Bottoms Up to Murphy’s Pub

WCUA and the Knights of Columbus held an “Election Day Special” in the Food Court on Tuesday as the results came in, though attendance was noticeably minimal. Students that did attend watched the broadcast on a projection screen with no food, no drinks and no entertainment other than the banter between WCUA personalities. Most students spent their evening off campus, which is hard to understand considering the high political climate among the University’s students. While students scattered allover D.C., the Pryz, our “living room” according to administrators, remained essentially empty. Fortunately, the administration has remembered the Pryz’s true function to serve the needs of students with their decision to replace the current location of the bookstore with Murphy’s, a relaxed gathering place for students to kick back, shoot some pool and enjoy a pub-style beer on tap, when the south-campus development is completed.
Before the Pryz was built, the University set a goal to construct a student center that would become the “living room of campus.” As the living room can serve as a neutral place of repose in a home, this building was meant to create unity to a campus that had been divided into north, central and south parts of the campus for years. While the Pryz has created some unity and gathering spots, last Tuesday night made a big problem obvious: there is no place on-campus to socialize and just simply hang out.

While the majority of the Pryz is allotted to administrative offices and conference rooms, student organizations hibernate in the lower Pryz. Once Starbucks was placed in the Pryz, the building had a place for students to grab a coffee and study for midterms other than the dining hall and couches next to the Loft.

By allowing a facility like Murphy’s to open, the University will be giving students a chance to let loose and have discussions that do not revolve around academics or if there are any cheeseburgers on the grill.

Murphy’s will also allow student leaders to leave their offices and interact with the campus community. There have been attempts to bring different organizations together, such as the Leadership Retreat and even a baseball game between the College Democrat and College Republicans. With the growing mutual-respect between many student organizations, Murphy’s will allow these groups to continue working on the unity that this building, literally, stands for.

Here is a well- deserved toast to the administration for planning Murphy’s Pub. Thanks must be given to those who persist in remembering that the University is our home and the Pryz is our “living room.”

Additionally, thank you Frank Persico, vice president for University Relations, for personally spearheading the Murphy’s Pub campaign on behalf of your late friend and University alum, Michael Patrick Murphy.

Vote for Someone this November 4th

This is the last edition of The Tower before the historic 2008 Election, and we would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of our readers to vote if they care about the future of this nation. If you don’t, then we ask you not to vote.
Voting is not merely a tool used to support a party or candidate. It is a means for change. A way to enact policies, switch leadership styles and have input in the way your country is run. That is a fundamental aspect of the country. Nothing is accomplished aside from anger, frustration and a bureaucracy that exists merely to stay employed when politics becomes a partisan battle because right and left, nothing
While every Tower staff member has an opinion, borrowing the phrase “that is above our pay grade,” we are not going to endorse anyone.

For most students this will be the first time you are able to vote in a Presidential election. You have a chance to have an impact on the next four years, so why not take advantage of it? One vote may not make a difference, but at least you can fulfill the duty of being an American citizen and add your voice to the masses.

When casting your ballot, whether it is in a voting booth in your home state or by filling out an absentee ballot in your dorm room, look at all the issues that are important to you and ones that may have an impact on your friends and family, as well as the nation and world.

Remember every election results in a man or woman being sent to serve you, whether it is the president or mayor of your town.

Both candidates disagree on many vital problems that our country needs to face and solve in the coming years. Vote for whose solutions you believe will best conquer those problems. Vote for who has the experience, moral character and values that you believe are necessary. Even if a candidate is not an expert in any one field, make sure you can trust him to appoint advisors and experts who will guide him in the right direction.

Even though we are college students, our votes are just as equal to the vote of our parents and grandparents. We owe it to our countrymen, who gave their lives in defense of our livelihoods and to spread democracy around the world, to vote.

Even better, vote and stay active. There is no reason our political interests have to stop after the election. The future of the nation does not stop on Election Day. It starts.  There are so many ways to be active in changing the future of this nation, whether it is writing to a newspaper about your views, attending a protest on Capitol Hill, or interning for your congressman.

An editorial encouraging you to vote might have been expected in the last issue of The Tower before a major election. But, although it may have been expected, it still does not deter from the serious matter of voting. Millions of people across the globe want the freedom to vote. We are lucky enough to have it, so why not exercise it.

