Page 38 - Scrimshaw1980-81

_~~~~~~w Letters to Cooperative solution - the only answer the Edit9r The recent assault of a student in her Whiteford Transforming the campus into a maximum, Hall dormitory room has thrust the issue of campus security compound or a twenty-four hour neon eye- Library Hours Leftovers security into the spoUight. The question in sore is not the answer. Significantly increasing the -everyone's mind is a simple one. What changes number of security personnel or placing a street Dear Editor, Dear Editor, must be made in campus security procedures to light every twenty yards are costly options with Mr. Bachman's editorial reply 1 am just another apathetic insure that incidents like this are not repeated? many undesirable side effects. A few simple was indicative of his unwi11ingness student at Western Maryland who Initial reaction throughout the college community practices, if adopted by students, and com- to cooperate in helping to meet complains constantly yet never has been strong hut predictable. Clearly, the piemented by a conststant security system, can go student's needs. I fall to un- does anything to contribute to Ihe residents of Whiteford are not alone in their concern along way in making this campus a safer place to derstand the great resistance success of our school. The Ii me has about what should be done. live. which students met in trying to come to voice my complaints. J Several minor changes have already been un- Students are going to have to assume more secure earlier library hours on realize that the cafeteria Is an dertaken by the administration. According to responsibility in keeping the doors to the dor- Sundays. area of continual ridicule by stu- Security Coordinator Mr. Robert Fasano, more mitories locked. Some students may argue that they He tries to astound the student dents, and another letter would security' guards will be working on weekends. Dean have a right to leave their room doors unlocked, but! body by telling us that we have the merely be a pebble In the Mowbray sent a letter to the student body about the! this doesn't mean that it is an acceptable practice to longest library hours in the state, rcckptle. Yet maybe one day Ms. incident which explained "This note is not designed prop open the outside door of someone else's dorm which would be quite amirable if it McDonald will come to the to be a scare tactic ... (but a reminder) ... that some at 3:00 in the morning. This kind of irresponsibility were true. Nevertheless, what Mr. awareness that our dining hall elementary precautions, regardless of where you shows a dangerous disregard for the personal safety Bachman fails to understand is situation is "atrocious," to ·say are living-home or college, do deter the number of and rights of other students. that no one has any objections to the least. Most mornings 1 enjoy problems one might otherwise have with either But there is also room for improvement in the the number of our library's hours, strolling to Engtar to wake up to personal safety or property loss." college's current security system. If there was a but rather their placement. Even a nice cup of tea, a glass of juice Several preliminary proposals have been problem in keeping the doors to Whiteford locked, "b.!:aries with 20% fewer hours and some of your delicious discussed by the SGA concerning this issue. why did something like this have to occur before a than ours manage to open their doughnuts. However, I usually Resolutions calling for increasing the number of definite course of action was taken to remedy the doors hours before our 2:00 p.m. end up eating stale bran flakes security guards and improving the lighting situation? The fact that the windows in the ground time on Sundays. because by 9:00 the doughnuts are facilities around the dormitories are being floor lobby were an open means of access to the Is It possible that Mr. Bachman a mere memory in the sleepy prepared. It has even been suggested that the dorm takes some steam out of the charge that can be so inflexible as not to eyes of us .rate-rjsers. I cannot college scrap the current set-up and return to the nothing would have happened if the doors were rearrange the hours to meet with believe that one morning I was Pinkerton services which were discontinued several locked. To be effective, student responsibility must student requests? Surely this served stale cookies for breakfast years ago be backed' up by a reliable security system. The rearrangement would take less since no more doughnuts were left But the real issue here is not what changes are credibility of the current system is very low in the time and effort then Mr. Bachman (as usual). Yes, Ms McDonald adopted in the next couple weeks, but what changes opinion of many students. This part of the problem put forth in arriving at some of his might wisely reply, "Well get up are maintained over the next few months. must not be overlooked. preposterous alternatives. No Mr. earlier." Well, Ms. McDonald It is unfortunate that it takes an incident like this A coordinated effort by all the parties involved Bachman, It is not included in the maybe you should get up a little to illustrate just how vulnerable the college can be. can lay the groundwork for a permanent, effective basic liberal arts requirements earlier and see how many people The student body must forget the prevailing solution. Pointing fingers of blame and demanding that students monitor halls on are forced to eat "boring" cereal mentality that "this is just college and we don't overnight changes will only be counterproductive. Sunday mornings. Nor