Warning, this commentary was written by Mike "80s" Butler

I will be the first to admit that I am not the most mentally stable person on campus. I have been known to come up with ideas that would be considered "insane" to the mainstream. Even crazier is the fact that I have often acted on these ideas. Should I be sent to the Rooyman's Center for help or to a padded room for some "rest?" No. I should be running this co1lege.

"But Mike," I hear you say, "that's an insane notion." ''First of all, call me 80's; this is a casual conversation Secondly, you should give the so-ca1ledinsane a chance to explain themselves before you call the men in the white coats.

I would have loved to be in the meeting where the decision was made to convert the upstairs offices of Grace Hall into dorm rooms. I can see it now: yours truly sitting with the administrative big-wigs, drinking grain alcohol out of a bathtub, listening to some Kenny G, and dropping obscene amounts of acid. Somewhere during all of this, the idea of making Grace Hall into a dorm to house freshmen arises and is met with much acclaim. After two straight hours of watching Pokemon and wondering why the show was never nominated for an Emmy, another administrator gets up and says "Let's only have 65 slots open for next year's seniors." Once again, everyone erupts into applause, but only because Team Rocket was thwarted once again by an enraged Pikachu. The next morning, these ideas become a reality and the rest of Cabrini is forced to deal to with them.

Sixty-five slots for seniors next year? We're making all this new room for incoming freshmen and we sti1l feel the need to shaft the senior class? This does not make sense. And if it does not make sense then the seniors shouldn't get shafted.

Apparently the administration has not learned that pissing off the senior class is asking for trouble. I would think that the administration would keep their upper classmen happy as they are the closest to being alumni and future donators than the incoming freshmen. No college wants their alumni unhappy. But alas, common sense once again is forsaken. A lot of people in the class of 2001 are going to get screwed out of housing and that does not sit well with me, especially since I might be one of the screwed (and no one screws me unless it's my girlfriend).

So I propose my own insane measures to rectify this situation. I propose an administrative-boarding program where upperclassmen screwed out of housing can shack up with an administrator at his or her house. I am sure President Iadarola would love to have n;ielive in her spacious house along with two or three other guys. Hey, it's not really her house anyway. Let the board of trustees get to know the students they make decisions for by Jetting some of them stay at their houses. I can see a senior living with Steve Highsmith and saying "Hey Stevie, the bottle of Jaegermeister is mine. Touch it and I put your head through a TV."

Can you see it? Can you see my vision? IT'S BEAUTIFUL!°Living with the administration and the board of trustees is genius! I know it can work with the backing of the right people. No big renovations! No tuition increases to pay for thei>ig renovations! I have a dream and it is this!

Or we can increase the number of housing spots for seniors, cap the number of freshmen the school lets in, give the faculty back their offices, and pretend that this never happened. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

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Four years here, more good than bad {believe it or not)

Anymore, all the perspectives section of the paper has had nothing but whining and complaining to get their point across. I am going to do just the opposite, and still tell it like it is. I understand that there are many things to find wrong in the system of Cabrini College. Believe me, I know how frustrated the administration and other staff members can make • people. Still, I don't see too many people working together to make their voices heard for a change. Sitting in the cafe with your friends as you groan and moan about the way things are is not a productive way of changing things. Until there is a problem that angers everyone enough that we suddenly band together and storm through the president's office, complaining will get you nowhere fast.

I know that there are less than 90 days to graduation. I know that there are aspects about this school that suck. But, I am also aware of the good qualities of this place. No matter where you go, there are always going to be issues. That's just a fact of life. We don't have to like them, but don't sit back and feel sorry for yourselves either. If I had my choice, I would never have returned from Florida during Christmas break. But, I have one semester left until I'll be back there for good. It's not going to be that bad.

For those of you who say this is the worst school you've ever been in, how many colleges have you actually attended?

I'm willing to bet that the number is less than two. So, shut your trap and get over it. I'm not sorry for being this blunt, either. If you have a problem with this, feel free to come up to me and say so. But more than likely, you'll just sit in your rooms and whine and complain that what I'm saying is true. It's time to grow up, kids.

None of us have to be here. It's our choice to stay and get a quality education. Yes, this school does provide a quality education for those of you who feel otherwise. If you took the time to look at the good aspects of Cabrini, and life in general, you'd unde~tand that everything works itself out over time.

