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Show PACE 4 THE THUNDERBIRD MONDAY NOVEMBER 16, 1987 'i jA r i Jk A LITTLE PREVENTION MAY SOLVE PROBLEMS .ir r . , . , OF With issues around campus such as the Library situation, the new Student Center, possible scheduling changes and tuition hikes, smaller potential" issues have been put aside and ignored. Perhaps it would be better to address such issues while they are small, and coirect them before they become major issues. An example is the absence of crossing areas on 300 West and on 200 South. Between classes, 300 West, which runs past the Theatre and Science buildings, becomes a challenge for both drivers and pedestrians. Students in the dorms face a similar problem on 200 South. It's a contest of who waits for whom. Heavy traffic, impatient drivers and pedestrians and the lack of a crossing area creates a potential hazard several times each day. There is a crosswalk at the center street interchange, but most students prefer not to walk to the corner if they are going to the other end of campus. Luckily, we have had no accidents to use as examples to emphasize the danger of this problem. Before the street was repaved, there was a crosswalk painted from the corner of College Avenue to the campus. This helped cut back on problems for drivers and pedestrians. Measures should be taken by SUSC students or staff members to approach City officials and request that a crossing area be designated on 300 West other than the existing one at the corner. Another topic that should be approached is crime prevention on campus. The tendency to leave doors unlocked or property unattended is common simply because of the relaxed, smalltown atmosphere. Theft is an problem at SUSC involving everything from coats and books to money and more valuable items. Locking doors and cars and keeping an eye on belongings will keep a minor issue from becoming a major problem. Each quarter, around finals time, books and belongings are stolen from desks in the Library. Signs were posted last year reminding students to watch their possessions, cutting back on the number of thefts. It's better to make a small effort to watch belongings than to take a chance on losing them. Women on campus should not let down their guard and walk alone at night. There are no signs posted on campus warning of potential problems, as at larger schools, but if precautions are not taken to azoid dangerous situations, again minor issues can become major problems. Even SUSC has had problems with rape in the past. Addressing small issues and suggesting solutions is not to create a paranoid image that SUSC is a ruthless trap of crime and violence, but if students show concern for little things such as asking for a crosswalk or locking a door, then major issues can be more easily avoided. 'tfiVi International week expands understanding ever-prese- 1) THE STUUENI NEWS AND VIEWS (E SOU1HEKN UTAH S7AIE U )l LK t EDAK CUT L Editor Danny Stewart Associate Editor Lisa Jane Laird Copy Editor Mitch Connell Photo Editor Richard Engieman Sports Editor Tittanie Florence Entertainment Editor Dawn DeBusk Senior Staff Writer Annette Grooms Production Manager Gavin McNeil Advertising Manager Lynn S. Dennett Faculty Adviser Larry Baker The Thunderbird is publiNhed eac h Monday of the academic sear by and tor the student body of Southern Utah State College and is not affiliated with the College s department ol communication. The views and opinion' expressed in Ihe Thundert)fdare the opinions of the publications individual writers and do not necessarily retlect the views ot the institution, faculty, staff or student bixJy in geneial The unsigned editorial direc tly above is the opinion ot Ihe Thunderbird as a single entity Letters to the editor must be typed and include the name and phone number Only the name wll be printed. Names will not be v ithheld under any c ire umstances and the editor reserves I'd King pri ileges Letters must be submitted by noon Friday tor inclusion in the following weeks edition. The Ihundi rbttd editorial and advertising ottices in 5USC Library 758 9384, Cedar City. L' T 84720 Phone (80 P 'Access' is a recurring column through which members of the campus community may address themselves to topics of concern andor interest. This week's column is by LEON CHIDESTER, associate professor of languages. He had come to my office that morning in search of additional bibliography on Borges, and stayed on to chat about the challenge of a foreign student attempting to adjust to the realities of a new life. Our conversation ultimately turned to another morning several years earlier when he, along with other students from his university in Latin America, had protested government sanctions' against labor unions. That protest had resulted in the deaths of three of his friends, the imprisonment of several, others, the closing of the university and the virtual end to his dreams for a career in medicine. asked him why he had chosen to participate in those obviously dangerous activities. He smiled with the patronizing smile one shares with children and those who really don't understand and went on to explain. "In Latin America, enrollment in a college or university is not just an opportunity, it is a rare J opportunity, one with responsibilities. Those so j privileged sense the need to understand and speak not just for themselves but also for those who, for j w hates er reason, have not understood and cannot I 0T Mad at SUSC Box speak openly. When chose to be a student, also chose that role." This cultured young man then directed a question to me, "Why don't you, the faculty and students of North American colleges and universities, feel the need to reach out, to understand and to speak more clearly from your privileged vantage point?" Complacency? Provincialism? Excessive focus on job preparation? had no easy answers for him that morning. have since thought about his question as consider my own inadequacies and the lack of understanding that so often see around me. More recently, have wished that my young student friend were still on campus to see SUSC, in fact, reach out to host an International Week built around his own culture. During this week, visiting scholars will address Latin American culture in a range from its Indian prehistory, through the magical realism of its literature, to the fervor of its contemporary political and social turmoil. These lectures, along with a dinner, dance, videos and other cultural entertainment will encourage the campus community, as well as interested public, to achieve a wider understanding of Latin America and to speak more accurately of its strengths as well as its weaknesses. My friend would have been there, as you, reader, are invited to be a rare opportunity to celebrate cultural understanding! I I I I I I I TAH j VOLUME 82, NUMBER 8 iHhii tr 1 DIC ipfi Jii tVE Ul New student awareness group organized TO THE EDITOR: It Lias come the attention of several SUSC students that this world is a far from perfect place to live, in fact, many problems are thwarting the infostructure of contemporary society. In view of our world situation, we would like to announce the formation of a new organization on the SUSC campus, The Progressive Student Union. Our purpose and goal is to inform students about current issues, to raise student awareness, to create student dialogue on progressive political issues and to encourage all students to be active in what ever views that they hold. We would also like to invite all students and faculty to our first in a series of speakers on current issues. Dr. Oakley Cordon, a psychology faculty member, will speak on the psychology of the nuclear mind tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Library Seminar Room. JAMES BROHAMER |
