What happenedto my paradisein the woods? iTfief\SielsenRatings

H e 1 1 o Cabrini College. I can remember way back to my senior year in high school. I received the Cabrini College viewTONY BARRETT book, and instantly, I was impressed. When I told my friends where I was going to go to college they said "Where?" I told them that it was in southeastern Pennsylvania, the people on campus are always having fun on the weekends (I visited during spring fling weekend), and that Cabrini College is a beautiful campus tucked back in the woods. They were jealous.

They ask me now how my little "paradise in the woods" is doing, and I lie to them, just to make them jealous. I lie to them because I do not want to tell them that tuition went up nearly 20 percent in two years, people pack in the resident's halls like sardines or that every social event is like the prelude to an AA meeting.

From the look of the old viewbook, I was thankful that this great place admitted me. I can imagine what the new viewbook will look like. Probably a big bulldozer on the front cover, with a big bellied, cigar smoking, hard - hat wearing consbuction worker waving proudly as if to say "Give us a couple of years, we'll make this campus look great again." There will also be a "Road closed sign'', and maybe inside the viewbook, future students will be asked to drive their "cars" and park on roofs of buildings because

.At1dlhi.sis our br4(\d ne.w--fC\vH•i•1"-•llio" dollar w o"de.r f o"~ ! 1M J" c.ks ,ean,5ee~ +o ,~l<e ·,t there is NO way they will get a spot otherwise.

I understand why the new communications lab is being built. I also understand why the new residence hall is being built, although I do not want to. It comes as no surprise that we have a ridiculous overcrowding problem on campus. I think the college may have admitted too many people too soon. What I do not understand, is why the facelift to campus is being done on the students' time.

It might make a little more sense to at least start the new residence hall in the summer. That gives the construction crew a three-month start. The new facelift is creating more inconveniences than good. Did the college think about the residents in Woodcrest, Xavier, or House I. Going back to your room at night is like walking past a war zone.

Who is to blame for the mess that I call Cabrini College? ls it the admissions office for letting in more people than the college can hold? Is it the President? Is it the administration as a whole?

I think it is a combination of all three. I would like to see more communication among the seven committees that run our college, the student body, faculty and staff. I wish the student body as a whole was asked about the new dorm and the inconveniences that would bring. There is so much that I want to say, but do not have the room in this week's edition of the paper to say it all. Once I do more research I will write another article, and it may make people upset, so there is more to come.

The Nielsen Ratings are an occasional critical assessment of whatever happens to be on the author's mind right now. Mail all complaints to Box 627. Thank you.

•New party policy- change from a ridiculous old policy where we could only have one legal party a month. Last I checked the school was still standing.

•New parking policy- I don't see what the big deal is, but then again I ran cross country for six years

•Nine Inch Nails The frneile-proof that there is still good music out there for people who hate the Backstreet Boys

•Brittney Spears- yeah, she's fake. I don't care. But her performance on the MTV awards was scarier than The Blair Witch Project

-Cider Jack Variety Pack- damn that's good stuff!

•GAP commercials- a little bit less annoying then Old Navy commercials, but they're catching up

•Dan Quayle- please don't give up the race. You could be our next president. Danny, you really could be!

Length: no longer than two pages.

How to Submit:

E-mail: Actor 169@aol.com

Phone: 610-902-8412

Requirements: Your name must be included with your submission.

In person:

You can drop off your commentary in the newsroom in Widener Center. It can be put in Dr. Zurek's mailbox, Ben Lunn's box, or Chris Nielsen's box.

Classic mail: The Loquitur c/o Cabrini College

610 King of Prussia Rd. Radnor, PA 19087