Page 131 - ThePhoenix1993-94

........... - ... . ," ............ Thursday, March 10, 1994 Page 3 ill~ir'J0ffitft·3;'~;;.;}~~WEf:"_,- _@~-: -:1.:~P'-t~,1ill:WWt%W%W·----'--'~--'---'-"'-'-·"'--:J«,;:J0J:;;%[7 • Perspective • LeHer Clubroom Repairs Baltimore's GangProblem? Tied-Up In Red Tape clubroom would be finished over the By Eric Whitehair Dear Editor: summer. Once again we returned in the I have received a few suggestionsfcI Wbat do you do when the school in- fall to find tbat nothing bad been done the title of my cohnnn. Nooe have teen forms you that they bave run out of red and were again infonned that we would eccepeo, so if you still have an idea let tape and can no longer give you a good have to finish the work ourselves. After me know. reason wby your clubroom is not being another 60 hours of work the concrete I have often rema'ked to my trend repaired? Like all organizations you get damage was repaired. two coats of wa- from Sruthem Califania that Baltimcre together and do all you can in order to terprooflng were applied, and the walls does not have a gang JIObIem. I must achieve your goal. were plastered. Much of this was done admit thai. Ihave felta certain amount of W.M.e. prides itself on an honor code at our own expense and if it hadn't been pride in saying this .. 1 like the fact lhat and expects high standards from its stu- for Dr. Hartman we are not sure that the Baltim<:reseems to be this nice little ur- dents. I was surprised, however, to find scbool would have given us any supplies ban ananaIy. out that the school was not leading by to help cut tbe cost. A fellow Baltimore City College example. Over a year and a half ago in It is now the Spring of"1994 and our Ajumnus suggests the climate plays a the fall semester of 1992, the Brotbers of clubroom is still unfinished. During the major role in this. "Heat makes people Delta Upsilon applied for a clubroom fa- time that the Brothers of Delta Upsilon crazy, so if ifs hot all !he time. what do cility and by the end of that semester we have been fighting through red tape and you expect?" he said. were granted one much to our excite- knocking down walls,(wbich is going on Whatever the reasons were, those oes will fix anything" argument leads to. ment. That is until we got a look at it. 2 years now) two other organizations times of a geegless Baltimcre seem to be The gang on North Avenue was filling It was a small room fit for about SO have been granted clubrooms. over. J1te Ba/Jimore Sun. two Sundays void, but oota social void Ratber,itfilled people which was fine with us but it was Clubrooms that needed no work. bow did pas, ran a page one stCly aboet the rise an eccecnic one. also rundown. It bad no electricity and the school manage to find 2 undamaged ard fall of a "gang" in East Baltirocre. Tbe fact of the maner is that there are was literally a lake from the water leak. clubrooms to give organizations that ap- This was news to me. limned opportunities roc upwad mobility We were told that it would be prepared plied after we did? Igrew up inEast Baltilnrn; where in in the east-side area There is a lot of over winter break. Much to our dismay We only ask that our clubroom be- the 80's violentcrime seemed to floorish money to be mOOe in selling drugs. This we were surprised to see that nothing bad come a priority for the physical plant and and !he drug _ was booming. true, market is a "ticket" to things that would been done. So, once again we went we more than welcome any support that there are many professional tree-lance otherwise not be obtained. such as cars. through the proper channels to get some faculty and other organizations can give pIlann>::euticadislributioospecialislsin houses,etc. lam ootmakingexcuses, lam progress ed police pesence the country. grwpsaistlO fillasocialmid, rneds that wereonceackJressed by tbe family. Any will do little good in affecting a drug ocga-- Hazards For Commuters As oIher_of!hegang~seoondary. I nization. Ifarrestsaremade,lheywillon1y realize that my conceptuaIizati is over takeoutiOOividua1s,notthebierart:hical Well As FacultyAnd Staff simplified and 00sed 00 a media pqec.. structure. Soonotba'JXXlPIewi11fillthe tempts having been made to clear them ranks, enticed by the same