Page 162 - Phoenix2001-02

COMMENTARY Wednesday. May 8, 2002 - Page 6 Staff Moral lesson: what goes ermpaper Editors-In-Chief around comes around iracle Edward K. Schultheis '03 Matthew E. Hurff '03 Tara Dellaframia talks about a hooked the chair with her foot. "Urn, we Terry Dalton regards staff News Editor personal experience in which she were using that," she protested. "All right," member with the utmost respect LeRoy McDuffie '05 battled the rudeness of others. I thought. That's it, here comes the cynic- and admiration. the avenger. Assistant News Editor It's nice to know that each year at col- Fueling my aggravation further was the Pound for pound, inch for inch, coul lege Iaccomplish something. Not only do I fact that my friend was going to feel like crap ere be a more valued WMC employee tha Stacey Myers '02 learn a lot more academic stuff (some of because of these girls unless 1did something. im? Any student who has burst into Hoove which is vital, some of which seems useless), "Oh!" I exclaimed, putting my hand ibrery the night before his/her research pa Features Editor but always an important social lesson. mock-sincerely over my heart, "I am so r is due, hoping for a miracle and prayin Jessica Watson '05 This year, I learned a lot about comfort sorry! Were you really using thatchair?l" at this isn't his night off; knows exactly 0 ability and lack thereof. There are, of course, "Yeah, yeah we really were," one of the hom Ispeak: Clement Ho, miracle-maker Assistant Features Editor the basic observances of American college girls replied. Ididn't even dignify her reply Reference librarians are not normally re Tammi Slater '03 culture that any international student or lin- with direct eye contact, for I was mostly ered on college campuses, but Clement guistics teacher could tell you: social mores speaking to my friends and any others who ho is soon to leave Western Maryland fo Commentary Editor of standing at an appropriate distance, things happened to be listening to the co~c1usion mericau University - was (and stilt is) ev you're expected to say in daily conversation, of my friend's complicated plight. ry student's best friend when it came to find Erin Romanski '04 or how often one should reference sex and! "Oh, I had no idea. I would never have ng those elusive sources that someho or drugs/alcohol. done that... if only I had known." ever got uncovered without Clement's help Assistant Commentary Editor But what about those people that seem After furthering this banter for a few mo- is reputation for bailing out panic-srticke Donna Hurd '03 almost devoted to rudeness or to making you tudents was so well established that I regu feel unwelcome or uncomfortable on your New rule: If a person or arly included his name on all my researc Sports Editor own college campus? Do they leave you a group of people makes eper instruction handouts. Greg Lederer '03 stammering for words in a shocked and dis- And help he did. In Stacey Myers' Iovel heartened state? you feel uncomfortable, 'unsung hero" piece on Clement in the Apri Assistant Sports Editor It would seem that society offers no other simply reverse roles, 4 Phoenix, my favorite story is about th way of dealing with such appalling behav- rudenr who appeared in Hoover the nigh Chris Taugher '02 ior. Solution learned. making them feel moreso. fore her first-year seminar project was due Senior Writer Recently, two friends and J were enjoy- Presto! Within a short time, Clement ha Michael Jenkinson '02 ing a fourth meal in the Pub. My female ments and puzzling these girls until they irected her to all the sources she needed friend, already insecure about the social is- were more uncomfortable and confused than ut more importantly, he had shown her ho sues caused by being an independent on cam- they were to begin with, I sat down. o use the library's reference section so tha Staff Writers pus, simply got up to throw her trash in the I'm not sure if I had a satisfied grin on he would not need his help the next tim Katie Champion '04 garbage. She left her keys on the chair. As my face (someone once told me that she's his happened. "He got me an 'A' on my pa Mike Cubbage '05 soon as she stood up, a group of girls seated never seen me grin), but it felt that way. My er," the student is quoted as saying. " Andrea Debi at the table to our left snatched her chair smiling friend was clearly grateful; though hculd send him flowers or something." Tara Dellafranzia '03 away. Her keys went flying, but these 'stu- those others involved and many spectators- Flowers? This guy should be knighted b Colby Goodrum '03 dents' (yes administration, if you don't want may have still seen me as an idiot, r was the very student who bas ever gone from zer a bad image, don't admit students like these) hero of my table, and so Iproduced and pro- o a hundred on their research paper in th Arielle Gonnes '05 He als Marcus Helton '02 ignored her. I realize that most students that claimed a new credo to live by. pace of 60 minutes with Clement. and though While eJped faculty, too, of course, Lindsay Hicks '05 New rule: If a person or a group of people participate in Greek organizations are not makes you feel uncomfortable, simply re- othing of going the extra