Notes & Asides

We here at The Tower would like to applaud the new snow removal machinery that has appeared this winter. For once, a snowstorm did not turn the campus into the CUA icecapades. However, a helpful hint from the North: you still have to shovel where your fancy little machines can't go. It doesn't make you exempt.

Invasion of the Newt!! Everyone fear for your lives. It's the end of the speaker policy as we know it! Or not…

Sadly, the South Dining Hall has reverted back to their water or carbonated drinks regimine. I realize that juice is more expensive, but you can't put up a juice machine and then have it be constantly not working. Just think of all the orange and apple pickers that are going hungry because we won't buy their juice.

An Enjoyable Romance That Spans All Time

Books revolving around a romance between two people can be written in many ways. Unfortunately, most come across as cheesy, overly dramatic, or just plain dumb. "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger is none of the above. Niffenegger adroitly crafts the story of Henry and Clare, creating a tale of love that transcends time without becoming a mushy soap opera.

The one misfortune this book has is good reviews. Niffenegger's story has spent weeks atop the best seller list and is the subject of many book groups. The hype for this book has been so great that many readers' standards will be overly elevated. This will make it seem like the book is missing something despite the fact that it has the makings of a classic novel. Fortunately (or unfortunately) this book deserves nothing but good reviews. Niffenegger has crafted an improbable love story that should be read.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" focuses around Henry DeTamble and his wife, Clare Abshire. Henry is a witty and adventuresome librarian. He's a normal man, with one slight difference; he has an inability to stay in the present. Henry unwilling time travels to both the present and the future. While on his adventures, he learns about his life in a circuitous manner. In most instances, Henry knows about his future before he knows about his past. He witnesses the most dramatic points of his life, like the death of his mother, from many different perspectives. While most people would be excited about the idea of time travel, Henry dreads his trips. They always leave him naked, hungry, and lost in an unknown time and unknown place. In order to survive, he develops the skills of a cat burglar and the speed of a sprinter.

On one of his travels, Henry meets Clare, a precocious 6-year old who will become his future wife. Clare is visited by a middle-aged Henry throughout her childhood. She grows up waiting for his visits. Once the couple marries, Clare waits for his returns. The couple's lives are intertwined in past, present, and future. Both Clare and Henry know, however, that Henry's travels may one day kill him. Throughout the book, the couple work through the difficulties that come with their most abnormal relationship.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" is an inventive love story. Surprisingly, the plot reads chronologically, despite the fact that it bounces between past, present, and future. It is extremely difficult to write a story from these differing angles and still keep the reader feeling coherent. Niffenegger, however, never once loses the reader. In fact, the many angles only enhance and highlight each aspect of the story.

The characters are amazingly well written. Henry and Clare, despite their unlikely lives, are actually believable. Their emotions are so remarkably explained that is difficult not to become engrossed in the story. Her characters are complete from the first page. At the end of the book, the author actually has the reader on the verge of tears. Niffenegger creates an unbreakable force between the reader and her novel. The reader easily feels Henry's anguish and fear. Clare, while sometimes frustrating, was, in many ways, the focal point of the story. While the book bounces from year to year, she remains a rock for both the reader and Henry to return to.

In "The Time Traveler's Wife," Niffenegger crafts a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Unlike many of today's fiction, her characters have depth and her plot is original. "The Time Traveler's Wife" is a story to be read more than once and savored each time.

News Coverage and the Speaker Policy

Last week, the Tower emphasized that its mission was to cover events of importance to the University, whether positive or negative. It is ironic, then, that they failed to cover the March for Life, aside from a picture and caption, while the status of the Valentine's Dance was given front-page billing as an article, as was the latest protest of the speaker policy. Last week the Tower stated that the "negative" articles it covered last semester were "serious, controversial events that demanded our coverage." Is not the March for Life even more serious than the speaker policy? Across our country, abortion is one of the most controversial topics. Why does this event, which involved many CUA students, not get coverage, while a 30-student protest of the speaker policy gets a front-page article all to itself?
Second, I cannot fathom why students protested Newt Gingrich's appearance as a violation of the speaker policy. According to the protesters, as reported by the Tower, Gingrich's support for the death penalty and his affair should make him "ineligible" to speak on campus. This is patently absurd. The death penalty is not contrary to Church teaching, as has been pointed out in this forum before. In addition, someone's private life (in this case, an affair) has no bearing on the speaker policy. The speaker policy applies to one's public positions that are contrary to Church teaching; it is not concerned with one's private life. If we followed the protesters' reasoning, nobody could speak on campus, because all of us have acted contrary to Church teaching by sinning.
Finally, I ask that Tom McGuane refrain from publicly making cheap attacks on Fr. O'Connell. A little respect, please, for the President of the Catholic University of America. Such attacks have no place in a student newspaper.