motivations. tiJnratherthananysyslemalicobserva-- Onecanbuildmorepiscmandlodcevezy- Dear Editor: of snow and ice. It is with beavy heart that Itake pen tioos. bOOy up or ooe can deal with solutioos at In tbe back of my mind I began to 1be"gMg •• !hal operntfd around in band to address a grievance today. I Natb and Greerunoont Avenues in Ea<>t lhesoon:e. perceive that a recent policy decision question the college's decision. Ibegan not to close the college during bad to wonder if tbe college would make So to once again fall into the oversim· Baltimm(atrutsix blocksfrom myo" plified (this is the media, isn't it?). The weatbercould have resulted in a harm- reparations to a student of faculty/staff elementary school) was of a different problem. with tbe BaltiIrKxe"gang"iseco-- ful accident for a student or a member sect. This gang was first and foremost a nomic. The organization was an economic of the faculty and staff. member barmed due to an attempt to ar- capitalist entfrprise. According to The creature. It grew as a response to dysfunc- WMC is primarily a residential col- rive on time. wben the weather is work- ing against us all. Sun, the leOOers of thegang moved into tions of our ecooomic systwl. Therefore, lege and has an obligation to those stu- Perbaps the more fundamental argu- an an-a where the drug trade was unIX- the solutions to any relaled problems must dents who live on campus to provide ment would involve the purse strings. ganized, that is there were individual be focused 00 the econanics as well. some semblance of order and structure Faculty members are compensated for dealers who worlced for themselves. This, I believe, may be different than in their day. But how does one deter- their time spent at WMC. Students pay Then Wal-Mart came. the gang situation in Southern California. mine wbat the price will be to have to attend WMC. Do students pay several Within a few years.the organizatioo "Gang" is a media tag, an oversimplifica- structure for tbe residential students? that had set up shop around North Av- tion of an idea. It's context is inherently If a member of the faculty is in an thousand dollars to risk their safety, and their automobile in bad weatber? enuehadestablislxdamonopoly in that fM!gative, so it is JXrled for JXllitical rheto- accident, is this alrigbt? What about Perbaps the college could adopt a area. It had organized supply runs, ric. It fits nicely with the-otherbu7z wOlds the commuting and non-traditional stu- policy for commuting and non-traditional rented bou~, and provided wages for that make up the litany of"toodem prot>. students that would allow them to make up those who worked inside the ocganiza- lems;" "drugs" (legal of illegal?), dents wbo have to take a chance on ar- missed work on their own time if inclem- riving safely for classes and scheduled boo. It was a busiIx:ss, an organizatioo "crime" (blue collar or wbite collar?), examinations? Is it in a equitable ent weather threatens safety while driving. that existed primarily to generate profil "immorality" (go abead and try to de- trade-off to lose a vebicle or possibly. Snowy and ice-covered roads do consti- They were able to enter the neighbor- fme that one in a social context). a life to venture to class? tute a hazard, and it appears to this com- b.Jod. enter busiress. and eliminate (lit· So I guess Baltimore does bave a Perhaps, if the parking lots and aalIy)tbe~tion. Wby? "gang" problem, but don't be swprised walkways were clear when students ar- muting student, that when colleges intbe area close due to weather, at the very least, How come RoIan:l Park, for ex- when no one asks ··WhyT'. rived, then battle on the roadways WMC could delay opening until the roads ample, a relatively wealthy neigbbJr- would not seem to have been in vain. and parking areas are drivable. bood not much more than four miles This brave conunuter from the class of Sincerely, north. doesn't have shootings and aack 1996 made it bere intact only to find Virgil Cain llJuses? lwouldn'tauributethistotbe Eric Whjtehair is ajumor sodowgy 11Uljor. that the parking lot was not clear and PoIiScilHistory inherent immcIality of people living in that the walkways were covered. The high crime areas, wbicb iswhat the "val- term lousy seemed to apply to the at-