Letter to the Editor
Joseph DiTommaso
Joseph.ditommaso@lyndonstate.edu
Junior Meteorology and Applied Mathematics Major
Lyndon State College: the Balancing Act
Balance. It is one of the most important and simple life lessons I have learned. Finding a balance between everything you want and what you have, or what you need to do and what you can do. Yet such a simple concept can be so hard to live by. People tip the scales one way or the other more often than not. The workaholics versus the party animals, the health nuts versus the junk food junkie, etc. College in itself is a giant balancing act. There has been, in my eyes, a serious imbalance in the attitude involving the college itself as of late. I fear that in light of new policies and unchanged persistent ones, the entire student body will have a one sided view of our college.
For every negative critique of someone or something, one should try to find a positive one as well. Whereas there can always be more pros than cons or vice versa in a decision, dealing with people is a whole different ballgame. No matter how frustrated one can get with the faculty, the Res Life Staff, SGA, or whatever organization you find fault with, you should always keep in mind the challenges they face. There is so much that could be improved, but there is so much effort going into the school that we must acknowledge as well.
There have been people who have argued that SGA is beyond the “common student.” Yet as I have seen, anytime a student has wanted to voice his or her opinion, it has been heard. No government, student or federal, is perfect, and a giant collection of college students representing clubs ranging from weather enthusiasts to disc throwers to actors is going to have problems. I just cannot see how anyone can deny both the effort of SGA members and the overall setup of the government. So all I ask of the student body is to consider the opportunities already in place for you. The Critic is a great example in the fact anyone’s voice can be heard, as long as reasonably stated. If you want something changed, talk to a House Rep in one of your clubs or become a Senator.
I would like to congratulate and critique the new Residence Hall Directors on their efforts thus far. Finding balance while dealing with incidents, deficits, and everything in between is beyond daunting. There is definitely room for improvement in organization and general smoothness of the working flow of things, yet I am sure after a semester settling in and getting the feel for it, the new SGA and Res Life staff will do a fine job.
I am in no way saying this place is perfect. The list of “issues” runs long and detailed in most students’ minds. One of the most disturbing issues is most definitely the deficit. Other issues big and small will come up, from the handicapped signs being painted backward in the parking lot to only three pockets remaining on a pool table to the dining hall only being open till 6:30 p.m. These and others problems most definitely have to be dealt with. Just try to remember LSC that balance is key for this school if you want your college to prosper. Be patient but expectant of your college and you may just be able to help improve this college for all of us and for yourself.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A new revolution is needed
By James Beaulieu
Special to the Critic
Thomas Jefferson once said, “A little revolution every now and then is a good thing,” and when I look out over this campus I see that we need one. The government that is in place to help the students here, SGA, is not helping us the regular student at all. That when there is a student issue that needs to be addressed the SGA is unavailable to help us. That with there commitment to the club and the groups here on campus, and the common student gets over looked.
The thing is that the SGA is unavailable to the common student. They have there meetings with the club and students reps and no one really knows who they are. So how can we as a school community communicate with our government which has “us” in there mind.
Well it seems the only way I can think of is by doing this. Evoking my first amendment right and write about it. There are other ways we can get our message to the SGA. We need to stand up as a school and ask for change. The Declaration of Independence says “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
This means if we don’t like the way the SGA is being run then we need to get rid of and institute one that has a better connection to its students. The answer isn’t give it more power but to give it a new order and purpose, to make it what it should be. This is a student government; so let the students run it and have more say in it then the administration.
I know it is not all the SGAs’ fault; a lot of it falls on the students themselves. I hear people complaining about current polices here on campus. Well, if you don’t like them, or want change, you need to be open and express those feelings to the SGA. The way to change things is to stand up for what you believe in and not just to bow down and take it. If you don’t like what’s going on its your right as students and Americans to stand up and try to make a difference.
So maybe this could be a call for reform and revolution. Take it as you will. But I see that the SGA needs to be abolished and remade into the image of what the students need. One where the students have more voice and where CAB is no longer the focus of the SGA. With CAB out of the picture then we can have real issues that matter to the student body and not to one group or another. The meetings should be in a town hall style where the common student can come and express there thoughts, ideas, and grievances to the SGA without hesitation and fear of being turned away.
