thoroughly enjoyed retelling my friends and roommates the stories of their drunken escapades.
Hallowed Ground
Matthew Finger
Managing Editor
As I was perusing the MyXu portal last week, taking silly polls and catching up on birth announcements, there were two things that caught my eye. The first was that Michael Raidt was the person of the week, a choice that I felt was long over-due. The second was the picture of the week.
The picture was of three students at the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.
Now, you might think that students at a war memorial would make for an endearing photo. You would be wrong.
These said students were posed in front of the memorial, goofily pointing to the etched marble markers commemorating those from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio who served and died in the war.
Oh hooray, look at us, we’re from three different states just like the thousands of men who died protecting the world and our way of life from destruction and tyranny. Whoopeee.
To make the picture worse, the all-knowing gods of the Portal, who have conceived such poll questions as, “Are you concerned about the potential spread of Bird Flu to the United States?” and “Have you ever mistakenly stopped at a green LIGHT or waited for a stop SIGN to say GO?” combined the picture with a lame piece of clip art that says “Road Trip.”
Really? I mean, am I the only one out there who thinks that maybe, just maybe, the millions of people who died in World War II deserve a little bit more respect than that?
I understand that going to national monuments is exciting, and that it’s important to document your trips with photographs. But, you don’t see anyone doing a CHEESE face in front of the Holocaust museum, or people pointing to a map in the Freedom Center saying “Hey I’ve been there! Hooray!”
What’s worse, we’re talking about our grandfathers’ generation here. That marble slab represents 6,802 grandfathers from Kentucky, 8,131 from Indiana and 16,828 from Ohio.
I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be allowed to have fun at monuments and take pictures.
But there’s a certain degree of sanctity when it comes to things like this. They’re memorials. You’re supposed to remember, not dance on the graves of heroes.
Ask the Experts
Brian Holubetz, Help Desk Technician
Question: Why does my computer frequently lose the wireless internet connection at Xavier? I live in Buenger, and approximately every 20 seconds, my Dell Inspiron laptop disconnects and then reconnects to the internet. At home, I do not have these problems with my wireless and I am wondering why this is happening.
If a student came to me with this problem, I would check to see that the wireless card manufacturer has the latest software driver.
Xavier University uses a highly secure wireless network requiring the latest wireless protocols, and as such, older software that controls the wireless cards in laptops may not support the newer protocols. This may explain why it might work at home, Starbucks or Panera, which are less secure networks.
The next step would be to check network settings; often computers are hard-coded to the users’ home networks, and they are still looking for a network address from the home network.
Next I would look for LimeWire (which is an open door for viruses and spyware) and would run anti-virus scans to make sure it is clean.
Those steps should fix the problem; it could be any one or a combination of these things.
I encourage students experiencing this or similar problems to bring their computers into the Help Desk, now located on the first floor of the library. We’re open seven days a week, so drop by any time!
Katherine Monasterio
Op-Ed Editor
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