— STAFF EDITORIAL —
Proactive professors, perhaps?
We love the idea that the federal government is stepping in to regulate the outrageous price of textbooks. We really do.
But federal legislation or not, Xavier faculty could be doing a lot more to save their students some valuable cash on their books.
We’ve pleaded with faculty members to send out lists of required texts with ISBNs to their students, so students can shop around for books and save money. Some professors do, some professors don’t. The fact that not all professors send book lists with ISBNs to students is tremendously disappointing to us.
ISBNs are a crucial tool for students who want to comparison shop for books. Without them, it is difficult to determine the exact book the professor has assigned, which can lead to a student spending money on the wrong edition of the book.
Not sending students a book list with ISBNs is totally inexcusable. We’ve seen the booklists professors send to the publishers, and they have the ISBNs of the books listed on them.
ll professors have to do is transcribe these ISBNs into an email, send it to their students a few weeks before class begins and save their students a considerable sum of money.
We think it’s lovely when we hear a professor rail against the textbook publishing industry, saying how the publishers are price gouging students everywhere. But it absolutely drives us insane when these same professors fail to take the most basic step possible to help students avoid falling into the money-grubbing clutches of soulless textbook publishing megacorporations.
So in the future, good faculty, please throw us a rope before you throw the publishers under the bus.
Are we colorblind?
Cartoon by Mfreke Akpaninye
Click to enlarge
We don’t have a lot of space here, but we just really encourage you to read Kevin George’s letter to the editor (and go back a few issues to Zak Woods’ letter in the Feb. 6 issue). Because honestly, the multi-colored basketball T-shirt thing has got to go. Our student section looks like a bag of skittles, a disco ball on steroids or a rainbow. Which might be acceptable if our mascot was a leprechaun. But it’s not.
Please, let’s show some unity. Granted, we happen to have two players whose names are colors, and those colors are not our school colors. Please restrain from the apparently overwhelming desire to make and wear these multi-colored shirts to games.
Look, we don’t have a problem with the shirts, but they don’t belong in the student section. Remember: BLUE and WHITE.
Goldfish, shrunken heads and clothes
Andrew Chestnut
Editorial Columnist
Not many writers will tell you this, but since I’m not really a “writer,” I guess I can. Here it is: I have crippling case of writer’s block that has rendered me as useless as a “Giuliani 2008” sign.
Right now, I am doing what many people do when they can’t think of something, which is to look at the stuff around them, hoping an idea will materialize out of whatever happens to be in view. I happen to be in my bedroom, pleading with each of my possessions to give me an idea (which, because I have not taken any mind-altering substances, they will not do verbally).
And then I glance at my goldfish, over which I share joint custody with my roommate. There is a story behind this goldfish, as there are with many other objects in here.
This room represents my first chance to reside in a space that is truly my own. It has a sense of permanence that I haven’t felt in a bedroom before; thus, the experience of decorating and furnishing it has been immensely gratifying. It is a shrine to the things I love.
To begin, this is my bedroom, not a dorm-room. As a sophomore, I would recommend the move off-campus to anyone who (a) prefers saving about $4,000 a year on room and board, (b) doesn’t particularly enjoy people their own age telling them when they have to be quiet and (c) has an above-average immune system.
Anyways, my room features the aforementioned goldfish, named Sebastian Zanzibar Phish II. My roommate and I went to New York City and Long Island over fall break earlier this year. While we were there, we won a goldfish in one of those carnival games where one tries to throw a ping pong ball into a bowl with a fish in it.
Despite facing 60,000:1 odds, David (said roommate) made the shot, which meant we were the new owners of a goldfish in a tiny, cramped plastic bag. We drove him back to Cincinnati in the same plastic bag, not remotely expecting him to endure the journey. But after roughly two days without new air, new water or food, he was still kicking (well, swimming).
It’s been about five months now, and Sebastian is still alive. Still alive! He (or she?) is now probably the oldest goldfish in the world, and quite possibly immortal. My fish’s life is the freshwater equivalent of Samuel L. Jackson’s imdb.com page… that is to say, uncannily long.
Across from Sebastian is my bookcase, where I keep my collection of shrunken heads. Did I say shrunken heads? Just kidding, I collect books. There are 105 here, including (inexplicably) “Jane Eyre,” which I desire to read only slightly less than 20 emails about superior goldfish known to have lived far longer than five months.
