The original Social Security Act was passed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat. Medicare and Medicaid were created under the Social Security Act of 1965, an amendment to the aforementioned legislation, under the Democratic administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Furthermore, the Democrats, again under President Johnson, ushered in an era of racial equality and ousted the discriminatory ways on the past when they passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, simply amazing. My point is Democrats have traditionally, and historically, been the catalysts behind the major social and financial reforms in this country’s short history. As for your Republican examples, Gov. Pataki and Gov.Christie, and let’s remember that under Gov. Pataki, mismanagement of the state budget led to an increase of $33 billion in state spending, not exactly the best track record. In regards to Gov. Christie, in the Tax Foundation’s 2012 State Business Tax Climate Index New Jersey was ranked the last state in the Union, “New Jersey scores at the bottom by having the third-worst individual income tax, the fifth-worst sales tax, the 13th-worst corporate tax, and the second-worst property tax.”

I digress.

Why has President Obama done a terrible job? What hasn’t he achieved while in office that he didn’t promise on the campaign trail? Give us examples and stop this empty rhetoric that does nothing for civil discourse other than push the bumper-sticker GOP slogans. Are there things President Obama could do better? Absolutely. But, I’m afraid you are blinded by the tunnel-vision displayed by the Republican Party. You talk about invoking President Reagan and his pragmatic approach, well then, why won’t Republicans come to the table on issues of higher taxes for millionaires, job creation, education reform and lowering but tightening the corporate tax rate? It would be pragmatic of them, or is that only when it’s something Republicans are pushing?

Regardless, Sam, articulate your points a little better, do your homework before writing a commentary of this topic and stop with these baseless claims on ineffectiveness. Your logic was the only thing ineffective in this commentary.

It is an indignity that racism, or any form of intolerance, exists on a campus whose mantra is social justice. The brutal truth is that this terrible phenomenon does exist at John Carroll and seems to have only become progressively worse. The distressing stories that I heard at the forum about physical altercations and verbal abuse towards African-American students only seemed to underscore this fact.

However, what really bothered me was the attendance – or rather the lack thereof – at this well-publicized event. The vast majority of the individuals present appeared to be members of the university staff and administration.

Unfortunately, most students are literally “tuned out” to the rest of the world. They are constantly texting, heads down, listening to music, and could really care less if an act of intolerance or discrimination occurred within 15 feet of them.

The tragedy of this is that most of our students are not racist at all. Indeed if anything, the vast majority would consider themselves to be anti-racists. However, by remaining silent, walling themselves off from reality, and immersing themselves in a virtual cyber world of texting, Facebook and Twitter, they effectively acquiesce to the intolerant and hateful actions of an ignorant few.

So in the words of the great French writer and anti-racist Émile Zola, to all of you – “j’accuse.” In other words, “I accuse.” Yes, I accuse the students of John Carroll University of social and intellectual indifference. I accuse the students of John Carroll University of haughty self-interest and arrogant inaction. I accuse the students of John Carroll University of not reacting, of not doing enough.

What is the solution? What can we, the students, do? How about breaking free of our insular worlds, recognizing the issue, and acting immediately to prevent it? Why must we need to be “enlightened” by faculty and staff? We do not need them to tell us when something is not right. Only we, the students, can foster an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance by speaking out courageously when we witness an injustice.

Only then can we have genuine and sincere change.

In spite of this, by the end of the decade this mighty giant fell, tumbling down a proverbial beanstalk of bad domestic and foreign policy decisions.  Its economy was a wreck, its defense spending was through the roof, and its military was locked in a seemingly endless war of attrition in Afghanistan.

In the midst of this, a leader rose to power who began to speak of something radical, some revolutionary. That leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, proposed to reform the Soviet government with twin-policies of political openness (glasnost) and economic restructuring (perestroika).

Virtually 26 years later, the United States faces a similar dilemma: a broken economy, astronomical defense spending, and a military locked in a seemingly endless war of attrition in Afghanistan.  However, unlike the Soviet Union, no single individual in America has corroborated the basic fact that today our country is in need of major reform.  Everyone on both the right and the left is talking about what is good for the Republicans or for the Democrats, but not what is good for the country as a whole. The question of a major economic and political reform, conducted by bipartisan forces, is largely a moot point.

The truth is that a serious discussion is required on the fundamental reform of the American system. The ideals of Jefferson, Franklin and Washington have become obscured amid political division and ideological rivalry.  So-called “patriots” wrap themselves in the flag while still others revile it, not fully appreciating its genuine intent. Political transparency, public education, and health care, while substantially better in the U.S. than in China or Russia, are still not as advanced as in countries like Ireland, Sweden, Finland or Denmark. Meanwhile, the American economy is not getting much better.

What is the solution? The answer lies in political openness (glasnost) and economic restructuring (perestroika).

Americans need to be more politically open-minded and, regardless of their political affiliation, should work in earnest with different parties and factions in order to improve our country and strengthen its democratic institutions. This includes working to cut exorbitant campaign-spending and making our political system more open to different voices aside from just “Democrats” and “Republicans.” There are many shades of gray in America that exist between the black and white of the current parties.  Those shades of gray deserve a voice, too.