If you see what I see, and feel what I feel, then you need to speak up. That’s the message here. Speak up. If we speak up then change can happen and that’s what this school needs. I can no longer stand by and watch this student body lose its voice in the school. I am willing to stand up and fight for change here and now, the real question is which one of you will be willing to stand next to me and fight?
Special to the Critic
Thomas Jefferson once said, “A little revolution every now and then is a good thing,” and when I look out over this campus I see that we need one. The government that is in place to help the students here, SGA, is not helping us the regular student at all. That when there is a student issue that needs to be addressed the SGA is unavailable to help us. That with there commitment to the club and the groups here on campus, and the common student gets over looked.
The thing is that the SGA is unavailable to the common student. They have there meetings with the club and students reps and no one really knows who they are. So how can we as a school community communicate with our government which has “us” in there mind.
Well it seems the only way I can think of is by doing this. Evoking my first amendment right and write about it. There are other ways we can get our message to the SGA. We need to stand up as a school and ask for change. The Declaration of Independence says “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
This means if we don’t like the way the SGA is being run then we need to get rid of and institute one that has a better connection to its students. The answer isn’t give it more power but to give it a new order and purpose, to make it what it should be. This is a student government; so let the students run it and have more say in it then the administration.
I know it is not all the SGAs’ fault; a lot of it falls on the students themselves. I hear people complaining about current polices here on campus. Well, if you don’t like them, or want change, you need to be open and express those feelings to the SGA. The way to change things is to stand up for what you believe in and not just to bow down and take it. If you don’t like what’s going on its your right as students and Americans to stand up and try to make a difference.
So maybe this could be a call for reform and revolution. Take it as you will. But I see that the SGA needs to be abolished and remade into the image of what the students need. One where the students have more voice and where CAB is no longer the focus of the SGA. With CAB out of the picture then we can have real issues that matter to the student body and not to one group or another. The meetings should be in a town hall style where the common student can come and express there thoughts, ideas, and grievances to the SGA without hesitation and fear of being turned away.
If you see what I see, and feel what I feel, then you need to speak up. That’s the message here. Speak up. If we speak up then change can happen and that’s what this school needs. I can no longer stand by and watch this student body lose its voice in the school. I am willing to stand up and fight for change here and now, the real question is which one of you will be willing to stand next to me and fight?
Smackdown your vote
Timothy Kemp
Opinion Columnist
We are now only a couple months from electing a new president to lead us to greatness here in the United States of America, and I encourage all of you go out let your voice be heard.
We are the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and we have the ability to choose our own leader. Who am I going to vote for? To be honest, I can definitely smell what Barack is cookin'.
Yes, that's right. I feel that we are ready to have our first African-American president. He wants to get universal health care, which I think our country desperately needs.
Although I can understand why we should have to pay if we get sick or injured, all I can think about is if I get seriously hurt and need help, the last thing I want to worry about is if I am financially covered. For those of you who have seen the movie John Q, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen that film, I strongly encourage you to do so. It's one of those movies that make you think a lot.
Anyway, Obama is also in favor of bringing our troops home from Iraq. Now I am not a hater of George Bush at all. I know why he decided to go over to the Middle East, but I just personally think that it is time for us to wrap this thing up.
Our country should not be playing "World Police" and trying to stop every bad thing that happens in other countries. We have been over there for seven years now, and whatever hasn't been accomplished in that time is probable not going to be done anytime soon.
It is possible that if we end terrorism there, more terrorism will probably happen in other parts of the world. We need to be concentrating on our own issues here in America.
Whether or not you agree with me is not the important thing. This country is the greatest of all time because we have the ability to share our opinions and decide who is going to represent us as our leader. I hope all of you go out and make history this November. Don't ever think your voice doesn't matter because it absolutely does.
