Letter to the Editor: Be good citizens
Rebecca Leech Black, LC Senior
Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Letters to the Editor
Dear Hornets,
I have been reading The Crit since the semester began and I have seen coverage of things I don't like being reported. What I mean is, the news I have seen is based on people who are not being responsible citizens. This does not include all articles, but some, such as the assault on campus and the EMS cart being vandalized. I was pleased to see articles about active citizens who challenge themselves to do what they can to help their community.
This citizenship power takes many forms. There is no certain way to be a good citizen; all you have to be is responsible, compassionate, caring, loving and a good listener. Citizens should also have open minds and be willing to be challenged in a good way. And they make the best decisions they can think of.
On the other hand, I do not want to discourage you or force you to stop doing what you love doing, but what is so important about being drunk? Why is it so important to you to go to someone's house dressed in slick clothes so that a few hours later, you will go walking with your head twirling? Then the next morning you realize you lost a prized possession such as a student ID or your cell phone? And you call your parents and say you lost your phone because you were partying. Well, let me tell you something. This is going nowhere and I have the credibility to tell you why: my dad was an alcoholic and he was a threat to my mother, so if you don't stop now, you could end up like my dad and build a dysfunctional family where there is a false sense of care and a lot of pain. I am telling you this because I care about my campus and every individual who comes to it. I don't want to see people leave and end up like my father, because I know that every one of you has a deeper sense of compassion if you only thought of using it more often than I see most people doing.
After all, this is the Year of the Citizen and it goes beyond voting or being environmentally conscious. It's about opening your heart wide open and taking once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I'll tell you more in my next letter why it is important to be emotionally and mindfully involved in being a citizen, but it's the most important thing about citizenship.
I hope you all understand what I'm getting at; it's what it takes to be a citizen.
- Rebecca Leech-Black
Senior
I have been reading The Crit since the semester began and I have seen coverage of things I don't like being reported. What I mean is, the news I have seen is based on people who are not being responsible citizens. This does not include all articles, but some, such as the assault on campus and the EMS cart being vandalized. I was pleased to see articles about active citizens who challenge themselves to do what they can to help their community.
This citizenship power takes many forms. There is no certain way to be a good citizen; all you have to be is responsible, compassionate, caring, loving and a good listener. Citizens should also have open minds and be willing to be challenged in a good way. And they make the best decisions they can think of.
On the other hand, I do not want to discourage you or force you to stop doing what you love doing, but what is so important about being drunk? Why is it so important to you to go to someone's house dressed in slick clothes so that a few hours later, you will go walking with your head twirling? Then the next morning you realize you lost a prized possession such as a student ID or your cell phone? And you call your parents and say you lost your phone because you were partying. Well, let me tell you something. This is going nowhere and I have the credibility to tell you why: my dad was an alcoholic and he was a threat to my mother, so if you don't stop now, you could end up like my dad and build a dysfunctional family where there is a false sense of care and a lot of pain. I am telling you this because I care about my campus and every individual who comes to it. I don't want to see people leave and end up like my father, because I know that every one of you has a deeper sense of compassion if you only thought of using it more often than I see most people doing.
After all, this is the Year of the Citizen and it goes beyond voting or being environmentally conscious. It's about opening your heart wide open and taking once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I'll tell you more in my next letter why it is important to be emotionally and mindfully involved in being a citizen, but it's the most important thing about citizenship.
I hope you all understand what I'm getting at; it's what it takes to be a citizen.
- Rebecca Leech-Black
Senior
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