Page 48 - ThePhoenix1991-92

Page 4 Western Maryland College What's Wrong with Western Maryland College? So.... itseems thatGLAR mea1shave become the new form __ ljI1 of campus currency. The system is quite ingenious, actually. For example, one could calculate his/her Jan-term bill by totaling the number of meals eaten, disregarding it, and By THOMAS E. QmRK SI<>ffR,p""" subtracting zero from the sum of the cost of total meals It's always easy to criticize an institution for what it is not doing. This editorial simply possibly eaten. Therefore, it made a minimal difference- to raises questions and will try not to target anyone person to blame. We are all to blame. be exact, absolutely none at all- whether a person had been If you are asking, "What problem?" it only serves to prove my point. Western Maryland subsisting on Colgate and tap water for a month. suffers severely from complacency. Our school seems destined to be just an extension of the Try to save money? Personally, Iwould never even dream of attempting an act high school system. that utterly heinous. It's not as if I was living on campus A good description of this complacency was written in The Phoenix editorial of November merely to earn next semester's tuition. Anyway, my fairy 22. 1991 by Dave Miller, who wrote "Who's in the SGA?" His editorial detailed the godmother can becountedon to drop the lump sum in my lap. ineffectiveness of the Student Government Association on campus. He wrote about people No ....my sole reason for working had been to afford the ignorant of what's going on around them, but, if informed. how they might do something. privilege of not eating GLAR food. I read Dave's article with a glimmer of hope in my eye. Yet, the more and more time I I'm not quite bright enough to reach this logical decision spend here, the more that slight hope diminishes. I've heard time and time again,"Y eah, we'll without help, however. All hail to my "friends in higher do something ...we'U make a difference." Yet when these hopeful idealist get into the WMC places." 0 system nothing really changes. Since the revival of the student right's movement last year, there have been improvements. We now have more representation and even votes on the Board of Trustees. We are included in more decision making. There is more of an effort by the administration to reach out and include us in changes that affect WMC. For example, in the recent book store evaluation, two students are included on the bookstore task force committee. They serve to give opinions and vote on how future management will be conducted. (See anicle.) This is a start. However, there are still many policies that are put into effect without our input, despite how deeply we may be affected by them. One example of many is the library. Last semester the library decided to close the common study room at twelve, instead of two. The reason was that some jerk ripped off the telephone and damaged some of the area. When asked why the room was closed, the Director of Hoover Library David Neikirk said it was Campus Safety who had decided the outcome. If the library is supposed to be the heart of this college, why is it closed all the time? Noronlydoes WMC lack hours,italsolacksbooks. Why are there so few? Iknow it takes considerable resources to pay for workers to keep the library open and to puchase books to fill it, but isn't studying supposed to be one of our main priorities? Another example of complacency is found concerning the All College Council. This council is supposed to be a mechanism where students. faculty and administration can come and speak on problems. Yet, how many of you even know it existed? When and where are it's meetings? Who even attends? Do you? Iwas walking aroud campus and couldn't help notice all the Paul Tsongas for President fliers. Yet, Iwould venture to guess that maybe five people on campus even cared enough to look seriously at the flier. And Iwould guess not one has considered going to his speech. As amatteroffact, it seems that the only studerulntereston this campus is mandated by the faculty. The Phoenix Of course there has been notable exceptions through the last four years ...but very few. Are we building a skeleton college with the physical looks and not the muscle to move it? Editor Jennifer Scott If so, doesn't that mean we are really dead and just fooling ourselves? Business Manager Mark Long Maybe ...maybeifthings get 100 rough we willjustsell off to theJapanesc like floundering Layout Editor Constantine Frangos Ed Rigling colleges have done in the past. Where are our priorities? Sports Editor Editor Bob Kirkendall Photography One area The Phoenix will report on this semester will be the student body. There have Cartoonist Mike Jenkins been rumors floating around that our standards are actually declining with enrollment procedures. Are we really out to attract the best qualified students, or are we just out to get Faculty Advisor Terry Dalton anyone who can afford to pay tuition without financial aid costs. Student Advisor Andrea Covington WHO are we..the students? Don't we care about this place? Is our generation as Due to the increasing size of The Phoenix staff, reporters and complacent and apathetic as the main stream media portray us? columnists will no longer be included here, but wiUbe credited If the student evaluation goes well,The Phoenix will next focus on the faculty and then the in each by-line. administration. The hard questions will beasked ..and yes, Western Maryland will have to take The Phoenix is published bi-weekly. The opinions expressed a hard look at itself and come to grips with who it really is-not who it would like to be. Once do not necessarily reflect those of Phoenix staff members, the this assessment is done, maybe we can really make up the difference. But judging from the faculty, or the administration at Western Maryland College. past, will it all really matter in the end? 0 ThePhoenixwekomesfree·lancesubmissionsonMacintoshor IBM disk in most word processor formats. The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, length and liable, and will be published as space permits. Letters to the Editor that are one page, typed, and double-spaced are guarenteed publication in "'VJANT%O! the upcoming issue. The editor reserves the right to edit for liable. Talented Photographers All submissions (excluding self-addressed diskettes) become the property of The Phoenix and cannot be returned. and Reporters for the Phoenix. Please include a name and phone number for verification. Address mail to: The Phoenix Meeting tim•• are Monday. 6:30 In the Basement of Daniel MeLea 2 College Hill Western Maryland College Westminster,MD 21157