Page 182 - Phoenix1998-99

Thursday. May 6, 1999 - Page 6 COMMENTARY ~taff Letters to the Editor Editors-In-Chief A misunderstanding? MeganManin'OJ EmilyStamalhis'()() they had arrived, was part of an April Fools' However, Mr. Kelly holds monthly class Dear Editor, joke, which Kelly asked to be taken in the Managing Editor meetings, and he organized and helped with Laura Kelley '01 We all make mistakes, and often in our light and jovial nature in which it was in- the building of the Class of2001 's first place lives, we interpret or perceive things differ- tended. News Editors homecoming float. Erin Howard '00 ently from others. Is this wrong? Are we bad However, realizing that not everyone was Beyond that, he has listened to students' 1eniferSirkis '01 people because we do these things? pleased, Kelly issued a formal apology to the concerns on the orientation process, the No, we are not. Class of 200 I. Features Editor honor code, the plus/minus system, the stu- Sarah Radice '01 Recently, in a letter to the editor, a stu- I believe that the writer of the letter to dent bill of rights, and many others. dent voiced his disgust for the actions taken the editor dealt with the situation in a way He has been someone who has constantly Assistant Features Editor by Class of2001 president Jeremiah Kelly. Rich Simmons '99 which is not conducive to the community we wanted to press on when others were will- The letter claimed that Kelly blatantly have here. ing to allow the administration to have their Commentary Editor lied to the student body without any regard Kristen G. Fraser -oo While I certainly respect his point of way with the students: for them and their concerns. view, this is not the "Washington political Yes, what happened was wrong. But those Assistant Commentary Editor He did this by writing a letter, which scene" and personal attacks on individuals who went- ask yourselves, would you have Lisa Dale-VanAuken '02 stated that a class meeting would be held at in our seemingly friendly community have come if the letter had not been written? Sports Editor which a variety of important information that no place. We must maintain the unique na- I believe that Jeremiah Kelly is a good Mike Yestramski '0 I almost every student would want to hear ture of our community. person, and while he should be the subject would be presented. I would ask the writer of that letter if he Assistant Sports Editor of criticism, what was done does not discredit Matthew Thomas '01 In reality, this was nothing more than a actually spoke to Mr. Kelly at all about his all the hard work he has done for our class ploy to gather the class for a picture. concern and distaste for what happened. To and our school. Art Editor/ArchivisULayout There are several key points which the say that Mr. Kelly does not respect or care Michael Puskar '99 Everyone who knows him here at WMC, letter failed to address. I would like to dis- about the class he represents is unfounded. knows that he is a man of good moral and Photographers cuss them now. Mr. Kelly put his reputation on the line ethical standards, who strives to do what he Trang Dam '00 First, the meeting only took fifteen min- in order to get a class picture, not for him- Robyn Hill '02 believes is best. Paul Himes '02 utes out of the daily class schedule of sru- self but for the members of the class. He always has the best intentions, and he Erin Owen 'OJ dents, no more rime than it takes to register It would have been much easier for him is someone who they would be proud to call Hussein Samater "02 for classes. to take the apathetic stance of most class' of- a friend ... I know I am!l! Staff Writers The event, as explained to students when ficers and do little or nothing for the class. Claire Adams '02 Matthew Burger Anne Butler '01 Sophie Boulet Roommate survival tips Ben Decker ''00 Julie Develin '01 Drugs andfinancial aid Shauna Dominguez '02 Kate Esposito '01 Danielle Loiacono advises Joan Faulkner '02 bed, or put my clothes away, or throw food Shannon Hess '02 students on the roommate out that's been in my refrigerator for three To the editors: Mike Jenkinson Brooke Joseph '02 experience. weeks. Mollie Land '02 I'm not perfect, and I know Ihave to work The Higher Education Act of 1998 (HEA) Ron Mojica '02 Okay. So by now most of us have gotten on that. Someone once said that cleanliness Cathy Pendorf '02 contains a provision automatically prohibit- Francesca Saylor '00 used to living with someone. Tight quarters is next to Godliness - one day I might lis- ing anyone convicted of a drug offensc_jrom Shawn Sprague 'OJ and minimal privacy have their drawbacks, ten an1 ;Iean my room. A. messy room is a receiving federal financial aid for college. Michael Stokes '00 but having a roommate can actually be a re- smelly room, not to mention an unhealthy One could reapply for financial aid only Chris Taugher '02 Emily Wilson '02 warding experience. I mean it. one. after satisfying vague rules on rehabilitation Ted Witiak '02 If you are one of the lucky ones who have Every now and then problems will arise. in addition to satisfying the criminal penal- Kevin Worley '00 gone all year without trying to kill or at least There are a few things you shouldn't do, ties assigned by the court. RainiWright'()() sabotage your roommate, congratulations. no matter how pissed