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April 19, 2001 •Opinions* Page 17 Survey says students possess contempt for campus police Craig Bailey Columnist As you may have read in my article last week, a survey was taken of a sample of 200 Elon students. One of the sections of the survey dealt with reactions to campus po lice. This article takes into consid eration the results of that portion of the survey. With the surveys turned in and the responses tallied, it is interest ing to hear of students’ different encounters with security. It seems many students have either had a terrible experience with our boys in blue, or have not really had ex tended contact with them. Sixty per cent of those surveyed said they had been stopped by campus security. Of that percentage, the vast major ity of offenses were said to be drink ing related, dealing with open con tainers, DUIs, and parties. When asked if they were treated fairly, the students’ opinions of campus po lice were split straight down the middle. Most of the students stopped for open containers felt that they were guilty for possessing alcohol, so they accepted the ticket. It may not have been with a smile, but they took the ticket and went on their way. When it came to students be ing pulled over at checkpoints or just stopped at random, there were some definite horror stories. Keep in mind that campus secu rity must pull over suspicious cars for our safety. They need to be overly strict on drinking and driv ing because it poses a serious threat to the whole campus. This seemed to be understood by most students, but it was the way the officers dealt with them personally that seemed to be the problem. Issues arose when completely sober students were detained and harassed by officers until being let go. Many students felt violated; they were doing everything right, but because an officer said they “smelled” alcohol, the officer felt this was probable cause for the stu dent to be searched and detained. When it came to seeing Elon’s finest as the good guy or bad guy, the results were split forty percent each for good and bad, and twenty percent for neutral. A majority of students said they saw the police as good for helping with small issues, but too nitpicky in students personal lives, such as drinking and busting parties. There were some outraged students that felt campus police have too much time on their hands and resent stu dents for the opportunities they have. There were others who stated that some students take drinking too far and are rude to the police ruining it for the rest of us. One student wrote, “The police are here to help us, and students treat them with little to no respect. Our attitude is reflected in theirs.” This view may be justified, how ever, another student replied, “They are bored and mean and looking to get money.” This is hardly the type of attitude any of us should have. This problem may be the fault of both the students and campus secu rity. With some students holding such contemptuous views of secu rity, how are they supposed to be neutral and kind to the rest of us? Just as some students see all of Elon security as the “bad guy”, some of them see the whole of the student body as spoiled brats. With an overwhelming ninety percent of students thinking that we have no influence over the actions of campus security, this is a testa ment to my idea for a public forum. Maybe students need more interac tion with security. A public meet ing would be the perfect place to achieve this. Most students only see security when they don’t want to, so their view will be tainted. Most officers only come into contact with inebri ated students who are foolhardy and offer little respect. What I have learned from the surveys is that we are both at fault. With a little more positive interac tion, and a little less stereotyping on both parts, maybe a happy medium could be reached. Possibly what it comes down to is the Golden Rule. “Treat others the way you would want to be treated yourself.” US trade embargo harmful to Cubans EdgarUgalde Guest Columnist • Since 1961, the United States imposed a comprehensive em bargo, not only against Cuba, but also against Americans who wanted to trade with, travel to or invest in the island nation of Cuba, The major reasons the embargo was established dealt with Cold War related issues. One of these issues was Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union. Cuba had been supporting and receiving support from the Soviet Union, The United States was fearful of the Soviet Union and any country associated with them. The Soviet Union and Cuba posed a significant threat to the United States. Cuba could easily launch missiles at the United States which would be advantageous should nuclear war break out. The second reason was that Castro was openly supporting the communist movement in other Latin Ameri can countries. The em'bargo may have been justified at the time it was imposed because of Fidel Castro’s alliance with the Soviet Union. But after the collapse of the Soviet Commu nist system a decade ago, the em bargo has lost its rationality. Even the Pentagon has concluded that Cuba does not pose significant threat to the United States. But instead of easing the embargo, Congress has only tightened it. The Cuban embargo has now been in place for four decades, and Cuba has not progressed from its socialist, one party state lobby. The citizens of Cuba remain politically and economically repressed, with no immediate hope of reform to ward democratic capitalism. In conclusion, the UniledStates’ economic embargo on Cuba is unjust, illogical and ineffective. The embargo is widely questioned and criticized in the international community, and affects U.S. inter national relations. The embargo is aimed at the causation of hunger and poverty among the people of Cuba. It does not cause direct harm to the government, but instead pun ishes the people. It is not logically supported, but exists anyway. If the leaders of the United States government really are concerned about peace, unity and justice for all, then why does the embargo still stand? To write a guest column, contact us: pendulunfi@elon.edu or Ext. 7244 The views and ideas expressed in Opinions are not necessarily those of The Pendulum, its editors, or Elon College. A message for all cell phone users: me love you long time Andrew Cattel Tulane Hullabaloo You. Yes, you. The one with the cell phone. I love you. I love the way your phone rings in the middle of class, two, maybe three times before you realize that it’syourown electronic pocket-pal. I don’t know your name exactly, but I make up names for you in my head. Nokia, if you’re cute. Motorola, if you’re a bit on the hefty side. Ericsson, if you’re smart. It’s part of your charm: your rebelliousness as you trot around campus, screaming into your over grown walkie-talkie at someone who obviously couldn’t wait an other two minutes to talk to you when you were back at your dorm. You can reach out at any time to touch anyone on earth. I have so many questions for you: Do you ever turn your cell phone off? When do you recharge the batteries? Is it solar-powered? Does it run on cold fusion? ' Has waiting for the familiar buzz in your pocket distracted you to the point where you sometimes forget that you’re even in class, and start talking in the middle of my $100- per-hour lecture? Are you a doctor? A drug dealer? An attorney? An accountant? A prostitute? I can understand if you have a cell phone for personal use, for emergencies or the like. I can even understand if you use your cell phone to get cut-rate long distance. Do you even know how to turn off your phone? The way you talk, you were most likely talking on your old cell phone while the salesper son was instructing you on the op eration of your new one. Picture it—New York, 2001: A quiet, smoky club in Greenwich Village. A jazz quintet is onstage. About halfway through the show, the saxophonist begins to speak. He talks about his music, how he doesn ’ t believe that he writes songs, but that he’s merely an instrument by which a spiritual force exerts itself in the world. It’s very cool and kind of creepy. Then his cell phone begins to ring. And he answers it. The mood is broken. After hanging up, he tries to start where he left off, but he can’t. In stead of being cool, he’s now just some jackass fake-philosophical musician. The moral of the story: the next time your cell phone rings in the middle of class, be prepared to answer questions about your hourly rate.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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April 19, 2001, edition 1
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