It is only through this political openness that we can genuinely come together to find a solution to our economic problems, to initiate an economic restructuring that can restore our country back to an era of moderate, socially fair and just capitalism – as opposed to our current state of corporate, lobbyist-driven crapitalism. Ideally, this would include a rollback on military spending and, certainly on waging war in general. Coming together will also allow us to solve other pressing issues in our country such as health care and public education.

Unfortunately for the Soviets, Gorbachev’s reforms came too late.  Within six years of his coming to power, the Soviet Union collapsed. This, then, prompts one to ask: if America does not seriously work toward reform, does it risk a similar fate? Will it Balkanize in the manner prophesied by Vonnegut in “Slaughterhouse-Five”? Most likely not.  However, this surely does not diminish the urgency to solve the problems facing of our country and for that, the only antidote is our own form of glasnost and perestroika.

The legal consequences and penalties for my momentary lapse in judgment have been terribly costly. I was thrown out of our school for at least two years as a graduating senior, incurred legal fees, and spent more than a month in jail.  I will also have to pay a substantial amount of money in restitution to the victim.  Additionally, I am on probation, and as a result, have incurred other limits on my freedom that we all just take for granted. More importantly than the negative impact this tragic event has had upon me, this situation has been terribly stressful and burdensome on my family and close friends.  I have also learned in court about the amount of stress and worry I caused the victim and his family, none of which I would have ever intended. I am truly ashamed and sorry to have brought such troubles upon all of these undeserving people.

I hope that anyone who reads this will seriously think twice before ever striking another student or person for the rest of their lives. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t wish or pray that I would have done something else instead of throwing my fist at this person just to get his attention. I had no idea how serious and how many nightmares and serious consequences a single haphazard punch could cause.  That evening and one instant in September has truly turned my life upside down in ways I would have never imagined.  I would never want anyone to have to go through this. Often young people don’t think about things before they do them, and I hope others can learn from this mistake.  One momentary mistake in self-control changed many lives, and not just mine, in a very bad and real way. I would never wish for anyone at John Carroll, nor anyone anywhere for that matter, nor their family and friends to have to go through something like this. I would have never believed that my senior year here would have involved hurting someone, getting expelled, nor having to spend more time in jail than in the classroom.  Please realize that all of this can happen and that life can change in an instant when we react as opposed to think about the potential results of our actions.

I’ll never forget the first time I went to a Borders bookstore. It was the Borders located in Westlake. At that time, there was absolutely nothing else out there. Cleveland was still a relatively bustling city and our family did most of our shopping there. Places like Tower City and the Galleria at Erieview defined a vibrant downtown. Westlake, meanwhile, was a suburban wilderness, still in the process of being developed and settled. Crocker Park didn’t exist.

Therefore, going to Borders was an adventure, almost a mini-vacation. I remember the trip being a really cool, new experience. My sister bought our family’s first movie guide on that trip and my dad bought a book about the ongoing war in Yugoslavia.

Last month, 16 years later, I returned to that same bookstore. Only this time, the walls were adorned with signs reading “Store Closing Sale!” and “Everything Must Go!” The bookshelves lay half-empty and the coffee shop, where a friend of mine once worked, had all but disappeared.

Local celeb Dick Goddard was supposed to do a book signing there. However, he probably canceled upon hearing the news. Borders was closing. Everywhere. For good.

When I first heard this, It was sad but not surprising. The news was sad because I missed the experience of going to Borders, picking up the latest book on Russian history or literature, buying a cup of coffee, and just hanging out at the coffee shop.

The news was not surprising because I knew that Borders was in decline – and I knew that I and many other Borders patrons were partially to blame. For after I read enough of that book at the coffee shop, I would jot down the name on a napkin, leave the book on the table, go home, and purchase the book online via Amazon.com for $10 less or cheaper.

For years, Borders was losing to online booksellers like Amazon as well as second-hand booksellers like Half-Price Books. The fact that they were behind on the eBook craze did not help. Throw in a bad economy and, well, it’s recipe for disaster.

Looking around at Borders now, I was struck by a terrible irony. The sale, touted by many to be “40 percent off” was actually “up to 40 percent off.” In other words, they were selling a lot of books at only 10-20 percent off. For example, a book I found in the history section on Stalin cost $23. With 20 perscent off, the price dropped to about $18 plus the additional sales tax. Meanwhile, I could buy the same book cheaper on Amazon.com for only $12 (shipping included). Needless to say, I didn’t buy the book at Borders.

In the end, I left feeling as though Borders hadn’t really learned anything. Still, it all seemed somewhat sad. It was as if someone had torn away the façade of Borders and exposed the store for what it really was – a casualty of a changing society.

These unselfish and noble individuals have put their lives at risk in order to bring to justice the man who has committed some of the most dreadful and violent acts against the United States and the world.

Acting on intelligence received a couple years ago, a team of Americans carried out an operation in which the main objective was to kill or capture the most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden.  After a firefight that lasted approximately 40 minutes, bin Laden was dead.

The news of bin Laden’s death was welcomed by the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations.

For many years Osama bin Laden has killed thousands of innocent individuals and destroyed the lives of many more.