College Democrats Lead Protests of Speaker Policy Application

Approximately thirty students gathered in front of the Pryzbyla Center on Tuesday night prior to the speech given by Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The students, however, were not protesting against Gingrich's appearance at the University. Instead, they were rallying in opposition to the University policy that only permits speakers whose public views are in line with those of Catholic teachings.

Rally participants stood outside the main entrance to the Pryzbyla Center with large banners and signs, promoting free speech and open debate on campus during the approximately 20 minute long rally. Students chanted to catch the attention of the students and faculty entering the building to attend Gingrich's speech. In addition, some students created white shirts with slogans such as "'Where Do it All' means follow O'Connell's Political Agenda." Concluding the rally, various student leaders from the College Democrats, the spear headers of the event, spoke to the crowd encouraging them to continue to support the Free Speech movement. "We need to keep up the fight against the speaker policy," said College Democrats Freshman Representative Kevin Caneco. "We should stand up every time the speaker policy is broken."

Despite the rally prior to the speech in the Great Room, participants were encouraging students to attend the event. In addition, organizers urged their followers to be respectful while attending the actual lecture, stating that they would be respectful for the former Speaker of the House. "We welcome Newt to the University, however, we are here again to promote openness and free speech," said senior drama Danny Junod. He was also an organizer of the October sit-in that also protested the speaker policy. "This [protest] is just another push to show we aren't going away to the administration."

Junod helped organize the event, along with the College Democrats, after learning of the Gingrich speaking engagement, which was sponsored by the College Republicans. Patrick Brown, the President of the College Democrats, stated that although the group was excited to learn such a high profile speaker was invited to campus, they were disappointed to see the speaker policy was being broken with this event. "We hope that this protest will show the university that they should not only push one political agenda through approval of events like this," Brown said.

In addition to the student protesters, some members of the faculty were in attendance. One faculty member, Leslie Tentler, an ordinary professor of history was rallying alongside the students before the speech. "I am here for all the faculty who should be," Tentler said. "This should not be a campus where only Republicans are allowed."

Gingrich: Post-War Iraq a 'Mess'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, visiting campus for a College Republicans-sponsored speech on leadership, said that while he supported the military operation to topple Saddam Hussein in Iraq, "we…made a major mistake" in managing the country afterward and the situation is now a "mess."

"We screwed up," Gingrich said, answering a question from a student after delivering remarks on leadership strategies. "[A]s an infantry brat and an Army brat, I thought we had made a major mistake" by dissolving the Iraqi army after overthrowing the government, he said. "The fact is, it's going to take at least another year for us to clean up the mess. We made it much harder than it needed to be."

At the same time, Gingrich said he thought that invading the country was necessary and that it is a "major mistake to believe that these guys weren't dangerous."

"I'm perfectly happy to defend the war; I'm not happy to defend the peace," he said, while praised L. Paul Bremer, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator in Iraq, for "risking his life for 15 months." But Gingrich indirectly criticized him for not following the lessons learned in Afghanistan, where U.S. forces quickly promoted Hamid Karzai to be the public face of the interim government. Karzai was elected president of the country last month.

Gingrich, who led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, received a standing ovation from the standing-room only crowd both while entering and leaving the stage. Sources put his appearance at $15,000, likely making it the College Republicans' major speaker for the year.

Introduced as a "conservative, Republican icon" by Matthew Rooney, the chairman of the College Republicans, Gingrich-wearing a wireless microphone clipped to his necktie-preferred to stand beside the podium rather than speak from behind it.

