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THE SAINT | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2011
Exam Week
FROM THE CROWD
APPLAUSE TO...
Wolfgang’s, for making Monday mornings tolerable, if not fun; Pandora and Spotify, for cranking out tunes while we crank out term papers, lit reviews and take-home exams; Take-homes, for freeing up exam week; Potential alien life 600 light-years away; The awesome Cabin in the Woods trailer; Jesus, for being born (and, indirectly, giving us a nice endof-semester break).
HECKLES TO...
Websites that stymie our academic pursuits; The NHL, for having the Red Wings in the Western Conference. Geography disagrees; Herman Cain, for giving up on the 9-9-9 plan. Our hopes and dreams are crushed; Chain emails; The Kardashians, for reproducing; People who do not pull their weight in group projects; IM refs who don’t focus on the game.
>>
from our view
Frederik Meijer, founder of the Midwest superstore chain that bears his name, died the day after Thanksgiving. He was 91. His accomplishments are numerous. Meijer had established the chain store concept, adding clothing and merchandise sections, before Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart. His family-managed shopping giant is wellknown to those in Michigan and the Midwest. Meijer’s influence goes beyond shopping and convenience, though. He was an avid art collector and philanthropist later in life. And as much as CEOs have been vilified by recent political movements, many would say that Meijer was an exception to the “evil boss” rule in his support of the Grand Rapids community. Meijer was a key sponsor in the establishment of the Gerald R. Ford museum, and was instrumental in founding the Frederik Meijer Sculpture Gardens, and adamant in making them accessible to all. Anecdotes abound of him reaching out to many groups in the community, not just the elite. Of course, it’s easier to be a major community leader when you have millions of dollars to spare. However, taking a page from Meijer’s book might not be a bad idea. Often, especially around the commercialized Christmas season, we lose focus on the sense of community. We run around, often buying presents and planning gatherings with family and friends, trying to pass exams, and paying the bills, all within the same few weeks. We focus on our own issues, and many times forget about the community around us. Local organizations and charities are searching for extra help around this time of year. Our friends and families might need us for more than just a get-together or visit. There are ways we can bolster our communities while still building our own lives and well-being, much like Frederik Meijer did. Yes, time is scarce, and so is money. Yes, we’re busy and would probably rather be at our jobs, bringing in a few extra bucks. But in this money-minded holiday season, while many are scrambling to give gifts to each other, it’s good to remember that giving back to our community is an option, too.
theSaint 2011-2012 E D I T O R I A L B O A R D
Editor-in-Chief News Editor A & E Editor
Matt Kuczynski Monica Rischiotto Stephanie Giluk
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Adviser Dr. Dan Brooks *** Please note that the views expressed on this page are those of their respective author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of The Saint as a whole.
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DUSTIN COON / THE SAINT
Entrée tryouts waste food By Monica Rischiotto News Editor Remember the days sitting at the kitchen table as a child, a shovel full of green (sometimes slimy, or worse, completely raw) tree-like plants staring at you in the face as your mom or dad called out to you, “There are starving children in Africa, eat your broccoli!” You sit there, face in a fit, on the verge of tears, and yet you know the only way you’re going to escape this God-forsaken kitchen and move onto Friday night ice cream is to plug your nose and down those treacherous trees like there’s no tomorrow. Fast forward to college—ah, freedom. The stomach--twisting memories of forced broccoli eating are in the past. Now when you go to eat, mom and dad are not on your back, encouraging you to fill your plate with a healthy and vibrant color assortment. It seems all too easy, however, that we somehow manage to make this practice of eating meals at Wege some sort of a food tryout. We’ll fill our plate once
with something that looks intriguing, give it a whirl, and once our taste buds rebel we leave that plate practically full and move onto round two, perhaps three and four before moving onto dessert. Now, what people eat and how much is one’s own personal business. When it comes to the actual decision of choosing foods we are going to eat, however, it seems as though we can all make some improvements. At the last Student Senate meeting, Director of Campus Dining Marla Poterack informed students that the Wege cafeteria threw out on average 160 pounds of food per day. This is food that is coming off of plates that run down the conveyer belt in the dishwashing back room. Some students working the dishwasher have said that some days they literally have to empty the garbage every 20 minutes because there is so much food waste. This being said, it seems as though there needs to be a change in these Wege entrée tryouts. Let’s be honest people, it is the end of the first semester. By now,
we should be able to know what we will eat at Wege and what we won’t. Blaming this on the quality of food seems like a pretty easy, and dare I say, lazy way out. If it takes people three full plates of food before finding something they like, then their opinion should be voiced. Bring up your concerns at a Senate meeting, or better yet to Poterack herself, who receives feedback from a student group that meets regularly. It is still college, we can still eat without our parents voicing the ills of starving third world countries and chose to avoid broccoli at all costs, but wasting food on a regular basis is something we shouldn’t need our parents to remind us not to do. So instead of having entrée tryouts, take your time. Look around, check out the options, and like a true college student, make an educated decision on both what and how much you will actually eat. The days of forced vegetables can still be at an end, but the time to be a healthy and sustainable consumer is now.