Finally, due to the heroic efforts of our intelligence community, the men and women of the military, and the boldness of our president, Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice.

For almost 10 years many have waited, longed, and hoped to see this day. Mothers, fathers, daughters and wives have all cried out for justice, and they finally received it.

While bin Laden’s death will not bring those loved ones back, it will certainly provide some comfort to the families and friends of those victims who lost their lives due to the radical beliefs of this individual.

Most of us will never forget the day we heard the tragic news of 9/11.  Likewise, we will never forget the day justice was served.

No matter where one stands within regards to the war on terror, it is our duty as American citizens to appreciate those who answer the call when their country calls upon them.

It is our duty to remember the sacrifices that are being made on our behalf by those in uniform. Their sacrifices have kept us free and safe, and have protected us from our enemies who wish to harm our great nation.

I humbly take this opportunity to thank all the unknown soldiers who have brought justice and comfort to many and to those who work tirelessly to keep America safe, so that we can live the “American dream.”

If you drive around the city you will notice that there are quite a few four-way stops, some five-way, six-way and even seven-way intersections. There should be a chapter about University Heights roads in the Kama Sutra.

My problem isn’t the excessive amount of roads that run into each other, but rather the way drivers handle such an obstacle. You would assume that my problem is with people pulling up, doing a rolling stop, and continuing through while blasting Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

On the contrary, those drivers don’t annoy me because even though they are rushing through dangerously they are at least keeping traffic moving.

I’m more concerned with the drivers that pull up to a stop sign and sit there. And sit there. And sit there while listening to their John Mayer album.

The way that a giant intersection works is a lot like a deli or the DMV. You pull up, take a number and wait for your number to get called. University Heights drivers must be numerically illiterate though because they struggle to follow the system.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been stopped at an intersection waiting for someone to take their turn as they sat there motionless like a deer in the headlights. Other cars pull up and come to complete stops before me, but then they sit there and wait for someone to make the first move.

It’s like an awkward first date.

So I’m forced to either wave them forward or prematurely cross the intersection. I’m just another driver on the road, I shouldn’t have to serve double duty as a traffic cop because nobody else can make a decision.

I’m guessing they have never played Mario Kart 64.

It’s like every other driver has a half-finished text waiting in their drafts folder that they decide it’s finally time to finish up and send once they get to that intersection. First of all, you shouldn’t text and drive. Second of all, if you’re going to text and drive then make sure you don’t slow down my trip to Boston Market.

Either that or they’re enamored by all of the beautiful homes.

In any case, this epidemic needs to stop. Please, drivers, pay attention and cross intersections when it’s your turn. The rest of us don’t have time for you to be so indecisive.

Thanks to these tireless efforts by both the G.O.P. establishment and their tea-bagging cohorts, America has become the laughing stock of the developed world, a joke with an absurd setup and a cruel punch line. Also, thanks to these efforts, the public now has a working knowledge of what Republicans and their supporters mean when they speak of “shared sacrifice.”

In trying economic times, the poor, the elderly, infirm and working people should share the burden, while the rich continue to reap the benefits of unfettered and unquestioned opulence.

Still, the defense budget remained untouched. Payroll taxes, which fund our social safety nets (SSI, Medicare, Medicaid) are still capped to spare the wealthy from having to contribute to a system that they readily take advantage of. Capital gains taxes are still as regressive as ever. All these things are exempt from the Republican idea of “shared sacrifice,” but thankfully OBGYN services for poor women and winter-heating subsidies for impoverished families and seniors are ripe and ready for callous tea party butchery.

It is a sad day that we are forced to witness the sheer depravity of these self-proclaimed rugged individualists, who for all their talk of family values and religious virtue have weighed the welfare of the rich and corporate to be greater than that of the broken and desperate.

Though we must collectively cast shame on Republicans and even greater shame on their supporters in light of such unabashed malignant avarice, we must also remember to act when called in 2012 and send these anti-intellectual Rand-fetishist theocrats back to the holes they crawled out of, lest we, by virtue of our own apathy, pave the way for a new wave of American oligarchs, and in doing so bring shame to ourselves.

Firstly, I cannot help but think that Webster suffers from “Bush Derangement Syndrome” where even after more than two years out of office, liberals cannot help but blame Bush for all the world’s ails. His delusional ideas lead him to end the article by calling Bush “an idiot.” This cheap shot is below the journalistic standards that The Carroll News should be held to.

Secondly, I think Webster is fundamentally wrong in his analysis of the Middle East. The uprisings are not focused solely, or even largely, on the economy. The economic argument doesn’t hold water. There have been many economic downturns in recent history, yet no huge uprisings. Furthermore, these protests have spread to relatively well-off countries like Bahrain and even Libya. What we are seeing is much greater, they are crying out for an end to autocratic rule and corruption and the introduction of natural human rights, like freedom of speech, of assembly, and of the press.

I have never seen a greater example of the common human urging for freedom. Do I attribute these uprisings to a democratic Iraq? Not completely but I believe it deserves its credit. Iraq should stand as what can become possible in the Middle East.

Regardless, the main question for the United States is what comes next? We hope reformers, through free elections, bring more freedom to the Middle East. But it is also very possible that an Islamist theocratic regime could arise, or a country could descend into complete lawlessness (a la Somalia). Both would be extremely damaging results for U.S. foreign policy.

