The Observer, April 27, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 26
Editorial: Semester Grades
The Class Officer Collective – A is for Autonomous. After years under USG, the COC has finally split off. The organization has functioned incredibly efficiently and with very little supervision throughout its history, and until now received only temporary funding off the top of the Student Activities Fee. Responsible for popular campus events like Halloween at the Farm and Snowball, the newest voting member of the SEC should be able to handle its newfound autonomy with little difficulty.
UPB – B is for Big Name. For the first time in a long time, UPB put together an event that even the most apathetic of us could get excited about – Gym Class Heroes at the Spot. Though it was unfortunate that the band didn't play a bigger venue, the sold-out show helped promote the Spot as a great place to go every Wednesday night. Weekly e-mails make it easy to keep track of UPB-sponsored events, and online surveys allow students to actively choose what entertainment comes to campus.
Branding Campaign – C is for Continual. First it was Case Western Reserve University. Then it was Case. Now we're back to Case Western Reserve. Does anyone really know what to call it anymore? Does anyone really care, for that matter? The administration spent millions upon millions of dollars to create a false image of what was once a respectable institution. From getting ridiculed by The New York Times to being financially punished by angry alumni, this backfired in almost every way possible. Now we're wasting more time and money to rectify the situation. Just end it already!
Administration – IP is for In Progress. During the great exodus of 2006, Case lost a president, four deans, and numerous faculty and staff members, leaving the campus community in a state of disarray. Now, all abandoned administrative positions have been filled, though faculty and staff continue to disappear at an alarming rate. Case has even demonstrated an eagerness to enhance diversity with the appointment of Barbara Snyder as the university's first female president. Hopefully, Snyder will continue the progress that interim president Gregory Eastwood has made when she arrives on campus July 1. If she can manage to get the budget deficit under control, we'll be back on track toward a more stable future.
Campus Security – N is for Nervous. Or at least they should be. With seemingly constant robberies on the elephant stairs and the unforgettable April 16 incident at Virginia Tech, campus security has of late become a much more prominent concern. Case likes to boast to prospective students and parents that five different police jurisdictions cover the area, but for some reason can't seem to secure a single set of stairs. Emergency procedures are being evaluated for efficacy, yet the large majority of call boxes are completely defunct. Though a robbery on the elephant stairs might seem trivial compared to a mass shooting, hundreds of students are in danger of being victimized each day. It's time to sweat the small stuff.
