A story that may save your life EDITORIAL Access denied _by Cabrini

C~brini students can go and download information from any pornographic or questionable site, but are unable to access a web site still entirely legal and most often informative.

Napster.com is a site devoted to music-file sharing. In addition to the file sharing, there are polls and congressional links that support Napster.com's argument on why they are within legal limitations. The college has blocked access to the site, therefore making its own judgment and legal ruling against N apster.com by disallowing the other side of the argument to be heard from the source. Napster.com promotes an opportunity for unsigned artists to circulate work that would otherwise go unheard. Napster.com in no way has control of what types of music files- are shared between users. In essence, it's the sanie as lending someone a CD or tape.

So the question that remains is why has the college banned access to a site enforcing a policy that has no legs? In late August the courts found Napster.com guilty of copyright infringement laws and had the site temporarily shut down. Napster.com appealed and had the site up and running three days later, all within legal reason. Cabrini is not the only college enforcing the policy of banning the site. Upwards of 30 percent of schools nationwide have issued this ban on Napster.com. One argument states that colleges do not want to be in support of something that they feel is illegal on their campuses.

What colleges do not get is that it does not stop with Napster.com. File sharing sites such as Gnutella.com are spreading like wildfire on Napster.com's heels. Many computers already come with a parental lock feature that allows parents to control what sites their children can access. What's next, college locks? Napster.com's fate is still up in the air. They are expected to be back in court within the next month for another one of possibly several more hearings. Until a ruling is reached Napster.com should be fair game to anyone with access. Colleges do wield power, but the government swings a heavier hammer, and perhaps that's who the colleges should be listening to and not to what they think makes them look more upstanding.

_Stcphanil1.1:gicc~ C O 1\11\·1ENT A RY

I love meeting new people, and I love the way they can affect your life in an instant The way a person tells a story or the way they conduct themselves can almost become contagious. Even if you only met someone for a few hours they can leave a part of themselves that you will take,with you forever.Last year I met a man that changed the way I think about drunk driving forever.

Over Christmas break last year, a group of friends and I went downtown to hang out We wound up at a trendy coffee house named Xando's which is located right off of South Street. We were gossiping about people we knew from high school when a young man walked up to our table. He had strawberry blonde hair was about 130 pounds and about 5 feet 6 inches. His face looked pale against the black leather coat he was wearing.

"Hi girls, how are you," he said with an innocent smile.

"Do you mind if I sit down?"

We all took a look around at each other's expressions and warmly said sure.

He told us that his name was JB and that he was glad to meet us all. He asked us what school we all went to and what our majors were. We all told him about our schools, Temple, Cabrini, Yorlc,Marywood and about how basically we were all studying English.

"Wow, I used to study English when I was in college. I went to Temple but I didn't graduate," he said with his hands tightly held together and his head looking down.

We asked him why he didn't graduate and this was when he told us about his life.

When he was a junior in college he was into drugs and alcohol. He told us about how he would get drunk and smoke and was even addicted to such hea,y drugs as cocaine. One night he and his best friend were driving home from a party intoxicated and high. JB was driving when he fell asleep at the wheel crashing into a tree. He woke up later after being in a coma with a massive head injury. He was notified that his best friend had been killed in the crash.

JB sat for a second in silence. He couldn't remember anything before high school and would go through years of physical therapy. He had to be taught how to do basic skills including walking, reading and writing.

He told us that he has trouble staying awake past lO o'clock and how he needs help with a lot of things.

My friends and I listened to his story, jaws opening and closing, tears in our eyes as this man told us about his second chance at life. My friend asked if he was thankfulfor his second chance at life and if he was now closer with God. He mentioned how he was not a man of strong faith but that he was glad to be alive.

He told us about how he loves to write and how he is in the process of writing a book with a woman who helps him with his thoughts. He stressed how important it is to stay away from drinking and driving and to never get in the car with someone who is under the influence. JB wants to have a house of his own and wants to go back to college. His mother fears that it will be too much for him but he is working towards it. h took him over five years to get where he is today and he is still a lot slower than a man of his age should be.

My friend said he should become a motivational speaker at area schools to talk about his experience. JB said that someday he would like to. When JB was done talking he said he was going to go have a cigarette. He walked over to the couple whom he was having coffee with and I remember him saying "See I told you they were nice." That was the last I ever saw or heard of that man.

My friends and I sat at our table staring at our lattes and cappuccinos with a new-found sensitivity in our hearts. We let this man sit at our table and share his thoughts with open minds and curious thoughts. It arnaz.esme howI was at that coffee house at the same time JB was. If anything he has made me realize how one little car ride home can change the lives of many forever. I just hope that by reading this article JB has helped save the lives of a few more passengers.

Steph Masucciis the ManagingEditor of the Loquitur.She's not wearing a mask, but she is wearinga wig.

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