So how has Obama handled this so far? To put it simply, Obama is lost in the world of foreign affairs, and it is showing now. Like a modern day Hamlet, he had to examine all of the possible consequences before deciding to do nothing. His response to the original turmoil in Egypt was incoherent and nonsensical. Did we support Mubarak or not? Obama certainly didn’t know.

His response to Libya came nine days late, and only after prodding from U.S. senators and other foreign leaders. Why did Obama pressure autocratic dictators in some countries (Mubarak in Egypt, Qadaffi in Libya) but not in others like Ahmadinejad in Iran, where our strategic interests are arguably greatest. The truth is the world needs a miracle in the Middle East, what it’s got is Barack Obama, that’s just how it is.

On top of that, surely the fact that he fired his cabinet and appointed a new prime minister (who, it is worth noting, committed his own share of atrocities in the name of stability) in the face of his failure to put down the popular rebellion is something to be considered before casting judgment, right?

This same, tired argument is trotted out every time a cruel, self-serving oligarch is deposed. Just as we were asked to forgive Pinochet for his black-bagging, massacres, and exploitation of the Chilean people because the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the country went up near the end of his reign, Hanna asks us to forgive because Hosni Mubarak helped the United States in its attempt to establish hegemony over oil and mineral rights in the region.

It is Hanna who should remember that people have suffered and died as a result of this man and his policies.

The American justice system does not consider the prior good deeds of a murderer when the time comes for conviction, nor how such an offender comes into custody.

If we are to do as apologists like Hanna ask, and remember the wonderful stability that Mubarak offered, let us also remember the impoverishment, torture and extra-legal killings that paid for this vaunted stability, as well as the other crimes that he conveniently neglected to mention outside of a single, hedging paragraph.

Let us also not forget that the ends rarely justify the means, and that the Mubarak regime is no exception to that maxim.

Editor’s note: In Hanna’s commentary, he never asked readers to forgive Mubarak.

The message sent by the response given by administration is somewhat more problematic for a few reasons. First, the response informs these young women that they are being left to deal with their objectification on their own. Since students at JCU tend to be of traditional college age this means that these are very young women who are being told that it is their responsibility to deal with this treatment based on limited experience in the world, even though it seems that they are asking for assistance.

Secondly, this response is problematic because, instead of holding the young men responsible for their actions, it holds the young women, who did not initiate this, responsible for dealing with the behavior of the young men who are involved. This is a typical response to patriarchal behavior, women have to deal with sexism because any other response would hold men responsible for their own behavior and that is contradictory to patriarchal social norms. Historically, women have been held accountable for the patriarchal behavior of men.

Thirdly, this response further entrenches patriarchal ideas about sex roles by teaching female students that the status quo precludes appeal to authority figures for support against sexism.

Finally, leaving students to influence each other also allows administration to refrain from policing student behavior by expecting students to do this for themselves. It seems to me that, as a student at a Jesuit university, I should be able to expect the administration to deal with the behavior of students who engage in public sexist behavoir.

This holding up of the influence that students have on each other also does not do justice to the effort that many faculty members put forth in mentoring students. Many faculty members spend a significant amount of time with their students. The feminist scholars who have mentored me here, both while I was an undergraduate and as a graduate student and new adjunct professor, have had more of an impact on my life than the rest of the campus put together.

This response seems as if it could discourage students from seeking support from the university. As a new adjunct professor at a nearby women’s college, I model the mentoring of my own students on the support that I have received at JCU. I wonder how the new lessons that are now being taught will affect this generation of undergraduate women.

Panelist Victor Alexander of Key Bank illustrated how the definition and understanding of what encompasses risk has evolved as a result of the financial crisis. There are no decisions made without considering how all aspects of the company will be exposed.

Carl Grassi, of law firm McDonald Hopkins LLC, asserted that banks need to write loans that they are willing to hold themselves. He believes that to push away moral hazard, the business community needs personal responsibility at the forefront. If banks can hide behind the corporate veil, moral hazard will continue to be a major problem until there is personal risk. However, it was Martha Raber of Key Bank who maintained that collaterizing debt into securities to obtain liquidity is not problematic and is a sound practice. The problematic aspect was the lack of due diligence in connection to those securities in the years that led up to the financial crisis.

Jason Painley of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland outlined the process of “stress testing” which was used to determine if banks would be able to survive the economic downturn. This process proved to be difficult for him when it came down to expressing opinions about hard realities concerning various banks’ futures. It is difficult to make assertions when it is known that those opinions will affect a company’s future. Mariah Webinger of the accountancy department similarly explained how fair valuation can be a vital tool for companies to give fair representation as to their financial position, but also a burden to the company when the markets are falling. This creates a burden because major write-downs — losses — are required to be taken.

Martha Raber went on to point out that valuation becomes more difficult when these “toxic assets” which have to be written-down do not have ready markets and have to be valued by models. She went on to explain that some of these losses were not as bad as expected. This observation is manifested in the large gains investors made when they came in and provided liquidity to troubled companies during the financial crisis. Additionally during the discussion it was pointed out that many sectors of the economy have revived and are either close to or even ahead of their position before the financial crisis.