Superstar of the week
Each week I will pick the superstar that has impressed me the most in wrestling. This week I have two. First off there is Santino Marella who is the reigning Intercontinental Champion. This guy is an absolute riot, who goes out and just makes an absolute fool of himself on national television, and the crowd just loves to hate this guy. It's funny to watch. He is the Andy Kaufman or Roddy Piper of this generation in that he is both a bad guy, and the most beloved at the same time. My second superstar of the week is Kelly-Kelly. This diva has gone from being a mediocre dancer on ECW to being a great in-ring performer on Monday Night Raw. She got a pinfall victory over "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix, which is a huge upset.
Opinion Columnist
We are now only a couple months from electing a new president to lead us to greatness here in the United States of America, and I encourage all of you go out let your voice be heard.
We are the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and we have the ability to choose our own leader. Who am I going to vote for? To be honest, I can definitely smell what Barack is cookin'.
Yes, that's right. I feel that we are ready to have our first African-American president. He wants to get universal health care, which I think our country desperately needs.
Although I can understand why we should have to pay if we get sick or injured, all I can think about is if I get seriously hurt and need help, the last thing I want to worry about is if I am financially covered. For those of you who have seen the movie John Q, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen that film, I strongly encourage you to do so. It's one of those movies that make you think a lot.
Anyway, Obama is also in favor of bringing our troops home from Iraq. Now I am not a hater of George Bush at all. I know why he decided to go over to the Middle East, but I just personally think that it is time for us to wrap this thing up.
Our country should not be playing "World Police" and trying to stop every bad thing that happens in other countries. We have been over there for seven years now, and whatever hasn't been accomplished in that time is probable not going to be done anytime soon.
It is possible that if we end terrorism there, more terrorism will probably happen in other parts of the world. We need to be concentrating on our own issues here in America.
Whether or not you agree with me is not the important thing. This country is the greatest of all time because we have the ability to share our opinions and decide who is going to represent us as our leader. I hope all of you go out and make history this November. Don't ever think your voice doesn't matter because it absolutely does.
Superstar of the week
Each week I will pick the superstar that has impressed me the most in wrestling. This week I have two. First off there is Santino Marella who is the reigning Intercontinental Champion. This guy is an absolute riot, who goes out and just makes an absolute fool of himself on national television, and the crowd just loves to hate this guy. It's funny to watch. He is the Andy Kaufman or Roddy Piper of this generation in that he is both a bad guy, and the most beloved at the same time. My second superstar of the week is Kelly-Kelly. This diva has gone from being a mediocre dancer on ECW to being a great in-ring performer on Monday Night Raw. She got a pinfall victory over "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix, which is a huge upset.
Response to the smoking ban
Amanda Racine
Special to the Critic
That smell stays with you, all the way to your car. It holds onto the clothes you wear, and the little butts stick to the bottoms of your shoes.
Sure, the smoking ban was put into affect near the Res. Halls and near the academic buildings, but what about the parking lots?
For people who live in Stonehenge, it’s a trek up the hill and through the hundreds of cigarette butts spread on the ground.
There are the signs that are up throughout the campus “No Smoking” but what about when Public Safety isn’t around at 3:00 a. m. and there’s a group of people smoking in the courtyard?
There have been many attempts to solve this issue between the smokers and the non-smokers one of them being just to move the gazebo to the parking lot, and make them go there if they need a smoke.
This option to keep smoking to the parking lots only seems to work during the daytime.
“I think that the smoking ban is a good idea,” Polly Schwarz, a sophomore here at LSC, said.
“I think that it would be fair if there was one more place, because kids just sneak around and smoke anywhere because there are so few places they are allowed to be in.”
By moving the smoking gazebo, they have created another problem; trashing the parking lots. There is glass, beer bottles, cans, cigarette butts, fast food bags, and remnants of many different things littering the Stonehenge parking lot.
“The parking lot is full of trash and needs to be repaved badly,” Schwarz said. “I’m terrified of popping a tire on my car. It’s not like the school will pay for a new 100 dollar tire,” Schwarz said.
There isn’t much Lyndon can do about the smoking ban, there will always be smokers on campus. The only thing that Lyndon can do is try to accommodate both parties and everyone in between. To those who park and smoke in the parking lots: can you please clean up after yourself?
