THE PAUW WOW VOL. LXXXI, NO 7 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009 Senate Proposes Activities Fee Crisis in the the Proposal Aims to Enhance Student Life by Allocating Greater Club Budgets Democratic BY ROJENDRA PRADHAN various student organizations. proposal that will charge each full Republic of the calendar In total, we have a little over a time student one hundred dollars COPY EDITOR, ‘11 hundred thousand dollars this per semester as the student Congo thursday 12 year. Now, considering the dire activity fee. This is money that Even before the meeting state that the economy is in, will be directly under the control BY LUDI NSIMBA Library Exhibit - Historic began, Student Body President its impact has been felt around of the student representatives, Visits to SPC 9a-9p Joseph Ferraro had to tell the school as well, and the money for money that cannot be touched STAFF WRITER, ‘11 The Evening of masses that descended upon the these organizations has shrunk by the school. You do the math. International Song and Degnan Room that they must considerably. To counter this, Roughly, it comes out to be over The Democratic Republic Dance (RIT) 7p be silent until the open forum. the Student Senate has drafted a See ACTIVITIES FEE on Page 5 of Congo (DRC) is the third Among all the students that were largest country in Africa, with friday 13 present in that room, I do not a population of 65 million. Class of 2011 event - Movie believe that a single one was there Overwhelmed by a history of Marathon (Pope) 6p-11p to hear the class reports or the colonialism and more than thirty monday 16 club ratifications. There was only years of dictatorship, the DRC Presidents Day College one thing on everyone’s mind – is one of the world’s poorest the Student Activity Fee. countries. The ironic situation in Holiday For those of you who do not DRC is that it is richly endowed Coffee House (Pavonia) know what the student activity with natural resources, from 8p-10p fee is, here is a brief introduction. diamonds, gold and timber, to tuesday 17 Every year, the Student Senate “coltan,” a metallic ore used in Communi-Tea: Community is allotted a certain amount the production of mobile phones of money to conduct various and laptop computers. However, conversation over tea (Mc- activities on and off campus for PHOTOS BY MARTIN SIRAKOV the most important resource is its Intyre Lounge) 3p-4p the benefit of the students. This Senate President Ferraro (Left) and Senator Lazaro citizens. Unfortunately, they are SEB Movie Night (Pope) money is then divided among the debate in an overcrowded Degnan Room. the ones who are struggling and 8p-11p trying to live through an ongoing, wednesday 18 and largely unknown war. An Improbable Journey into History From 1997-2003, there was a Blood Drive (McIntyre) A Legacy of huge political conflict between the 9a-6p Democratic Republic of Congo Student Senate General Commitment government -- supported by Meeting (Degnan Room) Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe 7p BY DR. LEWIS LIVESAY -- and rebel groups, backed by Uganda and Rwanda. By the year thursday 19 ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR 2003, a peace deal was brokered Live Jazz @ Jazzman’s by neighboring African states (Pavonia) 11:30a-1:30p You well know the words and and the broader international Anime Movie Night (Pope) images in the joyous and timeless community. However, the 3p-6p love song: “Hand touching fighting continues occasionally hand, reaching out, touching in the eastern part of the country, Argus Eyes Valentines Vari- me, touching you . .” particularly in North and South ety Show (RIT) 8p These lyrics capture the life that Kivu, where the government friday 20 Anne Rosario has been living in is still attempting to extend its Argus Eyes Presents The PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTOBUCKET the E.O.F. office over thirty-seven control. Valentines Variety Show SPC students travel to D.C. to witness inaugaration. beautiful years as she attains what Over the past ten years, there’s we hope and pray will only be the been an estimation of 1,200 (RIT) 8p BY ISMAEL CID-MARTINEZ in a more-than-compact car. This mid-point of her inspired career at deaths every day due to ongoing monday 23 was our first stage in undertaking Saint Peter’s College. epidemics and war-related causes. U. S. Census Bureau Testing STAFF WRITER, ‘10 this improbable journey, our Anne has always been reaching The deaths are not only a result of (McIntyre) 10a-5p This story of discovery started rendezvous with history. Aiming out, touching hands and touching the ongoing war crimes, but are Anime Movie Night (Pope) with one of those dubious, for the unknown, we sensed hearts, to bring dreams alive, as also due to disease, starvation, dreamful text messages delivered that this place where King had she illuminates the