Protesters, mostly College Democrats sitting quietly in the back of the Pryzbyla Great Room, wore white T-shirts adorned with hand-written messages protesting Gingrich's appearance as a violation of the University's speaker policy. The policy prohibits speakers who support values contrary to Catholic moral teaching. Gingrich's support for the death penalty, and his affair in the 1990s, were cited by demonstrators as violating the policy.

"Big Brother is Watching" was written on one shirt; "CUA: Designed to diminish the range of thought" was on another.

Gingrich said his political career "has been implausible and…it's been uphill all the way," adding that he has "learned a lot of things about leadership along the way."

He plugged his newly-published book on leadership-twice-citing it by name and asking students to buy two copies-one for them and one for their parents.

As part of his advice on leadership, he asked the audience to put problems in a positive light by instead calling them "challenges," and cited President Franklin D. Roosevelt as an example of someone who "never once" became pessimistic.

Asked by a second lieutenant of Georgetown's battalion of the Reserve Officer Training Corps for advice for college students about to enter the officer corps, Gingrich cited his father's role as an infrantryman in World War II, and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. "None of you should doubt for one moment that what you're doing makes a difference," he said.

A student wearing a decorated white T-shirt asked Gingrich if he supported "open discussion." Gingrich said that while he did not want to "pick a fight with University administration…as a general principle I'm for open dialogue."

The night was capped by a question about Gingrich's political future when a student predicted that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) would run in 2008, and asked if he would run for the Republican nomination.

Gingrich did not rule out the possibility. "I don't know who'll end up being the nominee," he said. "But if I am the nominee, I'll need your help."

Campus Briefs

University to Sponsor Series on Marriage

The University and the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family are sponsoring a series of three lectures, in February, entitled "The Spiritual Meaning of Spousal Love: The Christian Orient." The lectures will deal with Catholic teachings on marriage, sexuality, and love. Fr. Marko I. Rupnik, S.J., the director of the Ezio Alletti Study and Research Center in Rome, Italy, will deliver these lectures. He is the author of many theological works, and a visual artist whose paintings and mosaics decorate churches throughout Europe and the United States, including chapels in the Czech Republic and in New Haven, Conn. The lecture series will be on take place on February 7, 8, and 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, 3900 Harwood Road across the street from campus.

Cardinals' Dinner Kicks Off in Miami

The University is holding the 16 Annual American Cardinal's Dinner in Miami tonight. The event at the InterContinental Miami Hotel includes a Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Mary and dinner that honors the seven Cardinals in the United States. The dinner is held each year to support scholarships for students of the University, and has raised more than $19 million since its inception in 1989. Approximately 850 people are expected to attend.

Editorial: Do It All… Or At Least Do Something

It hasn't gone unnoticed that on this campus students are, generally, apathetic toward a number of issues that profoundly affect them. CUA has a number of outlets for students to voice their opinions or complaints. Most members of the faculty and administration would gladly listen to a student's opinion if they would only take the time to offer it. Apathy runs deep on this campus for both positive and negative issues. The campus would certainly be better helped through active participation than through vocal passivity.

While many students complain and whine to their friends about the inconsistency and unfairness of the speaker policy, no one seems to care enough to actually do something about the issue. Aside from the Free Speech Sit-In, held last October, most students seem willing to brush their discontent aside. Fewer than 30 students attended the free speech rally held before Tuesday's event with Newt Gingrich. Although they are still disgruntled, students have become truly apathetic toward the cause. Change cannot be enacted when students are unwilling to put any effort toward an issue they supposedly care about.

CUA's preposterous speaker policy is not the only area where students fail to act on the problems they want to change on campus. Both housing and the food on campus receive a number of harsh complaints, but very few people attend RHA or DSAB meetings. This is, once again, a case where students are riled-up only enough to whine, but not enough to voice their opinions outside their circle of friends. Sending an e-mail, writing a letter or attending a meeting is a simple step toward voicing an opinion and enacting change.

Apathy is not limited to complaints. The RHA, along with the RAs on campus, organize a large number of events that are sparsely attended. They try to put together activities geared toward the students on campus, but much of the time they put toward these events-while laudable-is in vain. Several members of these groups have stated that the most difficult part of their jobs is getting people to show up.