The objective of the panel discussion was to enlighten the John Carroll community about the events and decisions that led up to the financial crisis so that the business community as a whole will be better able to ensure that the same path is not traveled again.

Overall this discussion yielded positive results because of both the expertise of the guest-panelists and the insightful questions brought from both the student-panel and students in attendance.

I would like to make a correction to the otherwise brilliantly written White Stripes eulogy of newly-appointed music critic Noah Lamprecht. It is primarily an issue of simple semantics, but nonetheless should be clarified.

I must first preface the correction by stating that for someone that claims to be “eternally proud” of the album “Elephant”—of which I am as well—it is very surprising that he would overlook that anytime the number three appears on the album jacket it is highlighted in red, and that even the E’s that appear in the title of the aforementioned album are made to look more like the number three.

Now the correction is that in the sixth proper paragraph of Mr. Lamprecht’s eulogy he only lists the colors red and white as being obsessions of the band; he neglects to include the color black.

In the film “Under Great White Northern Lights,” Jack White addresses the obsessive qualities of the band as they pertain to the aesthetic and musical aspects of the White Stripes. This obsession is rooted in the number three. The music is limited to three parts always.

Meg and Jack purposefully only ever have a combination of vocals, guitar or piano, and drums playing at any given time for this reason.

For the same reason the aesthetic aspect of the band has only three colors: red, white and black. It actually creates an interesting paradox, a duo that has an obsession with the number three.

This correction may seem petty and ridiculous, especially because I am concerned only with a single sentence in an otherwise very well written eulogy, but this lack of attention to minute detail shows a lack of journalistic integrity on the part of Mr. Lamprecht.

In reparation for this offense I would like to request, or rather demand from Mr. Lamprecht an obnoxiously eloquent letter of apology, one in which tear stains cover the page to show the sincerity of said apology.

Sincerely,

L. Donovan Powers

A first year student who made the ‘Juan’ Carroll ‘Dan Loster’ Facebook profile used Facebook to reduce 64 female John Carroll students to 2 x 1.5 inches; eyeing, comparing, and throwing them aside in the same way a perspective home owner picks out tiles for a floor.

There was no thought that went into the reproduction of this knockoff of “Facemashed,” nor any good -humored intention. What the creator did was not clever, creative or original. He blindly mimicked something he saw on TV that made him laugh in the same way three-year-olds watching “Sesame Street” babble their ABCs after Big Bird.

And why was this wrong, demeaning and shameful? Why should we not objectify women, or any persons? It is not solely because the women whose pictures were featured on the page did not agree to such. Nor is it strictly because the feelings of the young women who will not make it to the ‘final four’ might be hurt. Nor is it because John Carroll students are expected to be treated and act more highly than this. Rather, women ought not be objectified because women are people, not objects.

The Loster profile creator was wrong to have created this profile. This was small of him. It was small of his friends to support him in letting him do this. It was a small thing to further legitimize the webpage by responding to it with more Facemashed, i.e. Danielle Loster. The maker of the Loster profile perpetuated negative stereotypes of his class, his athletic team, his academic, Greek, social and other organizations, and perhaps also John Carroll. But like each of us, this profile’s creator is a young and continuously growing person. This is his time to be wrong, to be mistaken, to be corrected, and to learn from his errors.

And it is the duty of the larger John Carroll community to correct and to teach this person as it has taught young women and men since 1886. The messages of learning, leadership and service as exemplified by John Carroll alumni have not been undone by this small act. So short after their departure, the success of Julie Myers, Andy Trares, Theresa Prabucki and countless others in moving John Carroll towards being more aware, in mind and practice, of the equality of women and men as persons has not been undone by this small action. That success has not been dented.

Let us then value women, men and all persons because persons are valuable. Let us not reduce each other. Let us recognize the value in having all genders fill our administrative and department chair positions, professorships, faculty, staff, and all such positions at John Carroll University. Let us celebrate the accomplishment that is having women as the majority of students,

the president of our student body and the majority of the undergraduates on our Dean’s List! And, may the creator of the ‘Loster’ profile, the friends that supported him, and each of those who participate in the web page come to leave that page; recognizing and expressing through action the value of all persons, as persons.

In last week’s issue of The Carroll News, they featured the “Facemashed” article. I was especially struck by the article because also on the front page was the story regarding Andrea Teodosio, an individual who brought great things to our campus and touched the lives of so many. She was truly an embodiment of kindness no matter the occasion.

This contrast in articles, just reminds me how much of an impact we have on one other. Unfortunately, instead of using our time here to celebrate what others can offer, we find ways to judge one another. We have the opportunity to make the lives of our peers better. This is an awesome gift that we all have the ability to do. This Facebook profile, along with the female version, is a degradation against human dignity.

Although these profiles may not have been created with a malicious intent, they have emotional repercussions beyond the scope of what we can see.

Having looked into the matter, both sites are grotesque and offensive. By joining, we are giving them justification for their behavior. I urge you to remember that we are members of a university that encourages us to be men and women for and with others.

That being said, I implore you to encourage your friends not to join these types of groups and remind your friends that we are adults who can and should rise above such blatant disrespect. Although the different profiles may be secret, the friends list is not. By participating in these sites you may bring unforeseen future ramifications.

