Be that "one-in-a-thousand" person who helps out

Twelve girls plus two coaches sat anxiously in the blue-striped van determining what that toxic smell could possibly be coming from under the seats. Alas, we turned around simultaneously to discover our little van smoking up a storm.

Pulling over we climbed a nearby hill, escaping the overheated bus as the driver made the call to send another bus on its way. Shortly after he gave us an enthusiastic thumbs up and assured us "they'll be here in twenty minutes."

•. Confident with his statement we all breathed a sigh of relief that we wouldn't be late to our game against Marywood, still an hour and a half away. So we sat down together in hopes of passing the time quickly. We did our best to ignore the obnoxious comments and honking horns as the endless line of cars sped by.

Every one is in a hurry these days.

The first couple hundred cars that passed by as our softball team huddled next to a sputtering and smoking bus didn't wonder if we were okay. Instead they just wanted to honk and say "bi."

As the minutes ticked on with no sign of relief, the shouting cars became terribly annoying. Even the distractions of certain freshmen attempting to locate a good restroom facility could not deter us from the noises directed to us.

We grew very discouraged.

And yet, just when we couldn't be more doubtful of the society in which we live, a humble blue minivan pulled up along side our hill. The young couple

Letter to the Editor

Take some responsibility for your safety

submitted by Dave Jurkiewicz, alumnus

In the Thursday, March 30th, 2000 edition of The Loquitur, Melissa Lepouski expressed her discomfort with the possible incompetence of the Resident Life and Campus Security departments at Cabrini College. Her initial concern was the fact that she and her roommate had been allowed to sleep through a fire alarm at I :45 am on March 22, 2QOO.Lepouski said that her RA should have made sure that they had exited the building safely In a perfect world, she is absolutely correct. Those in charge of her safety should insure it as best as possible. But this is not a perfect world. The RA's and Public Safety staff are not the National Guard or the Marines. They are regular students and working men and women. They are human, and therefore subject to confusion, fear and bad judgement-- and none of them are paid enough to risk life and limb. So, to compensate for their human weaknesses, Cabrini College has invested in a high-power alarm system. The decibel output of that system is equivalent to a jet plane taking off. If that alarm is incapable of rousing students from their slumber, I doubt that an RA banging on the door would help much either. The sad truth is, accidents do happen. Many are preventable, but some are not. The best thing that any person can do is shift reliance from other people, and find ways to personally ensure bis/her own safety. Furthermore, most people who live in off-campus houses and apartments do not have RA's and Public Safety. They have to get out of the burning building without assistance.

Lepouski's concerns then seemed to move to a different area. Lepouski complained that the RA's and Public Safety staged a fire alarm to provide an opportunity to search rooms for stolen furniture. She insinuated that it was a perfect example of the moral nightmare that is Cabrini College. She felt that it was inappropriate that the RA's used the alarm as an investigative tool. And to add insult to injury, the thieves, who were caught as a result of the search, were fined $200 for each piece of stolen furniture. Well, if Cabrini College decided to run a fire drill, an exercise used to help prepare and protect its students, and then utilized the fire drill as a way to help reduce the theft problem on campus, good for them! Their actions show creativity, resourcefulness, and a desire to make a safer campus for all members of the Cabrini College community.

In conclusion, the world is a dirty and dangerous place. We humans are submerged in a world of crime and intolerance, as well as a physical environment which seems to attack us with natural disasters, diseases, and accidents such as fires. Organizations have been formed to help buffer individuals from the dangers in the world, organizations such as the Resident Life staff and Public Safety. Unfortunately, organizations are not enough. So, I implore all of you-- take responsibility for your own safety. And if you feel that Cabrini College has failed you, address the matter with them--not as a problem that they need to correct, but as a challenge that you together can overcome.

The Nielsen Ratings

As any longtime readers of Loquitur can tell you, "The Nielsen Ratings" are an occasional segment run when the editor needs to fill space. They represent Nielsen's warped opinions and his alone. This is the last time they will be printed, so cherish them.

Beer of the Year- Yuengling Lager (damn, that's still good stufft)

First runner up- Natural Ice (because it is liquid crack)

Coolest car- Dr. Young's BMW, the one that's always parked illegally

Cafeteria worker of the year- tie: Willy and Ben

•Email: Actor169@aol.com or Nieldog@hotmail.com

•Phone: (610) 902-8412

----- simply asked if we needed assistance. Our coach jokingly suggested that our pitcher and catcher should bum a ride with them to get a head start on the warm up. Almost two hours later, we were rescued by the second string bus ready to escort us to our destination. Although we were incredibly late, we survived with the help of two completely random and caring strangers. Out of a thousand cars, only one stopped to offer help.

But it was only that one that truly mattered to us.

The moral?

Make an effort to help someone out, even if you think you can't make a difference.

You may be wrong. And by the way we did finally make it to Marywood and as inspired as we were, we won both games.

Meghan Merkel is the assistant perspectives editor of Loquitur. If you ever see her thumbing a ride on the side of a road, pick her up. You won't regret it.

Loquitur is established as a forum for student expression and as a voice in the uninhibited, robust, free and open discussion of issues.

Editor in chief Ben Lunn

News edlton LinseyHelser

Joe Holden

Photographyeditor

Jim Snook

Photographyand Graph· k DesignAdviser

Don Dempsey

StalfWriten

Tony Barrett

Event of the year- the SGA housing meeting in Xavier Hall College employee of the year- Sam the Mailman

Worst administrative blunder- three way tie: overcrowding the campus, delayed con- struction of the new dorm, and the upside down "N' on the front Cabrini sign

Biggest jackass- whoever set off the sprinklers in the apartments

Runner-up- whoever drew a goatee on Jose last week (and we will find you, jackass)

Best house to live in- House 5, the house so nice I lived there twice

Best administrator of the year- President Antoinette Iadorola. (GITTCHA!)

•Requirements: Names will not be withheld from letters to the editor or commentaries, even at the author's request.