mile to satis Mike Jenkinson '02 hem. rude and are in fact taught the virtues of sis- verse roles, making them feel moreso. Lu Lu Li ter and brotherhood, the fact that this group Sometimes Imay care what people think. A perfect example of this is found in rh Steve Sharkey '02 of girls belonged to a sorority was not help- Who doesn't? There are certain occasions forementioned article that recount'> the tim Shanee Strother '05 ing my friend. like this one, though, where one must take e stayed up until 5 a.m. one night assem Michael Vyskocil '05 My friend, practically humiliated by these all principles of literary heroes, the might of liog a full list of citations and Web sites fo Heather Weisse '04 nitwits, grabbed her keys from the chair. She Mighty Mouse and every other underdog sociology professor. It didn't seem to mat Michael Wiles '03 then went over and politely asked another ever fathomed, and the democracy inside r that he was leaving the country on vaca Steve Zamagias '02 table of girls if she could borrow a chair. oneself that hasn't seen the light of a truly 'on that same day. They kindly agreed, and she had a different American day, and act. Clement, we will miss you. Not just you chair. I loudly pointed out how kind my Clothe your mind in a toga and grab the xtraordinary skills as a reference librarian Adviser friend was for asking for a chair with such scales from the grocery store: you may only ut your graciousness, your modesty, you Terry Dalton well-bred manners. be a college student, you may be opposing a hann, and your incredible unselfishness However, 1 was not content. I just had to mass more intimidating than yourself, and tudems at American University, conside The Phoenix is published biweekly. The ourselves pPinions expressed do not necessarily represen burst that pre-Spring Fling drunken-brain- you may never be content. But you, my nmflowers. lucky. Very lucky. And yes, sen bubble that surrounded cell-lacking the girls ~ose of The Phoenix staff, the faculty, or me friend, are Justice! !arurunistrators ofWMC. at the other table. One of them stood up for -Tara Dellafranzia is a junior whatever reason, and I grabbed her chair. Terry Dalton is a professor of The paper welcomes free-1ance submissions English major. GLORY! Or not. One of her friends had iournallsm at WMC. ~ Macintosh disks in most word processor for- larity, length, and libel and to publish as space We must not lose sight of our ideals ~nals. The editors reserve the right to edit fo F'i~. All submissions (excluding self-ad- Mike Wiles invites the campus to they are no matter how they are labeled. student body, might have been able to stop pressea diskettes) become the property of Th maintain unity despite WMCs What surprises me is how the people who this thing if we reall~ wanted to. hoenix and cannot be returned. Please include a name and phone numbe changing identity. ~::: ~~:~e~~;:~ a:;~~st~~~h n~h~e~~s:~!~ it :~~i;ea:o~g~.a~~{~~t~~~:~~~~ ~~tr:~: or verification. Names will be withheld only by With the announcement of our school's unaccomplished. Even "Cindi" has stopped anything but I still think that we could have !the discretion of the Editors-in-Chief. new name finally upon us, I am left with one sending me uninvited and annoying e-mails. made a difference if we had stuck together. The Phoenix does not discriminate based on question: are people still fighting this? r might miss that more than anything else. There is no reason in the world why a group ge, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, 1 remember back to Jan Term when this Tf so many of us believe in something so of people, no matter what size, cannot make ~~na1 origin, condition of handicap, or mari- all began, and how so many students (my- strongly, how can it die in a matter of a few a difference and bring about change (or, in ,,"sta"" self.included) got all bent ~ut of shape over months? Is it truly possible that we have this case, prevent change) if they truly in- the Idea and swore we would not stand for attention spans the length of a sitcom? tend to. History teaches us this is possible. Mail to: it. Come this Friday, it looks like most of us What really affected me about the opposi- It just bothers me that people stopped The Phoenix will be doing just that in Red Square, when tion to the name change was the way that caring so quickly. As Ihave said before, we WMC, 2 College Hill the school's new name is announced: stand- students on campus came together (those have become WAY too apathetic in this day Westminster, MD 21157 ing for it. who supported it, that is) and stood finn in and age. Without ideals and beliefs, and the (410)751-8600 Now. in the interest of covering my own what they believed as one. Such unity, I re- conviction to fight for them, our society is FAX, (410) 857-2729 behind, Iwould like to remind everyone that member thinking, has got to mean some- undoubtedly doomed. E-Mail: phoenix@wmdc.edu I threw this cause a while ago, deciding that thing, and, what is more, has got to possess -Mike Wiles is a junior English it really does not matter what you callWMC, a certain amount of force and momentum. major. or anything else, because things are what For a while, I honestly thought that we, the