I hope we can all come together and work past these conflicts. To all those affected by this site and other forums like it, I want to express that you are a valued member of our community and can be a force for change in society.

We are the sum of all our parts and when others choose one part to classify a person, they neglect the other qualities that you possess. Ultimately, we are all free to make our own choices. I just hope we can all work to make choices that will raise people up rather than tear them down.

In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know when it will be too late.”

All the best,

Rita Rochford

Student Union President

I know I’m not the hottest guy at John Carroll, but I think I can confidently say I’m definitely in the top two.

What’s next, an episode of “Jersey Shore” without Snooki? The whole concept is ludicrous, which is why I am personally calling on all students to not vote out of respect for women or until I have been friend requested by Dan.

Of the Executive Board positions, the Vice President for Student Organizations, the Vice President for Judicial Affairs and the Vice President of the entire Student Union were uncontested. The “election” can loosely be called a “glorified appointment”! The other positions had exciting races that brought out that competitive spirit and hopefully the best candidate won their respective races. For instance, the presidential race was fairly competitive. The race between the two candidates was heated with a great debate and campaigning as well. The winning candidate, Rita Rochford, won by only 192 votes.  Compared to the size of the student body that isn’t much at all! The Executive Board is in charge of governing their respective groups, which encompass the entire student body. The Vice President for Programming went to a non-senator running which does not happen very often.  When we see these races that are heated and bring about ideas and conversations we see the best coming out of the candidates. Then the students may vote on the ideas they deem to be the strongest and most worthy of their attention. 

There was a problem, however, in this past election in that only 28.1 percent of the student body voted for their student leaders. This poses another question.  Why didn’t more students vote? Could it be that no one really cares about the Student Union? Perhaps people feel the Student Senate doesn’t really do work, so why waste time voting for their representatives? Another possibility may be that people didn’t know elections were being held.  Whatever the case may be, the elections did happen and students have been elected. It is now the student body’s responsibility to hold these leaders accountable for their actions or their lack of action when it comes to leading their peers.

Times are tough, there is no debating that. Unemployment is too high, the deficit will force future generations to climb out of a ditch their parents fell into, and it seems that hate between groups divides the country on too many levels.  Some people insist that a simple solution is to elect Republicans to office this November.  That may be the worst thing that could possibly happen.

The talking heads will claim that a Republican resurgence will solve the first two problems mentioned: unemployment and a spiraling deficit.  Let’s look at the facts: Over the Bush presidency this country ran up a record $1.3 trillion deficit and created a mere 1.08 million jobs compared to President Bill Clinton’s administration that left office with a record $237 billion surplus and created 22.7 million jobs.  Even Tea Party hero President Ronald Reagan left office after running up the deficit.  When Republicans have the power of this government they fall into the same trap time after time, tax cutting followed by no spending cuts. This is not effective deficit spending but rather it is what created an increasingly fragile economic environment when President Barack Obama entered the White House.  

Luckily, POTUS’s Keynesian economic policies have stopped unemployment from reaching predictions that some estimated at 12 percent and others pushed to Great Depression heights. But it is going to take time.  Two years is not enough to fix eight straight years of destructive policies.  They say it takes half as long as you were with a boyfriend/girlfriend to get over them, it is going to take at least that much time to recover from the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression (where, by the way, Democrats pulled America out of 25 percent unemployment and set up the U.S. to be the strongest country of the 20th century).  

If you think electing the likes of Joe Miller, Sharron Angle, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and so on will help fix this country, I implore you to look at history and use some common sense rather than giving into fear and being fooled by people in bed with insurance companies, Big Oil and Wall Street.

Sadly, I am approaching 500 words so I won’t have space to talk about hate.  But Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, LGBTQs and all minorities know that it is one of the biggest problems facing our society and that most Republicans (yes, especially you Governor Brewer and Mr. Paladino) work to advance this hate.  This country will not start the upswing, nor will above prejudices disappear, until both parties eliminate their own pre-conceived hate for each other and work together to get this country on the right track.

However, I must comment on the inappropriateness of the, “That’s What See Said” column that appeared in the Sept. 23 edition. I understand that this column is an opinion column and does not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Carroll News staff, but The Carroll News has no right to publish such a slanderous article about another on-campus organization.

To make matters even worse, this article appeared in the Homecoming weekend edition of the paper.

Alumni often read the paper’s Homecoming edition and likely would have read this particular article. Unfortunately, I am sure that many alumni, after reading Mr. Seeholzer’s column, have questioned the unity and spirit of the Carroll community.

That being said, I would like to provide an alternative viewpoint of the John Carroll football team for those who have been misinformed and now hold the team in a negative light.

The day-to-day requirements of every member of the 152-man team are so tedious; it’s hard to believe these guys are full-time students. Every day each player dedicates an average of four hours for practice, film study, in-season workouts, and team meetings just to be competitive in the OAC (perennially the most competitive conference in all of Division III football).

Despite this time-consuming requirement, 24 players were recognized as Scholar Athletes last season. Additionally two-players were even recognized as All-Conference and All-District representatives for their academic achievements last year.

