EDITORIAL

Rock the Vote, it's the least you could do

• Do you remember last year, in the second semester, when there was a big controversy about graduation? Sure you do. The Loquitur wrote three pages about it every week. It became our cause celebre of last year.

Well, this year the administration has extended an early olive branch. You know the times are changing, because this year students have the opportunity to participate in a truly democratic decision.

As stated in the news section, there will be a ballot sent out to all graduating seniors regarding where they want graduation. They can choose between graduating in the Dixon Center, outside behind the mansion, or an athletic field. In case you are new to Cabrini or just didn't pay attention last year, this is a big step.

Last year, the senior class was ready to arrange a walkout from classes. They also put together a sizable campaign to annoy President Iadorola through mailings and phone calls. It only took about three months of constant harassment for.the seniors to get to graduate where they wanted, behind the mansion.

This year, things are much easier. How easy? All the seniors have to do is tum in their ballot to Student Development by January 28. They can mail it from home or drop it off when they return to school.

But all the same, we have concerns. It has been said before that our school is apathetic. The estimation that 20 _percent of the student body cares about issues and 80 percent doesn't often seems to be about right. This can not be the case this time.

If the senior class does not respond in mass numbers to this survey, then they truly do not deserve the right to make any decisions for themselves. And this would affect not only the graduating class, but probably many classes after it.

So this is it. The Loquitur isn't going to follow you home over break to constantly remind you how big an issue this is. If you want to have a say about graduation, mail your vote back to the school. It's even easier than the Publisher's Clearing House.

And if you don't, don't come complaining to us.

Laura Casamento

There's something about finally getting the heck out of here that's making me feel a bit nostalgic.

As of next Thursday, I will officially be through with my college career. On that day, I will sit in a classroom for the final time, fill in little bubbles with a No. 2 pencil for the last time and walk out of a classroom for the last time.

Well, probably not, the way employers are sending their workers back to college these days. But I like to think that it's the last time.

There are a lot of things I'm going to miss about this school. I'll miss a lot of the people here, from my friends to many of my teachers. I'll miss gossiping with my friends about things heard on the ol' Cabrini rumor mill. I'll miss Tuesday night Loquitur layout sessions. I'll miss being made fun of for saying things like "yous" and "'Lantic City" or for talking about my dawg.

I'll especially miss just being in the newsroom, which has been my home for the past three and a

However, with all the good, there is, of course, some bad. There are a lot of things that I've never understood about Cabrini. 1 will never miss any of those things, and if I ever say that I do, shoot me.

I will not miss the tendency of Cabrini students to say one thing and do another. For three and a half years, I have listened to students complain that they are not treated like adults. They maintain that they are legally able to do whatever they want, and their age entitles them to have certain privileges, such as beer at legal parties. The only way for students to get beer at legal parties is to prove that they are mature enough to handle it. When people are breaking windows in the apartments or relieving themselves in House Two, they are saying, "I am too immature to handle my liquor, and by drinking alcohol, I am increasing that already high level of immaturity. Don't serve me any beer." If you act like a kid, you will be treated like a kid. That's how it works.

However, the administration of the school needs to realize that not all of the students attending Cabrini fall into the above category. I can clearly remember being hauled out of the apartment complex at 4 a.m. by the ringing of the fire alarm, and the tendency of the

Resident Life staff to keep every person outside in the freezing cold until they got a confession. I have a news flash for you: people in their pajamas with tangled hair and zit cream on their faces are not the ones pulling the fire alarms. Try investigating the ones who are fully dressed and throwing up in the bushes out front. I also will not miss being dodged at every turn by certain administrators (you know who you are) who are afraid of the Loquitur. We are not out to destroy your Jives and get you fired. As students of this college, we pay a certain amount of money for the privilege to learn here. However, by paying that money, we are also entitled to be treated with respect. That includes being told how our money is being spent and what benefits we are reaping from that spending.

We also deserve a say in decisions that affect us. That includes such sticking points as the location of the graduation ceremony (which should be outside!) and the quality of the cafeteria food. Don't get me wrong; I have had a great time at this school. However, like any organization, there are things that can be done to improve it. I feel that I have gotten enough of an education over the past few years to know what is wrong and how to fix it.

Laura Casamento is a senior majoring in English/communication. She is the news editor of Loquitur. She'll see all of yous at graduation in the Dixon Center.