Vandalism, theft, pulling fire alarms: Tell on your friends Keep your lips sealed

ALISASIDERIO STAFFWRITER AMS727@CABRINI EDU

At Cabrini, the fire alarm is pulled one too many times by the wise guys who are apparently looking for attention from their friends or trying to be the “cool kid.” I can remember the alarm being pulled more than a handful of times in Xavier my freshman year. I used to just try and stay in my room until public safety kicked me out because I figured it was someone trying to have a good time by bothering everyone else. I understand at times there are fire drills, but they are needed for public safety to know the fastest ways to evacuate students from danger.

I am sure most of you upperclassmen and even lowerclassmen may recall times this year or in the past years when the fire alarm has been pulled more than once and most likely by the same person. If you do know who it is, which most of the time people do, then you would most likely not even move from your room.

There are many people who know the sneak pulling the red boxed alarm in the dormitory hallways and after awhile I am sure it makes you angry. What if it is your friend? Do you rat them out or keep it to yourself? In my own case, I would probably keep it to myself but after awhile, I would want it to stop and let the dirt out. Waking up that late at night to nonsense may make it hard to go back to sleep or even be able to wake up for a morning class. Most times public safety may have to act like cops. In a way, they are the law and have to enforce the rules. When they see people being suspicious or even knowing who the friends of the culprit are, they may take action on you to find out the truth. What if they threatened you into getting in trouble, wouldn’t you tell? Most of the time, when you get into trouble, it goes on your record.

Letting public safety know the truth leads to the future of waking up to the fire alarm scared that it could be something wrong and not laughing and thinking, not that kid again! Telling on your friend is only giving them a write up and keeping yourself from having trouble in the future with public safety and also the school. We are in college now. If you saw someone stealing money from work, for example, and your boss confronts you and threatens your job, wouldn’t you tell him?

Pulling fire alarms shows the childness and immaturity that some students may still have. If you do not get caught or in trouble for foolish things or pranks like pulling the fire alarm, then you will never learn from your mistakes. I remember when the one kid who pulled alarms got in trouble and kept doing it until he got in serious trouble. If you really do not want your friends to get into deep trouble, and you know they are going to do something wrong, try and talk them out of it. Think of something better to do that wouldn’t worry everyone else.

Pulling the fire alarm is not that funny of a joke. I could understand if you pulled like a senior prank or wrote stuff on your friends door for fun and wouldn’t tell, then that is understandable. When you are putting peoples lives at risks by having them think it is all a big joke and not worrying about the real consequences, then that is something you should get in trouble for no matter who is telling on you. Being a friend is like being a brother or a sister, but when your siblings were picking on you when you were younger, weren’t you telling your parents because it was bothering you? Of course, everybody did that! Being a snitch is sometimes not a bad thing. You do not have to tell on people all the time and be that person. Some people have their own opinions about things and you should always just follow what you feel is the right thing to do.

So, I am not exactly saying, run! your buddies, hurry up! I am saying do what you think is the right thing to do and for own safety when you hear that alarm in the middle of the night, it bothers you and you know the culprit, let authority know to keep yourself out of trouble and most of all out of danger!

JASONRADKA STAFFWRITER JNR722@CABRINI EDU

In order to coexist in college, a bond must be fused between roommates and friends in order to concoct a friendship. But, what if you see your roommate walk up to the brand new SET building and shatter a window? Okay, you hate this guy to begin with. As you see the glass shatter all over the place in the whirlwind of impact and watch glass fluttering in people’s eyes all the way down in the Xavier hall parking lot, you remember you have to live with this clown for the rest of the year. Everybody makes mistakes. Remember when you were young and the “good” kid always told your mom or dad when you did something bad? Who ever liked that kid anyway? At least I didn’t, and so it goes. Don’t rat out your friends or roommates even if you don’t like them; don’t defy trust.

sVSeeing as though your roommate thinks he is Captain America and can do whatever he pleases at whoever’s expense, don’t be the thorn in his side. Let the merrymaker have his fun. As you think about it more and more, the buffoon will continue his relentless vandalizing of other statuesque buildings with value. You watch your troubled roommate spray his initials on the windows next to the cafeteria. Finally, on the door of the mansion he carves his name into the door, for he is a legendary ter. He had you fooled by his mastery, to think his name on the mansion door wasn’t enough, and now this!

Soon enough, even the school newspaper is covering the tracks of this phantom vandal on campus. You begin to feel guilty for you are the only student on campus that knows who the vandal is. Then something hits you. All of a sudden you’re turning into the “good” bad guy by not turning him in. Soon, public safety will be snooping in your direction.

This situation can go in two directions. You can crack and have everyone pissed off at you, or you can be villainous and watch the dogs close on your roommate and his antics. Even so, you can take pleasure in watching public safety uncover his name on the mansion door and get closer and closer to busting the vile fiend. Even with public safety’s brand new offroad vehicles and technological advances, they are closing in month by month as quickly as they can. You decide to take the role as the devil’s advocate and keep quiet, it’d be more fun this way, right? Patience is key. Yes, retribution shall be yours!

Finally, you receive a phone call from George Stroud looking for your roommate. You tell him he’s at class, he laughs and gives you a message for the swashbuckler meet George in his office today at 4:00. Ah darn, 4:10 career development: you won’t be back in time to wish him well.

Later you return to your dorm and it turns out your roommate got kicked out of school. This is the greatest news. Wow, you think to yourself I guess good things do come to those who wait. Feeling ecstatic and masterfully accomplished, you can fall asleep tonight and not wake up in the morning with shaving cream in your face.

See what happens when you don’t rat out people you hate?

Eventually they get what they deserve. If you know somebody that commits a murder, by all means come forth, but stupid school internal things shouldn’t be publicized. That’s what we have public safety for, right?

Finally, the true raw message I’m trying to get across is that students should just mind their own business. You don’t want to turn heads that don’t need to be turned, especially at an institution this small.