These men also are willing to participate in community building activities annually during their offseason. The team posts near 100 percent participation in the “Cultivating Community” program every year. I am willing to bet that the children of St. Thomas Aquinas don’t agree with the author’s description of the team as being “useless” or an “annoyance.” The team also has a very large presence at the “Relay for Life” event held every spring, and has been recognized as having the most spirited showing at the Relay on more than one occasion.

The team actively supports many other organizations on campus. I am sure Coach Moran can vouch for the support the team has shown for the basketball Blue Streaks every winter.

I am not discounting the hard work of students involved in other sports and organizations.

I respect the discipline it takes to be a student athlete of any sport, to actively be involved in a campus group, or to stay up all night every Tuesday to make sure the newspaper is printed on time to hit campus Thursday morning. People need to know how hard this particular group works every fall just for privilege of wearing that gold helmet on Saturdays.

Anyone who still thinks this team is a group of overly-cocky, unworthy “midges” can head over to Don Shula Stadium and inform the team face-to-face.

Tennis, baseball, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, cross country, track and football athletes might range in athletic talent, but we all have something in common. We all compete in one of the toughest NCAA Division III conferences, and we all work for the common goal to win as a team.

Whether our record is 0-10 or 10-0, we all thrive to the best of our ability as a team. And while we do this, we all have that same John Carroll Blue Streak logo tapered upon our chests.

Looking from the outside in, it’s really hard to understand why teams act and handle themselves the way they do.

The track team running in tiny shorts makes little sense to me, but it seems to work for them. I’ve always questioned why they do this, but I’m sure they question why we practice for months upon months in the gym before we ever get outside onto a field for our [softball] season.

Who are any of us to question another team’s motive? They’re doing what they do to win. As an athlete, you do everything to win. Do you not?

So when the John Carroll football team chants “Streaks’ House,” does it really bother campus all that much?  If it does, then don’t go to the games. It’s an easy way to get your point across, and it’s as simple as that.

It’s the chants that no one understands; the looks that you get when you walk as a team to eat in the dining hall; and the laughs you get over the simplest thing that the outside world just doesn’t understand that makes a team unique.

It’s hard to look at a team from the outside in, because you can’t understand that team fully unless you are a part of it. It’s like a family. That’s what makes a team unique. That’s where I believe the bond of a team is made.

Speaking as a John Carroll softball player I can honestly say I love yelling “Johnny C” at the top of my lungs when we are finished with practice. I love sporting my “John Carroll Softball” backpack to class everyday while I’m wearing my softball sweats. Ask any one of my teammates, and they’ll tell you the same thing.

You might ask why do I love it, but it’s because I feel my teammates and I have earned the right to wear it. We are dedicated, focused and committed to our team, and proud to be a part of it.

I pride myself in being a Blue Streak, as should every student-athlete here. We don’t play because we have scholarships; we play because we are passionate and absolutely love the game we’re great at.

It shouldn’t matter what your record is. As a student-athlete, you take time out of your day to give 110 percent mentally and physically to your team and coaches in order to prepare your team to compete.

You’re not getting paid. You’re doing it for the sole purpose that you love the game.

Now you’re probably wondering where I’m getting at with all of this, but as student-athletes we are all linked because we are all BLUE STREAKS. When we compete on the field, on the track, on the court, we are all competing as John Carroll University students. We make up the Blue Streak athletes on campus, and we should all pride ourselves in this – regardless of our record, roster size, or the chants we yell to get our team pumped that others just might not understand.

Instead of pointing fingers at each other, we should be united in the fact that we are all working for the common goal, and that is to be a representative of the John Carroll athletic program. We may lose game after game, but it’s your teammates that are there to help you up when you fall down. I think it should be taken a step further and not just be your teammates but also your fellow athletes. Blue Streaks Unite.

Because that seems to be the direction that things are going. In my time at Carroll, I’ve witnessed the library morph from an academic environment where students retreat to get work done to a rowdy, social hangout. The building bearing the name “Grasselli” has become a replacement for the now-vanquished Quinn’s, a stay-at-home Coventry.

If I’ve accomplished nothing in my generous time spent in Carroll’s scholastic quarters, I’d like for this little ditty to stand as a monument to my memory; my epitaph if you will. Inscribed here is the following message to all library-lopers and frequenters: SHUT UP.

The computer commons isn’t intended as a recreational area where you can catch up with your “bros,” or a dorm annex where you can relive all of the weekend’s hysterics. A person trying to get in the right frame of mind for a research paper doesn’t appreciate you shouting your fantasy football stats across the room, or enjoy watching you prove how ingratiated you are in John Carroll’s social stratosphere. I cringe whenever I recall one particularly painful episode, when some vapid, giggling hyena prattled off every single ingredient to a killer-new fruit juice she was just “dying” to try.

That provides me with a convenient segue into another point whose addressing has been long overdue: cell phones. I understand that the world would implode if we were to all relinquish our precious cell phone contacts. However, that doesn’t mean chatting away while sitting amongst others at a computer station. If you feel that it’s absolutely dire that you make a call or answer one, show some respect for others by doing it elsewhere.