Special to the Critic
That smell stays with you, all the way to your car. It holds onto the clothes you wear, and the little butts stick to the bottoms of your shoes.
Sure, the smoking ban was put into affect near the Res. Halls and near the academic buildings, but what about the parking lots?
For people who live in Stonehenge, it’s a trek up the hill and through the hundreds of cigarette butts spread on the ground.
There are the signs that are up throughout the campus “No Smoking” but what about when Public Safety isn’t around at 3:00 a. m. and there’s a group of people smoking in the courtyard?
There have been many attempts to solve this issue between the smokers and the non-smokers one of them being just to move the gazebo to the parking lot, and make them go there if they need a smoke.
This option to keep smoking to the parking lots only seems to work during the daytime.
“I think that the smoking ban is a good idea,” Polly Schwarz, a sophomore here at LSC, said.
“I think that it would be fair if there was one more place, because kids just sneak around and smoke anywhere because there are so few places they are allowed to be in.”
By moving the smoking gazebo, they have created another problem; trashing the parking lots. There is glass, beer bottles, cans, cigarette butts, fast food bags, and remnants of many different things littering the Stonehenge parking lot.
“The parking lot is full of trash and needs to be repaved badly,” Schwarz said. “I’m terrified of popping a tire on my car. It’s not like the school will pay for a new 100 dollar tire,” Schwarz said.
There isn’t much Lyndon can do about the smoking ban, there will always be smokers on campus. The only thing that Lyndon can do is try to accommodate both parties and everyone in between. To those who park and smoke in the parking lots: can you please clean up after yourself?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
From the Editor
5/8/07By Keith Whitcomb Jr.
Critic Editor
Wild dogs attacked and ate a prominent LSC official yesterday.
That’s a lie, I just didn’t want to open with something boring and make anyone think this was just a lame “I’m graduating/goodbye” editorial. One of the first things I was taught as a journalist was to never be boring, and if you have to be boring, don’t lead with it.
I wanted to take this space to thank The Critic’s staff in print, as I likely won’t be able to articulate myself well enough in person. I’m a writer for a reason, you see; speeches really aren’t my thing and the more important the thing I have to say is, the harder a time I have saying it.
When I became editor of The Critic, I was worried. Mary Wheeler, the editor before me, along with Dan Williams, The Critic’s new adviser, had set the bar extremely high. So high, the school had seen fit to give us a larger office in the spot where the Writing Center used to be. Space is limited around campus and there were plenty of other people deserving of that space, so I definitely had something to live up to when I took over.
I lost sleep in the month or so leading up to the start of the fall semester. It would have been all too easy to do a worse job than what had been done before and the thought of the paper going to hell in a hand basket under my watch was one of the worst things I’d ever had to think about in regards to academics in my school career.
That didn’t happen and it’s due solely to the fact that on The Critic’s staff were people who actually cared how the paper turned out. My first pleasant surprise was my first managing editor, Tabitha Fitzgerald. In case you didn’t know, it’s the managing editor’s job to collect all of our articles and edit them. It’s a thankless and difficult job and readers are quite quick to point out your mistakes.
Amanda Wozniak, my layout editor that first semester, seemed to take an actual interest in what the pages looked like. There’s no right way to design a page, but there are plenty of wrong ones. Andrew Koch, the sports editor, made sure I never had to think about the sports page. Ever. Making the Fun Page every week is far, far, far, from being fun, so Eric Downing took care of that for me. The Critic’s Web site and Apple computers are strange things, but Josh Gervais made them no big deal. The list of people and how they saved my bacon goes on. Check The Critic’s letter policy/credits for the list of people I owe big.
Oh look, I ended up writing a Thank You list. I hate Thank You lists. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Thank You speech I cared about that I wasn’t either in or making. Another thing I hate about them is that no one can ever include enough people.
I’ll bring this back to you, LSC, if you’re still reading. Studies show the majority of people don’t read this far.
A while ago I wrote that students on this campus needed to give more of a crap about what they do here. The reason The Critic hasn’t bombed is because it’s been lucky to have staff members who actually care about it. They seem to be here for more than just a grade and three credits (although no doubt that’s part of it).
