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edi.to.ri.al [ed-i-tawr-ee-uhl]
Opinion
A chalk-induced Editorial commentary
People give power to words. Let your words give the people power.
The Quad West Chester University | 253 Sykes Student Union | West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383
Phone: 610.436.2375 | Fax: 610.436.3280 | E-mail: quad@wcupa.edu | Web: www.wcuquad.com
Tara Tanzos
Editor-in-Chief
QuadEIC@wcupa.edu
EDITORIAL BOARD Jenn Rothstein News Editor Lisa Dellaporta Op-Ed Editor Rae Dunbar Features Editor Mike Sheehan Entertainment Editor Amy Festa Sports Editor Lukas Jenkins Photography Editor BUSINESS & ADVERTISING STAFF Joshua Cash Business Manager
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ONLINE EDITION Kristin Solanick FACULTY ADVISOR Dr. Philip A. Thompsen
Brittany Silver Art Director
Submissions Policy [suhb-mish-uhnz . pol-uh-see] Guest and opinion columns, letters to the editor, political or social commentary, and artwork is accepted during the academic year. All material may be sent to the attention of the editor in chief, The Quad, 253 Sykes Student Union Building, West Chester University, West Chester, Pa. 19383. Material may also be dropped off in our office, Sykes 253 or e-mailed to quad@wcupa.edu. An electronic copy of all work is necessary for publication and should be sent to the aforementioned e-mail address. All submissions must include a name and at least two forms of contact information, such as an e-mail address and phone number, for verification purposes. Students should include information such as an on-campus address, class standing, area of study, and/or organizational position. Material is only published if the author/artist can be confirmed as a standing member of the University. Such distinctions include students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumnus. We do not accept submissions from members of the community that are not associated with West Chester University. Letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words; columns and commentaries should be between 500 and 1,100 words. All material may be edited to adhere to our policies, AP style, and space restraints. We do not edit for content unless it is libelous, excessively profane, or harmful to a particular individual or group thereof. Opinions expressed within the letters to the editor, columns, and commentaries are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Quad, its editorial board or the student body, faculty, or administration of West Chester University. The deadline for all Op-ed submissons is the Saturday before that Monday’s publication by 2 p.m.
Disclaimers [dis-kley-merz] Copyright ©2010 The Quad. No work herein may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Editor in Chief. Opinions expressed within the letters to the editor, columns, and commentaries are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Quad, its editorial board or the student body, faculty, or administration of West Chester University. Founded in 1932 as Quad Angles, The Quad was re-named as such in 1975. The Quad is the independent, student-run newspaper of West Chester University of Pennsylvania and is published weekly throughout the academic year. The Quad is published on 12 Mondays each academic semester and has a weekly newsprint circulation of 5,000. The Quad is funded primarily through advertising sales and although we receive a budget through SGA and the student activity fee, The Quad is run solely by students and is not edited or altered in any way by University faculty, staff, or administration. The University has no prior review of the content. Rates and mechanical requirements for display advertising can be found on our Web site. Inquiries may be placed at the addresses or phone numbers listed above. Classified advertising may be purchased on our Web site: http://www.wcuquad.com. The Quad reserves the right to refuse any news items, letters, or advertising thought to be offensive or inappropriate. The Quad exercises care to prevent omissions and factual errors. Corrections for any published error will not exceed the space or prominence of the error that occurred. Claims for adjustment must be made within five days of publication. The Quad is printed by Bartash Printing in Philadelphia, Pa.
This past Friday, I was walking to class when I saw chalk drawings on the ground. Now, this is a pretty typical occurence around the campus, whenever a particular student group is trying to draw (no pun intended) attention to an event or cause. However, it is usually quite clear which student group is marking up the sidewalks. This was not the case last week.
Perhaps it was because I have early classes, and not all of the chalk drawings had been done yet, but I really enjoyed what I saw, and I think I appreciated it more since it was anonymous, and not attributed to a particular part of or group within the student body. Most of the messages I saw had to do with just freezing for a moment and taking in the surroundings. At the intersection of two sidewalks, a square box had been drawn, the phrase “Stand Here. Notice Things” bordering the four edges. So, I did. I rotated a full 360 degrees, looking for more messages and just appreciating the quiet of the campus in the early morning cold. It was then that I saw the message written on the abstract piece of art (the copper one, that kind of looks like a windmill folded down upon itself) in the middle of the quad. In bright green chalk, someone had written “You will soon forget this.” A girl was sitting, reading, directly underneath the text, which just made the image that much more powerful. It’s true. Despite all of the talk about college being the worst or best times of our lives, we don’t actually seem to focus on the college itself, and what we’re surrounded by while we’re here. We all become so wrapped up in our own deadlines, desires and work that we forget we’re part of a bigger thing here. How will we ever encompass that larger “thing” if we keep our focus so tightly aimed? A professor recently shared with my class a story about graduating from college and saying goodbye to her best friend. She related it to the way people in college experienced high school goodbyes, with all the “stay in touch” and “we’ll visit each other!” statements thrown out until their meanings are worn through. The difference with my professor’s experience is that her friend was lucid to the reality of these statements. She said “Well, Kim, have a nice life,” knowing she’d likely lose touch and never see her again. Isn’t this the real truth? All the sentimental goodbyes boil down to slowly-fading friendships, amid a few strong bonds that stick through time. Even though we subliminally know this, why do we still go through the misleading rituals of promising to “keep in touch?” I then wondered if the same thing could be applied to our university. We invest so much time (and money) into however many years we spend here, yet I already have moments where I suddenly remember something fantastic that happened my freshman year. Will our memories fade the further we distance ourselves from our graduation date? Did we ever really appreciate what WCU has given us in the first place? This is what I thought about, while standing frozen in that chalk square staring into the quad. The image of that girl sitting beneath that message isn’t something I’m likely to forget soon, but I still wish I’d captured it on camera, just in case. peace to you, Tara T. Editor-in-Chief
Recycle The Quad - because who wants to chop down a tree?