meaning of a population displacement and the 3p-6p delivered his timeless “I have a woman for others. Long before destruction of roads, hospitals SPC Women’s Basketball Monday the 19th, a bit past noon. It read: “We should take a road Dream” speech, long before any of Colin Powell, Nydia Velázquez, and farms. According to one Pack the House Challenge, trip 2 Washington…lol.” us were born, would become our Robert Menendez, and Barack article from World Vision.Org, Pink Zone, and Senior Night classroom for a day—if we could Obama attained their prominent there’s an estimated 1.6 million (REC Center) What followed were numerous just get there. On that special day, platforms, Anne quietly embarked people displaced; just around hours of phone calls, e-mails, we knew that we needed to find on a mission of inclusion. Anne 40,000 people flee their homes 7p-9p Google searches, and even more that park surrounded by historic has been guided by her vision every month. text messages. The dream seemed edifices—the Lincoln monument, See EOF on Page 5 See CONGO on Page 5 opinion 3 almost impossible. Washington the reflecting pool, and the D.C., as we read and saw on the Washington obelisk—rather than news 5 news, was under exceptionally amble into Pope, McDermott, tight security with bridges and or Dinneen. Nevertheless, variety 6 blocks entirely closed to cars and with coordinates not very well pedestrians. “If we do indeed defined—and Zullo at the wheel arts 7 drive there,” we thought, “where of the two-door Honda Civic would we confidently leave the forcefully sitting the six of us— sports 8 car?” “How would we proceed we headed south. from that spot to the closed-in Our presence in the moment and locked-down epicenter of that will define our generation did SAINT PETER’S COLLEGE the Capital for the Inaugural not come easy however. At the address?” last moment, we were shuffled STUDENT NEWSPAPER By 3AM Tuesday morning, about by security from here to the improbable journey had there—as crowd control seemed already commenced. The six to be anything but under control. Online Edition of us—Noel, Chris, Michelle, The truth is: we needed one last PHOTO COURTESY OF DAYLIFE.COM Josephine, Eman, and I—were miracle. As we stood on the Voter in Congo. pauwwow.com now zooming down the turnpike See JOURNEY on Page 5 LETTERS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009 2 THE PAUW WOW Student Activities on Steroids: An Exceptional Piece of Property SINCE 1933 BY JUSTIN ROBERTS, ‘10 seem contrived and him look like 2641 Kennedy Blvd. The Way It Should Be. a yuppie taxing the memories of Jersey City, NJ 07306 avid Foster Wallace a life many would consider great “Dis the author of for a self-important struggle. (201) 761 - 7378 An Open Letter to the Student Body two novels, ________ and I can also tell you that _________; a book of essays and reading some of his stuff is like EDITORIAL BOARD By Student Senate Executive Board President arguments, __________; and two getting your heart bashed with a story collections, __________ sledgehammer; that he makes you Joseph Ferraro and __________. His short fiction feel things you barely understand Gary Young has appeared in __________, more strongly than anyone you EDITOR IN CHIEF In my three and a half years student, the college’s activities ________, __________, and have ever read before. I could at this institution, I have had the can be completely revitalized, other magazines. He is the assure you that he is the best pleasure of sitting on the Student bringing us up to par with our recipient of a ___________ and writer of my time. Frank DeMichele Senate for three years as a peers. numerous other awards.” He is If I was the one listening, Shishir Khadka Senator and serving as President Along with this comes more dead. What was his favorite food? though, I would have a hard of the Student Senate for one. attractive campus life, a valuable After his suicide (age 46; time swallowing it. Wallace has AYOUT DITORS L E During my time in these positions asset for recruiting and retaining hanging) in September, many fallen into vogue because of his and in various clubs, one fact has students. The money that was people in publishing and literary romantic fixation with pop-ethics, Justin Roberts become glaringly obvious to me: previously allotted from the criticism rushed the presses to put his above-average composition Student Activities is dying. school to student organizations their anguish on paper, to testify skills and his suicide. Yet, in the OPINIONS EDITORS This year Student Senate has could be put to other uses like to a glowing character, to develop end, his legacy amounts to little approved six club constitutions, hiring a night nurse for intramural the definitive theory of who he more than a look at a postmodern- Alex Rivero creating the new and reactivating sports and resident students on the old.