does it say in place of your delicious have to worry about those kinds of things." It is a With the development of a few cooperative in the college catalogue that ail doughnuts! dangerous fallacy. "Those kinds of things" have programs, WMC can be made a safer place without student suggestions are to be As an athlete I usually get to happened before and will happen again, unless a greatly inconveniencing the students or increasing disregarded. So how about a little dinner around 6:00 and wind up few permanent and effective the costs of our security program. cooperation? eating yesterday's warmed over realized. . Craig Rae continued page 3 Watertower Leaks Personal Viewpoint Why Rocky Horror? Answers fall on deaf ears Robert Holt not an everace time to catch a drew a consistent longstanding At times, a person can find movie, but then the Rocky Horror following of people who "relate" to Beth Williams laidlaw last spring to express himself adversely drawn by Picture Show is not, by any sane the film. Not a series, but ONE 1 read with Interest last week's their concern over the basement fascination to things that should be standards, the average flick. The film that never changes in plot or ~~:~~~l~~~ W~I~~f~~d."a!~~:rd~~; :::tiO~~o~~:mthr:dm!~ ao~~e~iV: :i~~~~~ 'I!~~n~r~~~el~i:h~.uc~h: ~~oc~~tug~:~~;~n~:~:I:~~on:~ef~!: ~:~:aS:~~h~t~:v::~~I~Oan~:~~: to the article a man probably women, realizing that it is the !;~:~ati~~C~lth c~h~m~~tieeDel!~ ~ovrer:ger~l:~~~gOfe~:~~oe~s ~~i ~~:it:~:O~n~:~~~;~~~:e~o;t~:~ entered Whiteford through an open students' responsibility to keep the Theta Fraternity, sponsored a tertainment. of fact, many people mime the basement door. He then opened a dorm doors closed, also were Halloween showing of the Rocky Rocky Horror is a movie that is whole movie right In front of the woman's unlocked door, assaulted aware that we don" live in an ideal Horror Picture snew. The nationally renowned for the rest of the audience. 1t has become her, and fled world, and therefore that people highlight of the evening was the bizarre phenomenon of cinema a cult ritual; many people Room doors are often left would insist on USing the basement midnight showing of the movie. audience participation. Never religously see the movie frequetly, unlocked late at night for room- door. They reasoned fhat it would Now I'll grant you, midnight is before have I heard of a movie that even every weekend. The big thing mates who are down the hall or be nice if everyone would use only with the audience is throwing across campus. Perhaps these the Iront doors, but since they anything and everything at the doors shouldn" be left unlocked, won't, a solution might be to put a movie screen, and each other, but the fact is, they are. No one lock on the basement door which when the proper cue occurs. wants to hassle with a locked door could be opened by students' keys. I Having read and heard about Hie and key if they are "blitzed" or Dean laidlaw explained that no Rocky Hoe-rcr audience par just visiting a friend next door. If other dc1t"mhad more than one door tlcipation phenomenon, I decided the doors leading outside remained which opened by a key that it was worth seeing. Now locked, the inside doors wouldn't although the meeting had been I many movie reviewers {the ~~u~oo;;~~~r~b~e~~rry. Thus, the ~~~~~~ec:,,~ie:n ~~~~det:tr~~n;h:~: ~:~~~~~~n~s~~r~~:~r t~e~i~t:~n t~~ Only the front door of Whiteford doorknobs of womens' rooms, ~:w~~e~:;~~~~~ a~~:ea~~~e:~h! opens with students' keys. Dean laidlaw felt that the won-led evening progress from wild to However, it is extremely in students were carrying things too insane, I was glad that I heeded a ~~~~7~~e~~,w~~n ~~~in~pfr~m hti~'~ ~~~'g!:~e~e~~!h:::~~i~it~d:~t r:~~ ~~;~~~!0;r6r~ct:~~~~'s ~~th~Ovie around to the front door, down a was being too pessimistic. When An English production (need I 10ng11allway, and back down two the girls asked why they shouldn't say more?), the movie is a flightsof stairs when you had been assume that someone was trying to paradoxical twist of the right outside your room window get in to harm them, Dean Laidlaw Frankenstein theme, but it is done The basement door is therefore acted as though that were absurd. with Transvestite flavoring. Dr. propped open to allow easy entry Dean laidlaw, do you still think Frank N. sur-tee. convincingly and exit, for anyone these students who were concerned played by a chap named Tim What really fascinated us about and responsible enough to meet Curry, is a transvestite from the the news article, though, was Dean with you, to offer a solution to what planet Transexual. The monster laidlaw's response when the proved to be a very real problem, Frank creates is the blond haired reporter asked "what could be were being overly concerned? Are muscle man of his dreams, named done to make students lock the you willing to listen now that a Rocky. The rest is history. f~rsst~~!~~:~~~i~~~~~~~~~~ t~:=~ ~~rC::l? h~~y~:Cnha~;~negc~~!a,~~ Ci~o~~; va~';;:~i~'e:~u~'e~;~!~ ano~ laidlaw, aren't you listening? on the basement door won't en- ~:~;) t~~i:n~~:~ y~~s saa~m~s~ Students have tried to answer that tirely eliminate future problems, everything a moviegoer could question. but it would certainly lessen the want, and a rowdy audience needs A delegation of eight students chances of such an incident hap- h t h I h II Th . 11.. 1I...·'.omllw.h.i~.fu.'d.,.m.e.t.w.it.h.D.e••nll~.n.'n•••.••••'n.'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA.R.O.Ck.Y.".O.".O'.f.an •••".iv.e.'i.nc.o•••ni.tO.f.o,.t.he.'IIOWIIIIIIOII'".'~II".n.O.~.o.n~.in.'u.ed.;.~ ••e.'~II.