Adjoined to the computer area sit people whose job it is to apparently oversee and assist when possible. I guess maintaining SILENCE, the cardinal rule of the library, was left off of their job description. Would it be too much to ask that they approach their duties with a bit more reverence by attempting to regulate the noise volume?

I’m not trying to kill fun, or appoint myself as the leader of the next prominent tyrannical regime; I’m the heir to Good Times, Inc. I relish engaging everybody in any type of discussion. Ask me to have a beer with you, and I’ll hesitate only long enough to retrieve my bong (or any other instrument that makes the drinking experience that much more enjoyable.) I too love catching up with friends and acquaintances. However, as the saying goes, there’s a time for everything.

With finals approaching, this advice couldn’t be more timely or appropriate. Heed it, please. And for those returning in the fall, remember it. Above all, thank you for reading.

It was of no more intellectual substance than a drunken Facebook blog (which, it seems, is about the highest form of communication I see many young men and women possess). 

Perhaps when Mr. Seeholzer finally enters the real world of working adults (and leaves that of coddled Internet-addicted socially-stunted collegiate underachievers), he will discover that, lo and behold, Caucasian men DO hold the majority of high-paying, supervising positions. Then and only then, I suppose, will he feel justice. 

America has changed and while it is not completely for the better, it is our home. Seeholzer might be a happier man if he moved to a more misogynist Middle Eastern locale.  His article summed up why so many young women are staying single:  there is a dangerous anger brewing in young men who don’t have the strength of character to suck it up and deal with adversity. 

They pout about what they aren’t getting. They have had so much given to them and are stunned when things don’t fall in their lap. Seeholzer feels entitled to much more than he deserves or has earned.  Perhaps the military would hold a more promising future for someone so intoxicated by the social structures of yesteryear.

 My mother is a college professor who, like many of your moms, has worked extremely hard to be respected in the workplace and home.  Women have to strive for a respect that men take for granted.  

As a female cook in a male-dominated kitchen, I KNOW that women are looked at first as sex objects and second as fellow employees.  All women want, Mr. Seeholzer, is to be looked at as fellow employees first.

 And, perhaps you will score a date if you drop the sarcasm and resentfulness. Until then, I doubt anyone wants to “put up with” “hormonal” you.

Fall has always been my favorite season. Besides the much needed break from the scorching heat and uncomfortable humidity in non-air-conditioned dorms, there’s just something unexplainable about the earthy colors and overall atmosphere that surrounds this beautiful season. Personally, I miss the “good ol’ days” when we’d rake up the leaves and jump in them off the swing in the backyard. Taking long walks and hearing the soft crunch of fresh-fallen leaves under my feet calms the soul.

I was told by a friend back home that Fall started long ago but I laughed in his face. I told him if Fall was really upon us I’d be out frolicking in a bounty of leaves. When I looked it up on Wikipedia I found out that, in fact, Fall did begin on Sept. 22. Shocked, I explored this further and realized that besides a few days here and there, the weather was in truth getting colder. Not wanting to, I looked up and was startled to see most of the leaves missing from the trees from where they used to sway. As the leaves continued to disappear off the trees I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out where they went.

After further investigation, I place the blame on the John Carroll administration who, I’m convinced, has conspired to cover up Fall. Literally, I have seen more leaves protruding from under the rugs in the atrium than on this entire campus. Campus groundskeepers work countless hours, trying to clean up the after effects of a beautiful, natural occurrence. They take this so seriously, I saw an employee chasing a leaf on his gator as if this one leaf escaping would expose the entire plan. I probably wasn’t even supposed to see that happen.

Now why the administration would choose to cover up Fall, I’m not sure. Perhaps they don’t want us to go home for Thanksgiving. But if we can’t go home, neither can they, so I doubt that’s the case. Maybe they figure by covering up Fall, winter won’t come. Are they practicing the art of covering winter’s snow? And yes, winter is coming. You might not hear it from administrators, but after studying the patterns of Cleveland’s history, soon after the leaves fall, snow falls. And we all know by the lack of snow days at John Carroll that the administration has long been trying to cover up the reality of the winter months. After the amazing efforts to hide Fall this year, I am very anxious to see how well the administration covers up the snowy time of the year which, whether the administration will tell us or not, will soon be upon us.

And, while I’m at it, why does the administration insist on covering up a Tuesday with a Friday? Perhaps a topic for another week.

With tongue in cheek,

AJ

In the column, Flessner asserted that the practical jokes that he has played on his peers since he started at JCU in the fall of 2005 have not been “fun at other peoples’ expense,” but education for those “lacking in ‘street smarts.’”

His first example, as cruel as it was, supported his claim. Learning to filter information that one accepts as truth is an important lesson.

After that, Flessner strayed away from his point. I would challenge Mr. Flessner to clarify for me the lesson that he taught his friend by posting a false Craig’s List ad causing him personal inconvenience. All that this prank requires is the phone number of the victim (or pupil, as Flessner would contend). Was the lesson not to give notoriously juvenile reporters your phone number?

If so, well done, Max. In the future, I think that Flessner should try to use only evidence that supports his claims, rather than letting them get surmounted by his enormous ego.

I would, however, like to congratulate Flessner on the one place where he was correct: he should apologize, for he has been rude.