EDITORIAL: University’s Red Tape Has Impact on Alumni Donations

It’s only October, and already the administration has extended their sphere of influence into the neighborhoods surrounding Catholic University. Neighborhoods where students move to escape the dominion of DPS and the deans are the same neighborhoods where students are being pulled over by DPS officers and where off-campus parties are being disbanded by deans.

According to the Princeton Review’s ranking of colleges, our own Catholic University of America is ranked #19 on the list of universities with “Long Lines and Red Tape.”

According to us, we might as well be number one.

While the confused hierarchy here at the University is inconveniencing current students like John CoFrancesco and resulting in suspension for students like Justin DiFranco, the levels of alumni donations are speaking much more loudly than frustrated students can yell.

The overall level of alumni donations is, especially in comparison to similar universities, astonishingly low. Ron Sartini, a graduate with the class of 2006, said that many alumni would not make a “general donation” because of their overall opinion of the University and its internal politics.

“Many, many people leave CUA with the sense that the school was incompetently run and had academic policies that lack common sense,” he said.  “Their treatment of student organizations is…as the enemy and not the client of the university.”

The level of involvement that the administration is pursuing in the lives of our students is frighteningly parental.  For many students who are away from home, and for many upperclassmen that are off-campus, the confines that University has established are not conducive with the typical collegiate environment.  This extra enforcement would not be looked down upon as much if it was clearly creating more experienced, prepared graduates, but as our list of alumni continues to grow, the names that emerge as “big time” are few and far between.

James Bailey Brislin, another 2006 alumn, wrote in a May 12, 2006 edition of The Tower, “Catholic University will not improve until the administrative structure is reformed as part of a larger housecleaning reaching into the highest levels of the administration.”  The discrepancies within university policy become more and more evident with each major disciplinary decision reached.  When DiFranco requested clemency for his traffic violation in which he attested that a DPS officer should not be able to pull him over off-campus, he was answered with an apparently pre-written letter from the president’s office declining his appeal, even while the president was or was planning to leave on an overseas trip that very day.

When junior Vicky Mahoney created a Facebook event for “Oktoberfest,” an event that was blatantly promoting alcohol consumption and availability, John CoFrancesco was confronted about the event instead.  The only logical conclusion for any of this is that the internal structure of our disciplinary system is so confused, it is just as mixed up when it is enforced.

Unfortunately for the University, these are the memories that resound with students when they decide not to reach into their wallets and give back to their Alma Mater.   Many, like Brislin, feel their donation would only be contributing to more turmoil within the institutions.  In a March 31, 2006 issue of The Tower, Brislin said, “the average alumnus has no interest in subsidizing the annual operating deficit because he knows it is incentive for the deficits to continue.”

However, in the same article, Brislin makes an excellent point: that same student “may have an interest in assisting the department in which he took his degree or supporting some other aspect of university life.” “Despite adversement, mismanagement, and mistreatment,” he said, “I have enjoyed CUA.”

The community at the University is an unsurpassed institution that cannot be undermined by any confused hierarchy or backwards administration, and alumni are increasingly willing to donate to that aspect of campus. Sartini said that despite his distaste with the administration, “If I were to donate, it would be specifically to certain departments…I would donate to, and gladly do so, the philosophy department.”

Every student that graduates from the University has a place they cherish, like Sartini valued the philosophy department. Whether their loyalty is to a basement office where they return to help edit the weekly newspaper, or to the Conaty porch just to look up at their former residence, alumni find their niches in the people here, not necessarily the school.

Perhaps even the administration’s wacky ways are in observance of our best interest.  At what other college would a dean inform a student that the police had been notified about a party and suspensions were pending, or a DPS officer pull a student over, possibly outside of his jurisdiction, for making an illegal turn at 1:30 in the morning?  Maybe they do it because they care.

If that is the case, they sure do have a weird way of showing it.

SAGA’s ‘Goals’ Require Perseverance

Communication between student organizations and administrators is vital during a year in which change is in the air.

A new student representative board has taken the reigns of power. Their goal list is long and their time is, unfortunately short when one considers how long it takes to jump through hoops at the University.

Consequentially, leaders must constantly fulfill roles as not just liaisons, but persistent and relentless advocates for students.

The current system is simple. Important offices such as facilities and maintenance, athletics, the Dean of Student Life and others are assigned a specific liason who is responsible for ensuring that students voices are heard at an administrative level.

These SAGA reps face an uphill battle requiring knowledge of the offices they deal with. That knowledge should include which admins are responsive to students.