There is also an armoire where I keep (as if you couldn’t have guessed) my clothes. I hate clothes. I hate the idea of clothes, that no matter what you wear, you will be expressing something about yourself. There is no choice in the matter—you will be judged. And it’s not like you can’t wear clothes, because then you would be judged, a lot.
A plethora of problems come with clothes. They are expensive, styles change more often than the “real name” of Ryan’s Pub, and I am too broke and callous to keep up. Besides, “expressing” oneself through clothes seems less original (but probably slightly funnier) than the premise of “Semi Pro.”
You know how in every science fiction movie, people are forced wear matching silver jump suits by an evil autocracy? That is what I want (the clothes part). I can’t wait for a future when we all wear the exact same thing (also known as Catholic high school). I will look totally non-descript while rebelling against the evil autocracy/matrix/big brother that controls my wardrobe (and mind, life, et cetera).
Anyway, a far better gauge of one’s personality is the content of one’s room, which is why I just typed “Real Shrunken Head” into the search box on Ebay. What does a shrunken head say about me? Who knows? But for $36 (plus shipping), I think I’m willing to find out, assuming they aren’t illegal.
Diversity: Fact or fiction?
Corey Burton
Guest Columnist
Desiring to closely resemble the diverse world that we live in, Xavier University has sought out African American students, Latino students and a plethora of other ethnicities.
In addition to a proactive approach to recruiting diverse incoming classes, the university has supported initiatives, such as the Safe-Zone Program, Equality for Ohio and the university-wide Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program.
Are these attempts at diversity enough?
Are they really attempts at broadening the horizons of the university?
Diversity: fact or fiction?
As many of you are aware, there are a number of on-campus offices, clubs and organizations that have been implemented to support students of diverse backgrounds.
Some of these entities include the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Romero
Center, Black Student Association, Irish-American Society and many others.
The question I pose is this: Do these communities reflect diversity?
It has been argued that these offices and organizations are put into place to satisfy quotas.
Even if these allegations are proven true, it is our duty as students to challenge the administration and actively hold these entities accountable.
Rather than encourage and include many cultures, what often occurs is an even more segregated community.
Though these organizations seem to create programming which promote the culture which they represent, they more often gather “like students,” comfortable and susceptible to others like themselves.
Is this really a diverse community?
Does this community really embrace different backgrounds and cultures?
Contemporary America has begun to inherit qualities of a diverse and equal society.
Hopefully, Xavier will follow suit.
Or will it? It seems that Xavier is still in the “dark ages” with regards to a diversified curriculum.
When I say “diversified curriculum,” I do not mean spanning across many subject areas, but rather the curriculum’s ability to address multiple cultures and ethnicities.
Where are the African studies major and minor?
Where are the courses focusing on cultures outside of western-influence?
An even bigger question is this: Who’s fault is it that this situation continues to flourish?
As mentioned earlier, it is our duty as involved students cognizant of the issues to acknowledge these inconsistencies and force them to be addressed.
What is your response?
Corey Burton is a member of the Leadership Committee of the Black Student Association
— LETTERS TO THE EDITOR—
Speaking Up: A vision beyong controversy
by Craig Scanlon and Esteban Gamboa
We have been part of Student Senate for three years and are proud of what we have accomplished together as members of the Student Government Association.
After a hard-fought election filled with both passion and controversy, we chose to sit down together to reflect on how far we have come. We have accepted that struggles have made us stronger and achievements have made us more humble. We took time to realize that we cannot let ourselves be defined by a campaign, position or status.
We both faced a battle that tested our character and ultimately helped us succeed in finding a renewed sense of self. We decided that we will not let the results of the recent Executive Election divide what we have built together.
We write these thoughts to the student body, recognizing that we must continue loyally serving you whose votes put us where we are.
We know we must remain true to the students and members of SGA, regardless of the outcome of the Executive Election. We vow to put the obstacles from previous elections behind us and move forward as a cohesive unit.
The united front we envision is more powerful than six driven students, two organized tickets or one accomplished organization. We know that it is time to put our pride aside and advocate for something much greater than any two students running for SGA president could provide. That something greater is to unify this campus. How can we unify an entire campus when we fail to demonstrate collaboration within our own organization?
