— STAFF EDITORIALS —
But really, where are we?
Fr. Michael Graham’s words on Xavier’s involvement in the community were encouraging, since the Newswire has long advocated the need for better outreach to and integration with our neighbors. We believe that these are important steps that must be taken in order to fulfill Xavier’s Jesuit identity.
But while the creation of the Eigel Center is a good sign of where the university is heading, it doesn’t provide an accurate assessment of where we are now. It’s too bad that Graham didn’t talk about all the other pressing issues:
Beyond freezing hiring processes, how is the university prepared to deal with the economic crisis?
How is Xavier planning to sustain its girth? If we are struggling to support
our university as it is, how will we be able to afford our expanded self?
How is Xavier progressing toward its goal of “going green?”
What is the future of the Academic Service Learning semesters? They are advertised as one of the university’s primary selling points, so how will that program expand along with the university?
How are we countering dropped enrollment? More vigorous recruiting efforts?
Ultimately, it seems as if the unveiling of the Eigel Center was engineered to coincide with Academic Day, and then when all of these pressing issues began to take effect, they got stuck onto the form speech like an afterthought.
Like political speeches, Fr. Graham’s State of the University address is noted for what it does not contain, namely those issues mentioned above, as well as expressed excitement about the upcoming men’s basketball season, which will hopefully cull our athletics program from its dismal fall sleep.
A reminder, but nothing more
First, let’s say that we’re satisfied that Shantytown has shaken off some of its gimmick. Shedding past campaigns that emphasized how fun it is to build cardboard hovels and then camp out with friends, the Shantytown board discreetly promoted its mission through e-mails to the student body.
It even recognized in those emails that Shantytown cannot really give the experience of homelessness to those students who participate. In order to do so, students would need to give up their phones, blankets and keys, and forgo the option of attending class or retreating to their rooms.
Falling short of creating a true homeless experience shouldn’t be seen as a failure, though, because ultimately Shantytown is a visual reminder of homelessness, not an expression of solidarity.
Even if most of the students participating in Shantytown are already involved in other organizations whose actions do impact issues like homelessness, the collection of cardboard eyesores on our otherwise pristine Academic Mall rightly reminds everyone that homelessness won’t just go away by us ignoring it.
There’s also the possibility that those shanties will pique the interest of students who are not already involved, though that’s unlikely.
Shantytown, other than through the funds it raises, doesn’t actually affect homelessness. But it does break the Xavier bubble a bit, preventing us from forgetting what’s out there in the real world.
Housing crisis strikes early
Katherine Monestero
Op/Ed Editor
Over the weekend, my roomies and I signed a lease for an adorable little house nestled just a few (probably more like 478) steps from campus.
Starting next June, it’s ours. The place has four big bedrooms, a gorgeous porch, a new kitchen, and best of all, we can get something we’ve always wanted: a little kitty.
The house is wonderful, we’re happy, and we don’t have to worry about finding housing anymore.
There’s just one problem.
It’s October. October! We just started the school year! We’re barely halfway through the semester! We can’t even move into this house until next summer! Why would anyone ever sign so early? Why even look for houses now when there are so many more things happening in our lives at this very moment?
Truth is, my roomies and I were terrified of not finding a house. We made it into the Commons by the seat of our pants; there were only a few rooms left by the time our (very good) lottery number was up.
We all know people who suddenly had to scramble to find a suitable house. Hardly any of them did without some difficulty because by then, the ideal spots had already been picked over by Xavier students who had chosen to look earlier. Some of them even had to accept houses with high rent, even though they could barely afford it. By that point, there was little room to debate and no time to find another place.
So few choices in so little time meant that they didn’t have the time to be picky about prices. We did not want to be in that position in March, and then find out the Commons and Village apartments were full.
On-campus housing for upperclassmen has always been difficult to come by. The campus expansion project does include plans for new residence halls, but for whom? Underclassmen? Upperclassmen? Norwood residents? Will the new apartments be open to Xavier students—and even if they are, can we afford to pay for them?
They may help alleviate the problem, but what can we do until then? Again, this problem has long been affecting students; it’s amazing that it’s taken so long to think of doing anything about it. The troubles of finding off-campus housing are legendary—high prices, unfair landlords and limited selection are just a few of the issues we face.
This problem is absurd. It’s weird enough for us students to look for houses immediately after we’ve just settled into our on-campus apartments. It must be even weirder for those poor students whose houses we’re traipsing through so soon after they moved in.
Don’t get me wrong—our new house is lovely. I’m sure all of you house-hunting (and house-signing) around this time of year are or will be perfectly happy with your choices.
And I’m sure many of you are thrilled with the idea of living in a house in general.
But dealing with housing at Xavier is like sitting down for dinner and then demanding to know what’s on the menu for tomorrow night. It makes everyone uncomfortable and it’s a little bit ridiculous. Pressure to find a good place is simply coming on too early in the school year.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go take more than three hundred dollars out of my savings to pay for a house I won’t even move into until June. Early housing crisis indeed.
What's on Mfreke's mind
Mfreke Akpaninye
Editorial Columnist
The weather is getting cold, which makes me feel down. Waking up with cold toes is not my preferred way to start the day. The worst part is that the weather is not even at its coldest. So if you are like me, start stocking up on some hot chocolate and unpack your winter gear.
Honestly, I don’t know how some people do it, like those in Alaska, but I can’t.
Speaking of Alaska, a lot has been going on since the last time I wrote an editorial piece. Who could miss the commercials playing for the political campaigns lately? There are numerous ads ranging from presidential hopefuls, Obama and McCain, to local politicians. Each covers a different issue in this year’s election.