There is always a driven individual within even the stodgiest of bureaucracy who understands the needs of the people they serve. People like University Center, Student Programs and Events director Bill Jonas deal with students on a daily basis and reasonably work with even the most overwhelmed student organization leader.

Our new provost, James Brennan, brings to the office blunt honesty and willingness to hold ‘town hall’ meetings which give the students a chance to converse with a person who affects their day-to-day lives even more than University President, Rev. David M. O’Connell. His power and influence at the University should not go unnoticed and unattended by SAGA.

Housing, an office with traditionally spotty student relations is lucky to have Todd Troke as a number two. While he seldom deals directly with students, he quickly resolves issues when presented with them.

In the Office of Student Life, newly promoted Sarah Daniels is often referred to as rough around the edges, but her professionalism and determination to make students understand the long-term consequences of their decisions now is to be admired. In addition, she has set up programs that are more effective than anything hatched by previous student government presidents.

It is easy to become frustrated with the wall of problems that SAGA plans to address, but the best way to cut through red tape is with sharp instruments.

These admins are exactly the types of people that liaisons should become fast friends with.

Rx Drug Abuse Hits Campus Hard

Hundreds of students at our University are legally prescribed medications that improve their lives and enable them to function normally everyday. Those same drugs, when put into the hands of those who don’t medically need them to operate, are commonly being abused at an increasing and alarming rate. Blending alcohol into the mix of color-coded capsules makes for an even more dangerous cocktail of pharmaceuticals that leads to addiction and fatalities.

With the prescription drug overdose that occurred in Magner Hall last week, all students should take a closer look at their friends, roommates and even that lonely guy sitting by himself in the back of the classroom. There is no stereotypical abuser of prescription drugs. It can be the girl who takes Adderall to give her energy boosts before finals. It can be that guy who goes missing during parties to crush and snort Vicodin. It can even be your roommate who secretly pops a Xanax with a drink while watching a movie.

Nearly 20 percent of college students have abused prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Percocet, according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America. About one in 10 of those surveyed have abused stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall.

Unlike marijuana, cocaine and other traditional narcotics, students do not need to venture to shady neighborhoods or to dangerous drug dealers to find what they are looking for. People our age have such easy access to pharmaceuticals that it is actually reducing use of the aforementioned street drugs nationally.

One does not have to steal from their grandmother’s medicine cabinet anymore, nor do they have to chug a bottle of cherry cough medicine. Doctors and psychiatrists prescribe narcotics to students and their health insurance picks up the tab. For a drug addict, it is much easier to fake a psychological condition and get pills for virtually nothing, rather than forking over thousands of dollars for unreliable products from the street.

Aside from the accessibility and larger-than-ever prescription drug craze among college students, the huge alcohol usage rate, standing at more than 80 percent at our University alone, makes the situation that much worse. Alcohol and drugs, prescribed or not, make for an extremely dangerous situation.

Emotional, academic and social stresses should not be treated with pills and booze. There are other resources available to students who need help. Family, friends, the Counseling Center, Resident Ministers and more are all eager to help but are often under-utilized. Drug-use may start with trying it out at a party for a boost, but it all-too-often becomes a tool that is used to help manage one’s life and daily routines. Addictions need to be treated, and addicts can’t do it alone. If you have a friend in need, be there for him or her. Despite what they say or how they act, they’re struggling horribly on the inside. It’ll be hard, but you don’t want to wake up one morning to find out its too late.

Counseling Center Expands Role

Very seldom does a reshuffling of the bureaucracy lead to a more effective program for students.

Thanks to a sharp eye in the Office of Student Life, it appears that one of these anomalies has occurred. Students with serious alcohol violations, instead of being dealt with solely by the department responsible for punishing them will have a chance to see a trained professional regarding what could be a serious problem.

Senior staff and trained professionals within the counseling center will be in charge of educating students about the dangers of alcohol, instead of the personnel responsible for chastising that behavior.

Innovative educational programs, such as BASICS – a program which instruct students who have serious alcohol violations on the dangers of binge and competitive drinking –and spring break awareness week were brought to campus by Kathryn Jennings, the associate dean of students.

Because she brought the programs to campus, the responsibility was kept within the dean of students office.

While she, and the department of judicial affairs still work with Area Coordinators on disciplining students and running BASICS, Jennings will cede control of educational programs to the counseling center.

“The counseling center has a lot of background with counseling in alcohol dealing with students and families,” said Jennings of the change.