This initial dialogue is only the first step in a greater vision for Xavier. The time to put aside conflicts is long overdue, and we plan on setting a precedent for a Student Government Association that focuses not on personal conflicts, but rather on the betterment of Xavier University and the entire student body.
In addition to being “men and women for others,” we will stand as a united front of “men and women with others”: organizing, empowering and mobilizing the student body for change.
We want pitchers
While I would never say that I am perfectly content with the way Ryan’s operates, and would even go so far as to agree with Matt Finger on certain key points, I do not agree with the overall statement behind Matt’s article—that Ryan’s is in need of a massive overhaul. In fact, as I perceive it, very minor changes could make the difference.
Ryan’s does not need servers after 9 p.m.—Ryan’s needs additional bartenders. Three bartenders working together, or even two bartenders and a barback washing glasses, changing kegs and refilling the cooler, would be sufficient to maintain the smooth operation of a pub of Ryan’s capacity.
And what about pitchers? No need to crowd the bar, no need to burn through 16 oz. cups and worry about washing pint glasses every second you can, no need to scurry about making sure that everyone got their drink. A table gets a pitcher, and when they’re done, they’ll take another, thanks. Not too hard at all.
If Ryan’s sold pitchers and increased the bar staff, there would be almost no reason not to stay open later—the liquor license allows it, so why not take advantage? Try it out for a week. If your profits between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. don’t justify the switch, then no harm, but I’m pretty confident that business would boom. I understand that there’s the issue of getting people to work those hours, but plenty of Xavier students have worked at Dana’s or Soupie’s!
Ken Akers | 2008
We Are Not Millionaires
I sent my last tuition check to the bursar’s office today, totaling my student debt at just over the $50K mark. Of course, that was before a $50 graduation application fee (would love to know what that is for) and another $42.60 for my cap and gown (which I could get at a costume store for $10).
As fuming mad as those little extra bills made me, they were mere child’s play in comparison to what lay in store for me at Campus Police.
Three weeks ago, my beloved Jeep died, and it wasn’t pretty. Gaskets blew, exhaust poured from the engine—the whole nine yards. The mechanics laughed when I asked if she would ever drive again. After spending more money that I didn’t have to get a new car (by new, I mean a ‘93 Suzuki), I went into the Campus Police office to get a replacement parking pass, thinking this would be free since I paid for my old one and that car wasn’t going to be seen on campus again.
Wrong. Seems since I didn’t think to pull my old parking tag off the windshield as I was watching my smoking car get towed away, I had to pay the same amount as if I was purchasing a second pass. This was only $20, but tack that on to the $100 I spent in August, and that is $120 of pure BS. Begging, pleading and even a little crying got me just short of nowhere.
If no one has told the administration yet, please allow me: students are not millionaires! God save me I am one petty fee short of laughing in the face of the first person who contacts me for the alumni fund drive.
Mark Rolfes | 2008
Sport the School Colors
According to the U.S. News & World Report 2007 edition of America’s Best Colleges, Xavier is a powerhouse on the national level. Out of the 142 Midwest colleges and universities, we rank second overall. What is really impressive to me is that Xavier has a 79 percent graduation rate. The Princeton Review gave us a very similar rating as well. I’m sure we can all agree that we are a force to be reckoned with. Yet even with all of this national praise, I find myself worried about the students here. How is it that with everything we are taught, some students are being outsmarted by Wikipedia?
A quick Wikipedia search of Xavier University will show you that Xavier’s school colors are Blue and White. If this is so, then someone please tell me why we have a rainbow of colors showing up in the student section at basketball games? How do students graduate from this university and still wear the wrong colors to athletic events?
The brown Derrick Brown shirts make sense.
The lavender Drew Lavender shirts make sense.
I’m lost when it comes to red Jason Love shirts. Red not only has nothing to do with Xavier or Jason Love, but just happens to be the primary color for two of Xavier’s rivalry schools. How is it possible to look at those shirts and not think of Dayton or Cincinnati? Who “oks” that these random shirts get mass produced? I want a name!
Another quick search of Wikipedia tells me that the most common color blindness involves the color red; therefore I would like to apologize to any of those Dayton/Cincinnati fans at the game that had no idea what color shirt they were wearing.
Of course, it is highly unlikely that all of the perpetrators have this deficiency. The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Kevin George | 2011
Katherine Monasterio
Op-Ed Editor
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