off you get. I, for one, find this an ineffective way to Distribution For the rest of us who have to be con- Plotting revenge against your roommate deal with our nati~n's drug problem. Rich Suchoski '()() fined to close, cramped quarters again next sounds like fun, but results in minimal grati- Before this law was passed, judges had Subscriptions semester, I've come up with a few helpful fication. the discretion to determine on a case-by-case Anne Butler '01 hints that should make dorm life a little easier Tarring and feathering your roommate basis who should be denied financial aid next year. looks a lot better on paper than it does in based upon the severity of the crime, the his- Graduate Assistant Vince Chesney First off, remember that there really is reality. It's your room too, and you have to tory of the individual, and the circumstances someone else living with you. And that per- live with whatever mess you make. of the event. Adviser Iem Raupp son (or persons) has a right to privacy. Go- The middle of the night may be the best This provision of the HEA supersedes ing through their stuff or listening to their time for sabotage, but setting your judges' discretion about punishment. ThePhoenidspublishedbiweekly. The conversations violates that right. Diaries roommate's alarm clock for 3:45 am to a All drug offenses, whether it be distribu- . opinions expressed do not necessarily rep- have locks for reasons. balsa station may backfire. Some people get tion of heroin or possession of marijuana, resent those of The Phoenix staff, the fac- You also have a right to privacy. Let your angry when awoken for no apparent reason. are now lumped together for the purposes of ulty, or the administrators ofWMC. roommate know of any, urn, additional Whatever you do, don't go crazy and determining eligibility for financial aid. "guests" that may be over. A code or system shave off your roommate's eyebrows. You To put this in perspective, people that The paperwelcomes free-lance submis- of operations may be needed. No one likes may be susceptible to retaliation. are convicted of murder, rape, or theft do not sionson Macintoshdisks in most word pro- to walk in on a party they weren't invited to. Your roommate's personal property prob- automatically lose financial aid upon con- cessorformats. Tbeeditorreserves therighr And remember, if you want an audience, sell ably never did anything to you. Breaking it viction and regain their eligibility after com- to edit for clarity, length, and libel and to tickets. would just be vindictive. pleting their sentence. publish as space permits. All submissions Morning is a sensitive time for a lot of Also, trashing the room may be cathar- However, someone found guilty of mis- (excluding self-addressed diskettes) become people. Some of us find it irritating to be tic, but like I said before, you have to live demeanor possession will lose his aid. the property of The Phoenix and cannot be greeted with sunshine and birds chirping. It's with whatever mess you make. This may be the beginning of things (0 returned. not that 8 am isn't a fun time for the energy Communication always helps when try- come. Who knows when the federal govern- Please include a name and. phone num- deficient, it's just that we would rather be ing to maintain a civil living environment. ber for verification. Names will be withheld sleeping. So please, keep the morning happy If you have a problem with your room- ment might move to restrict financial aid offenses. based upon, say, alcohol only by the discretion oflhe Editors-in-OUef. time at a low volume. mate, let him or her know. Ignoring them or The line must be drawn here. Contact The Same also goes for those who go to letting the things that bother you slide will your U.S. Representative at (202) 224-3121, The Phoenixc:klesnotdiscriminatebased sleep at night. After a hard day, when you've not make your problems go away. Talking on age, race, religion, gender, sexual orien- been working all day and you lay down to things through usually helps when problems and tell them to support H.R. 1053, a bill tation, national origin, condition of handi- go to sleep, the last thing anyone wants to arise. introduced by Rep. Barney Frank to over- turn this provision. cap, or marital status. hear is noise. Late-night phone conversations If you are having irreconcilable differ- You can sign a petition at and next-door parties aren't exactly bedtime ences, consider getting a new roommate. www.RaiseYourVoice.comorfindmorein- Mail to: stories. There is a noise policy, follow it. Your roommate can be your best friend, formation about the HEA at www.u-net.org. The Phoenix There's also a policy against harboring or your worst enemy.I'm thankful that Ihave If you are interested in getting involved WMC, 2 College Hill illegal animals. Even if you don't know if the roommate that I do. We get along great. here at WMC, contact me at x8205 or via Westminster, MD 21157 that's her pet or her boyfriend living in the Most of the time, anyway. email at dmlOO3. (410)751-8600 comer of the room, it shouldn't be there. Anyway, good luck next year, and re- FA)(, (410) 857-27'19 I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a slob. I member, your roommate knows where you Dennis Lucey E-Mail: phoenix@wmdc.edu have absolutely no motivation to make my live.