There isn’t a single thing on this campus that couldn’t be improved by more student involvement. The food, SGA, overpriced television screens, the dorms, the course schedule, you name it, it can be made better by you and your buddies. I can’t count the number of students I’ve talked to who thought they had no control.
I’ll end with the phrase most common to college seniors. I’m graduating, so this place is your problem now.
Holy Sheet: Taint back Vermont
5/8/07By Jordan Royer
Sex Columnist
To start out I would like to thank everyone who picked up the Critic each week to read Holy Sheet and to everyone who supported my efforts of putting the school paper on edge. With that being said, I will now try to make my final column the best and most unforgettable of them all.
For months now I have been talking about watching porn, but let me now venture into making porn, whether it be for money or for fun. A few weeks ago there was an article about being a porn star but to be honest I didn't read it. I remember the title though—Who wants to be a porn star? That was all I needed to read. ME! Through conversation around school I heard the story was about the amount of STDs in the porn industry, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to make some good old homemade puern. What is better than watching porn? You are right, watching porn where you are the star. And what better way to critique your performance between the sheets than to watch it afterwards.
I will say this though, don't be a creep and hide the camera on your partner so they don't know you are taping. Save your creeping for facebook, America's number one tool for stalking. And don't lie, if you have a facebook account, you have probably done some stalking. But anyway, back to more about the video taping. I will be honest, I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to this subject but I know it would certainly turn me on to video a woman masturbating. Call me crazy, but that would be hot. Get some nice foreplay action shots and then throw the camera on the tripod and put the 'tripod' to work.
A few weeks ago I was talking with some buddies about weird places to masturbate. We each tossed out some crazy locations and as I am sure most of you can guess, I was the King of Cuff. Surprisingly though, and I am sure everyone is quite thankful, I have never fed the geese on the LSC campus. But a few days still remain until graduation...kidding.
The school year is about to end and that means summer. And remember the sun makes her clothes fall off. Well, actually I think that is tequila, but the sun certainly doesn't hurt. Summer is a time for warm weather, tans and sex'n for six-pack abs.
Now back to my title. Taint back Vermont. Many people will argue that I have tainted LSC with my crude comments and lack of respect for the community and I am sorry to anyone that feels that way, but I wouldn't change what I have done and through it all I have become not only a better writer, but a stronger person. Don't knock me for my obsession of my own genitalia, everything about a women's body, puern and funny sexual words like taint, nacho or grundle (which are all words for the spot between scrotomtown and anusville) because I know I am not the only person out there that digs that stuff.
In closing I again say thank you to my friends and family and everyone else who supported me. Have fun, have sex and most importantly, have fun having sex.
Position of the Week- Prison guard
A letter from Dave Carmichael
A letter from Dave Carmichael Account Executive of the Blood Services of the American Red Cross to Kappa Delta Phi Xi chapter President Daniel Crowley.
Dear Daniel,
Thank you, so much, for all that you were able to do to ensure the success of the April 23ed American Red Cross blood drive at Lyndon State College! A total of 103 productive units of blood were collected from the 123 individuals that presented to donate.
This marks the 6th straight time that an LSC blood drive has surpassed the 100-unit mark and a lot of that success is in direct response to the added support that we have received from you and the great guys of Kappa Delta Phi again this year!
Please extend our thanks to everyone at the fraternity for the part each played in our success. We truly appreciate all that was done to publicize and staff all three of the drives this year!
With Sincerest Appreciation,
Dave Carmichael
Account Executive
Dear Daniel,
Thank you, so much, for all that you were able to do to ensure the success of the April 23ed American Red Cross blood drive at Lyndon State College! A total of 103 productive units of blood were collected from the 123 individuals that presented to donate.
This marks the 6th straight time that an LSC blood drive has surpassed the 100-unit mark and a lot of that success is in direct response to the added support that we have received from you and the great guys of Kappa Delta Phi again this year!
Please extend our thanks to everyone at the fraternity for the part each played in our success. We truly appreciate all that was done to publicize and staff all three of the drives this year!
With Sincerest Appreciation,
Dave Carmichael
Account Executive
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