The dismantling of the ATLAS tutoring program, which was originally run by the counseling center freed up space for that department to deal more directly alcohol education for students. As a result, students with spotty records and violations are more likely to be exposed to professionals within the counseling department.

In the past, BASICS leaders could recommend students for sessions with counselors if they saw a pattern of abuse. The new system allows for this as well as separate sessions between troubled students and counselors in informal settings. These informal mwwtings allow students to become acquainted with counseling staff and gain knowledge about what services are offered there.

If a student facing an alcohol problem out of his or her control sits down with counselors, positive results are sure to follow.

Dr. Mia Kim, a staff psychologist and director of Outreach, a program that puts on educational programs about eating disorders, as well as alcoholism and crisis intervention put it this way. “The hope is that it will give us more visibility in terms of the counseling center services because a lot of times alcohol use and abuse has with it emotional concerns or issues.”

If that’s true, than more exposure is exactly what some students will need to overcome a problem which plagues campuses across the country.

Five Goals for Student Association in 08-09

We at The Tower would like to see the Student Association break from tradition and make meaningful changes in student’s lives. Below is a short list of pressing issues that are their responsibility to address swiftly.

1. KILL THE VISITATION POLICY. It is hard to find a better example of administrators being out of touch with students than the policy that ends visitation hours at midnight Sunday thru Thursday nights. Nobody abides its intent or letter, including Resident Assistants. Enforcing this rule would have a catastrophic effect on both the academic and social lives of students. If the SA can fix this before the student handbooks are printed it will gain the respect of the student body, which it can use to further its influence.

2. BRING BACK SAFE RIDES. Crime has been down on campus, but the neighborhood can still be dangerous at night. One way to prevent students from being attacked is to offer them a mode of transportation back to campus. This should be a safety expenditure borne by the University.

3. UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE RED TAPE. There is a lot of red tape at this University. Follow the model of Housing Services and consult with outside experts to build efficient sites for financials, course selection, student scholarship applications and the like.

4. MOCK THE APATHETIC. Make it clear; students are responsible for the conditions at the University as much as any staff member. Their involvement is required. No one’s voice is too meek. It can be encouraged through town hall meetings featuring experts and administrators and easy to use internet polls on websites. If all else fails, tell students that silence produces mediocrity. Furthermore, opportunities on this campus, such as volunteering during the papal visit, should be given to students other than those who work in student life offices or Campus Ministry.

5. SWITCH TO G-MAIL. What do Northwestern University, American University and George Washington University have in common? All have made the switch to G-Mail and received the benefits that go along with it. G-Mail saves thousands in storage costs, increases storage in an increasingly digital world and allows for easier collaboration and communication though Google Apps. The switch cost would be minimal.

Noticeably absent from the list are the housing crunch and the presentations policy. The housing shortage is already being taken care of by the construction of Opus Hall, and the presentations policy requires more attention, expertise and time than the SA has to offer. Similarly, parking is being expanded on the north and south ends of the University.

Editorial: NAACP Application Was Seriously Mishandled

Students, faculty and staff-and, well, anyone who lives in the Washington area-saw a remarkable demonstration of how poorly the University can handle delicate issues last June when denying Will Jawando's application to start an NAACP chapter on campus.

The two reasons put forth by University officials for denying the request both seem to be nothing short of preposterous. First, they argue that the Office of University Center, Student Programs and Events is focusing on "strengthening student organizations that are already in place," and apparently heavily scrutinizing applications for new ones. This is news to us. No one we talked to had heard about this new effort, but even if UCSPE was in the process of cementing the student organizations already in place, it surely makes a sham of a new slogan floating around campus: "Do it all."

One of the minority-oriented organizations cited by University spokesman Victor Nakas was Minority Voices, which he described as an "umbrella group" for minority organizations. It's hard for us to imagine how an umbrella group can exist without organizations underneath it-organizations such as the NAACP.

The second reason cited by the University has to do with the NAACP executive board's support for an abortion-rights march. The pro-life cause is a legitimate one, but if the University wants to rid itself of organizations that support and promote abortion rights, it ought to consider whether the College Democrats can continue to exist. Has the University polled all of its vendors to ensure that none of them contributes to abortion-rights or family planning organizations? Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is featured on the cover of the CUA Magazine this month. But he's pro-choice. Something doesn't wash here.

The point is ultimately moot, because Jawando readily concedes that his organization doesn't have an interest in the abortion debate. In his words, the NAACP isn't advocating for abortion rights, they're advocating for civil rights.