I will be happy when May 21st rolls around. That's because I have been here for four years and I am more than ready to go off and do my own thing now. But, I wasn't ready until the beginning of this school year, and I admit that. I'm going to tell you, four years goes really fast. It goes a lot faster when you don't waste time screaming and crying when things don't go your way, believe me. You have a choice, continue to make the years linger by drowning in self-pity and aggravation, or actually take the time to enjoy the time here that you have. Hopefully, you'll make the right choice.

The bottom line is that I will continue to count down the days to graduation and I'll be the happiest pe~on when it's time to go. Of course I am not happy with the way a lot of the system here works. But, I will still look back on my experience here and know that I had a great four years of my life thanks to this place.

Freshmen, make the most of your time here that you can. Don't spend time looking at the negatives. Focus on the positives and draw them out. These will be four of the best years you'll have, honest. Sophomores, you're half-way there after this semester. Don't make your last two years here miserable. They'll be over before you know it. Juniors, you're going to be carrying the torch soon for those of us in the senior class. Don't let the light dim with frustration and closed-mindedness. Seniors, we've had a great time, whether you know it now or not. I hope that you have the same positive attitude when we're ready to walk down the isle in May.

Well, that is all I have to say in this matter. I've pleaded my case and it's your choice as to what you're going to do. Just remember, if in the long-run you look back on this time and you have nothing good to say about the time you spent here, you really have nobody to blame but yourself. When all is said and done, if you want to see the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.

Shannon Downs is a photojournalist for Loquitur. She has eaten ice cream for lunch every day for the past four years.

But then again, not all of the seniors agree with that

Okay, now don't be worried that this is going to be one of those sappy commentaries written by a senior who is reluctant to graduate. Rather this is the musings of a student who is ready to get the hell out, because, I am one of the lucky ones, I will be graduating in less than three short months. Yes, I will be out in the real world and I will have a full time job and bills to pay, but at least I won't have to contend with the whims of Cabrini's administration any longer. For those of you who will be left behind, two words of advice, be prepared, for who knows what Cabrini may have in store for you in the corning year.

Maybe because I am involved in the school I have an inside track as to what is awaiting you in the next few months. For those of you who plan on living on campus, watch out, there will be 160 new residence spaces for firstyear students next year. Now 60 of those spaces will come from the converting of Grace Hall into a residence hall but the college still needs to find a hundred more spaces for the incoming students. Where will those beds come from, you ask, well if you must know it might be yours. Yes, that's right even though you may live on campus now there may be a chance that you won't have a spot on campus but a first-year student will. Current Juniors, be especially wary, because only half of you who live on campus will have a space come next year. And if you live anywhere close to Cabrini, you don't have a chance in hell of living on campus again because the primary deciding factor of who can live on campus will depend upon how close you live to the school.

If the fact that a first-year student will be given priority over you, a current student, really pisses you off it is time to do something about it and soon. It is time for the students to band together and make a difference. The new housing policy is not as of yet set in stone but before we fight it we have to come up with other possible solutions to the problem.

As president of the Student Government Association I am pleading with you to band behind us. I admit that we have not been as vocal as we would have liked this past year, but we are an association created by the students, of students, for the students and we need your backing in order to accomplish anything. Pay attention to the posters and flyers you see around campus in the next few weeks because we will be holding campus-wide meetings to discuss these issues among anything else that is bothering you as a student and if you want to change something you need to voice your opinion.

On a final note this section is dedicated to the administration, in particular, Dr. ladorala. As a student I commend you on your vision of what you foresee happening to Cabrini during the next ten years, however many of these ideas are far from being realistically achieved in that time frame. A new library, a science education and technology building, a student center-all excellent ideas-but how can we afford to start these projects when we are still paying for the Dixon Center, the apartment complex, a new communications center, and a mound of mud that will eventually be transformed into a new residence hall?

Once again Cabrini is trying to play catch up, and as a result a new group of people are getting screwed, the faculty. The faculty are the greatest asset that Cabrini has to offer to its students, yet these people who spend so much time with us both in and out of the classroom are being forced to move out of their offices just so the admintstration can correct its mistakes. Funny, isn't it that Dr. Iadorala doesn't give up her huge office on the second floor of the mansion to the incoming students. Maybe the administration should look into that idea because in her office alone about another twenty students could be housed.

Before I end this commentary, I have one more question that needs to be answered by the administration. What is more important to you the people of Cabrini, the students, staff and faculty, or the money in your pocket? If you answered the people then maybe it is time to re-evaluate what you are doing because the people here are not happy. Before you bring in more people maybe you should make sure that those people that are already here are happy and intend on staying here. If you answered the latter respond then congratulations, you are doing an excellent job and keep up the good work.

Nicole

Klimas is a guest writer for Loquitur.