What Exactly Are They Celebrating?
After reading the latest column in today's DI, a question occurred to me. What exactly is it that proponents of Unofficial are fighting for?
From all I have witnessed, discussed, and read, the event is centered around binging on alcohol. Is this how U of I students want to define themselves? Is this the event worth protesting by ending a Senate meeting? Is this what the student newspaper wishes to defend?
I can understand why a bar-owning businessman would fight for this event. Cochrane and his cohorts are in business to make money. Unofficial certainly accomplishes that. How, though, is this event beneficial to the students at U of I? It appears as though bar owners convinced students that they have a right to this event. The DI should be ashamed to support a ritual that places student safety at risk for the sake of Cochrane's bank balance.
After speaking so much about Freedom of the Press and showing the "courage" to run the cartoons that offended so many, one might think the DI would have the courage to take a stand against Unofficial.
From all I have witnessed, discussed, and read, the event is centered around binging on alcohol. Is this how U of I students want to define themselves? Is this the event worth protesting by ending a Senate meeting? Is this what the student newspaper wishes to defend?
I can understand why a bar-owning businessman would fight for this event. Cochrane and his cohorts are in business to make money. Unofficial certainly accomplishes that. How, though, is this event beneficial to the students at U of I? It appears as though bar owners convinced students that they have a right to this event. The DI should be ashamed to support a ritual that places student safety at risk for the sake of Cochrane's bank balance.
After speaking so much about Freedom of the Press and showing the "courage" to run the cartoons that offended so many, one might think the DI would have the courage to take a stand against Unofficial.
posted by Don at 3:56 PM
2 Comments:
What's courageous about standing against unofficial? It seems to be a pretty popular position right now. Further, I'm not sure there's any threat of loss of life or liberty.
There is no "courageous" position on this one. We can have this debate without calling the other side cowards.
I think standing against Unofficial-for me personally-takes no courage. I'm not risking anything.
I think the DI chances angering its main audience, the students at U of I, by taking a stand against this event.
In addition, given the fact that businesses advertise in the DI, one might predict that standing against Unofficial could jeopardize future revenue sources. Certain business owners might be hesitant to spend advertising dollars in a publication that works against their business interests.
These outcomes aren't certain, but they are possible. Thus,a risk is involved.(I will define courage here as knowingly engaging in an act involving a level of risk.)
I never used the word coward.
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