The worse thing a campus can have is idle, frustrated students. Apathy means that the students are willing to live with the status quo. How can we, as a campus, accept this? In order for college to be a fulfilling experience, we the students have to put in as much effort as we expect to receive in return.

National News Briefs

Iraqis Prepare For Sunday Elections

Iraqis will go to the polls Sunday to elect a body of representatives that will draft a national constitution. Iraq will elect a National Assembly, which will elect the president and his deputies. The period preceding this election has been marked by elevated tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. On Pan-Arab television Wednesday, President Bush warned Iran and Syria not to interfere in the Iraqi elections.

Senate Debates, Confirms Rice for State

The Senate confirmed Condoleezza Rice to succeed Colin Powell as Secretary of State by a vote of 85-13 following several days of debate. Rice faced tough questions during her confirmation hearing, including a particularly heated exchange with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who called her a liar. In the end, most Democrats voted to confirm Rice. The division did not exactly follow party lines as Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and other Democrats supported her.

FCC Chairman Powell Resigns

FCC Chairman Michael Powell announced his resignation last Friday. Powell was appointed to the commission in 1997 by then-President Bill Clinton. As chairman, Powell cracked down on indecency, the most famous of which was an incident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show when Janet Jackson accidentally bared her breast on national television.

Police Blotter

Student code Violation
1-22, 7:57 p.m. / Camalier
A candle was left burning in the bathroom, which caused a small fire. DCFD was notified and responded to the scene. Incident will be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs by HRS.

Attempted UUV
1-23, 10:45 p.m. / Harewood Rd. The complainant parked his vehicle at 7:30 p.m., and returned at 10:45 and noticed there was damage to his ignition and property removed.

Stolen Auto
1-24, 4:00 p.m. / Flather Lot
Complainant 2 stated she parked Complainant 1's vehicle at 4:00 p.m. Complainant 1 returned at 6:00 p.m. and discovered her vehicle stolen. MPD was notified. Disposition: under investigation. Status: Open.

Harassing Calls
1-24, 3:57 a.m. / Millennium South
Two students reported receiving harassing telephone calls. Incident will be referred to the DPS investigator.

Defacing Private Property
1-26, 10:00 a.m. / Millennium South
Eggs were thrown at four resident room doors in Millennium South. Custodial Services was notified.

-Compiled by
Kate McGovern

UCSPE Rejects Proposal for Valentine's Dance

Funding for a planned Valentine's dance planned by the sophomore class was halted Thursday when the event was not approved by UCSPE officials and not signed off by Kimberly Timpany, the associate director for UCSPE who must sign off on student organization expenditures.

The move angered sophomore class officers, who were trying to quickly assemble the event at the Watergate Hotel on Feb. 11.

"I understand why the University chose not to allow us to have this event," said Daryl Lloyd, the sophomore class president. "However, I do not agree with the decision not to allow us to have this event and I felt it would be a wonderful community build event not only for the class of 2007 but for the entire University."

Timpany declined to comment about the incident, saying she would not discuss advice given to student organizations.

Lloyd said the contingency funding was approved by a wide majority in the legislative branch and unanimously in the treasury branch. Brian Jones, the treasury vice president, and USG President Sarah McGrath also assented to the spending.

The USG approved $6,000 in contingency funding for the dance, which could host just 100 students. Lloyd and Jones said that the officials-including UCSPE Director William Jonas and Dean of Students Jonathan Sawyer-objected to a class spending funds for a school-wide event.

Alcohol at the event may have initially been a factor as well. The dean of students office has made yearly campaigns to discourage underage drinking. Lloyd said that the plan was initially submitted to include alcoholic beverages, but "once we found that it could hold up contract negotiations, we pulled alcohol from the event."

Jones provided The Tower with e-mails sent to Timpany where he asked that the funds be transferred quickly so that the event could take place. In reply, Timpany asked to meet with Jones and Lloyd, and said that the proper paperwork must be submitted for the funds transfer to take place. She also said that the accelerated timetable jeopardized the chances that the event could take place.

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