At first they were funny, especially the one about Ohio’s Issue 6 that portrayed people from West Virginia, Indiana and Michigan thanking Ohioans for blowing money at their casinos. Now I feel that they have gotten out of hand. I can’t remember the last time I watched a television show and did not see an ad for a political campaign.
Speaking of getting out of hand, next I want to talk about the Cincinnati Bengals who happen to be 0-7 now. Their 7-9 record last year was dismal, but this year does not like it will be even that good. With nine games remaining, things are not looking too optimistic for the Bengals. The remaining games are at Houston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Cleveland. The Bengals also host Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington and Kansas City.
Looking at this schedule, I feel that the Bengals have a good shot of winning at Houston and Cleveland, and maybe take Kansas City at home. Not being from Cincinnati, I never knew about the “Who Dey” chant: “Who dey! Who dey! Who dey think gonna beat them Bengals?” I think it would be funny if the Bengals go 0-16, because then the answer would be, “EVERYBODY!”
Hopefully in a few weeks, the political campaign ads will wind down. It may continue to get colder, and the Bengals may continue to embarrass themselves, but at least we’ll be free of the political bickering that takes up so much of our precious TV time. In the meantime, heat up that hot chocolate and wear some socks to bed.
— LETTERS TO THE EDITOR—
Whither are you going?
“Quo vadis?” (“Whither are you going?”) Stemming from a legend about St. Peter’s return to Rome for his eventual martyrdom, this Latin phrase seems to be the unacknowledged motto of the modern education system, and Xavier is no exception. As a junior here, I am often asked (when I am not being asked if I am registered to vote) what I am going to do after I graduate. I never seem to have a real answer; just a simple “I don’t know, maybe I’ll get a job somewhere back home,” and then the conversation moves on to something more current (like if I am registered to vote).
Perchance the reason I am satisfied with my answer to the question of “quo vadis” is because I do not think it is the right question to ask a college student at a Jesuit university.
It is not enough to look forward without acknowledging the past which is the foundation of our present and our future. “Unde vasimus?” (“Whence have we come?”) is the question I now ask the University. Where have the ideologies of a liberal arts education rooted in Jesuit principles come from? Is this school rooted in fancy computers and large arenas? Or perhaps we have arisen from an education based on efficiency and productivity in the business world. Is that why cryptic Latin phrases about God and “the Good Arts” are engraved along the buildings lining University Drive? Does it matter where I go if I don’t understand where I have come from?
It is ironic that the education system this school has been built on is suppressed in favor of a system that is destroying what little appreciation for learning remains in our post-modern world. The “Bonae Artes” (Good Arts) of mathematics, literature, history, theology, philosophy, science and the fine arts have been neglected in favor of utility, relativism and success in the economic world. Why must education be for sake of something other than itself? Is it wrong to learn for the sake of learning?
As a student in the Honors Bachelors of Arts program, I have the privilege
of reading some of the greatest works in history as they were written. I have
tasted the rhetorical prowess of Cicero and Demosthenes in ways most students
will never be able to, in the tongue those great orators spoke.
The dactylic hexameter of Ovid and Vergil is never more beautiful than in the
original Latin written to mock or praise Augustus. The tragedy of Oedipus or
Medea can never fully be expressed in translations of the Greek written 2300
years ago to deal with the human condition. The odes of Horace are only truly
alive in the alleged dead language they were written.
As a student of the Classics, I have come to appreciate the intricacies of English grammar and I have learned the infinite value of knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I am learning Hebrew so I will be able to see beyond the static translations of the Hebrew Scriptures while diving deeper into the culture and religion Christianity is rooted in. I have learned through my studies of the Classics that it is not enough to merely “scratch the surface” of a text but it is essential to understand the way words work together and are intricately connected to the culture they come from.
I may not know where I am going but at least I know where I have come from and that has given me the knowledge to go anywhere from here.
Thaddeus Winker is a junior from St. Louis, Mo., in the H.A.B. program at Xavier and is a frequent contributor to the Newswire’s Op-Ed pages.
Lost heritage
Since the beginning of October, I have noticed that announcements of Hispanic Heritage Month haveshowered campus. The Gallagher Student Center stairwell contains many posters and artwork of famous men and women from the Hispanic countries, the greenspace held a Hispanic cookout, dances are held in their honor along with many other activities on campus to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
Don’t get me wrong, I think these were great things to have on campus—true to our focus on diversity. But does anyone know that it’s also Polish Heritage Month?
As a Polish-American, I feel that my heritage is slowly being forgotten and ignored. Does anyone know that some of the first settlers in Jamestown were Poles? Does anyone realize that over six million (Catholic) Poles were destroyed in the Holocaust? Does anyone care?
I am not asking for a Polish Club to be formed, or a greenspace cookout that passes out golabki (stuffed-cabbage rolls), pierogi or kielbasa while playing polkas (although, that does sound fun…). All I am asking for is recognition, to announce that the Polish presence in America has not been forgotten. As a Polish publication says; we need “to re-assert on this so memorable occasion that 12 million Americans of Polish origin cherish gratefully the legacy left to us by our ancestors, and to renew the declaration, that our mission is and shall at all times be to defend the spiritual heritage of our pioneers” (Zgoda, vol. 127 no. 19).
So when you read a name that has no vowels or ends in “ski,” eat pierogis at the caf or have a drink mixed with vodka, remember where those come from; a country continually overshadowed by surrounding empires in history, a people persecuted for living in the wrong place, and a heritage forgotten by its descendants. And to the readers who share my heritage; stop for a moment and say to yourself, “I am Polish.”
Heather Skrzypiec | ‘09
Katherine Monasterio
Op-Ed Editor
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