SOPA needs to stop By Chuck Hyde The Saint Reporter Online piracy is something that many would consider wrong, and I like to count myself among them. It is essentially theft, taking money away from the artists and designers who created the work. I would like to see the government take action against pirating sites and try to stop it. Because of this, I was rather excited when I heard about a new bill going through the House of Representatives entitled Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I thought that maybe Congress had finally thought of better ways to combat piracy. Then I looked into it more. Some would say that it does exactly what its name implies, but I would argue that it takes it much farther than that. SOPA allows for corporations, if they find an unau-
thorized use of their content, to send a cease and desist letter to the owner of the website, if an owner can be found. If the site refuses to comply, the website will be put on a “Blacklist” of websites that all internet service providers are required by law to block from their customers. This list also applies to search engines and online payment managers, such as PayPal. Effectively, this bill would allow for corporations to censor offending sites from the internet, without a due process of law. The courts are never involved, unless the site contests the accusations or removes the content. Even then, the damage to the site’s owners could be disastrous. This bill tries to stop piracy in a fashion that is reminiscent of China or Libya—it would not only stop pirates, but millions of users that are harmlessly posting songs or clips for the entertainment of their friends.
Not only would this bill censor those users, but sites they post on would be held responsible. Facebook, Tumblr, Myspace, Twitter, Google+: they would all have to self-censor their members to avoid being shut down. This would be the first step to an Orwellian society, in which all speech rights are stripped away. In this modern age, censorship of the internet is nearly a direr blow to freedom than censorship of speech itself. Luckily, many members of online communities have spoken out against the bill, and have nearly derailed it. However, unfortunately, now the Senate has drafted their version of the SOPA bill: the Protect IP Act (PIPA). I feel that the internet will become a very different place in the near future. I can only hope that the bills will be met with enough opposition to stop their enactment into law.
Have a Merry Christmas By Dan Meloy Sports Editor “Merry Christmas.” Such a simple greeting. It invokes thoughts of joy, holiday warmth, of families getting together and good tidings to friends and strangers. But every year a nasty debate comes up that overthrows all thoughts of holiday cheer and good spirits between men. The age-old “That’s offensive,” debate and the need to include everyone at all costs has caused us to ruin the uniqueness and authenticity of the holidays that we hold close to our hearts. Now sayings such as “Merry Christmas” and even “Happy Holidays” are being watered down to less meaningful expressions such as “Seasons Greetings.” ‘Seasons Greetings?” Hell, I can say that anytime of the year. Summer, autumn, baseball season–they are all sea-
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sons. Really, is there a time when you can’t say “Seasons Greetings?” On the other hand, “Merry Christmas” is special. It invokes thoughts of hope, home, family and is one of the most important religious holidays for billions of people around the world. I seriously doubt that anybody who says “Merry Christmas” to a stranger walking down the street is trying to offend them. They are not trying to impose Christianity onto them. They are not trying to single them out if they do not believe in Christianity. They are wishing that they have a good Christmas, whether they day has any special significance to them or not. Yes, the First Amendment bans the establishment of a state religion and the government promoting religion. But having a marquee in front of a building with the words “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” is hardly imposing religion on someone. Rather, it is just
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wishing them to have a nice day while recognizing the upcoming holiday that they might be celebrating. Somewhere along the line, we as a society have developed hair-triggers in what we deem as offensive. Heaven forbid someone expresses something that others may not believe in. I don’t even mind less subtle ways of saying ‘Merry Christmas’ such as ‘Merry X-Mas’ (X was a sign of Christ back in the days of Roman oppression of Christians), or “Happy Holidays” (after all, “holiday” means “holy day”). But “Seasons Greetings” just takes all the uniqueness and history out of the holiday and the greeting. So calm down and relax people, I’m not trying to convert you at the shopping mall. I’m just trying to be polite. Merry Christmas, Aquinas, and a Happy New Year.
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