2008 Woodie Awards
And so it is...
Amber Chemam
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Opinion
The way I understood it, the Catholic church, and UST by default, was pro-life. Apparently, this is not true, as last week, UST decided to kill the Cauldron. Of course, I'm speaking figuratively, here, but let's look at the facts.
Fact one: A student-run newspaper has been in existence at this University since the very beginning. The newspaper is, in fact, one of the few long-standing traditions at St. Thomas. It has persevered for more than 60 years, 20 of which under the same department and the same adviser. (For a place that claims it wants to increase its sense of tradition, UST sure hasn't hesitated to destroy the legacy of one of its most long-standing customs: that is, letting the students control the paper.)
Fact two: Last year, as the result of the much-debated, I-don't-even-want-to-talk-about-it Senate Bill 31, the Cauldron was handed over to the office of academic affairs, where it was determined that it should be lumped in with the literary magazine and promptly shoved under the rule of a faculty and staff-heavy publications board. Despite the Cauldron's objections, the decision-makers in Link-Lee decided to enforce the board appointed by the vice president of academic affairs rather than to reconsider and implement the alternative board drawn up by the communication department. Standing up for her beliefs, the Cauldron's well-respected and much-loved adviser stepped down from her post. And so the mess begins and ends-- in the hands of the VPAA.
While questions of diplomacy and fairness can be debated for years to come, one thing is certain: the Cauldron will no longer function as it always has, and its staff, a group of 17 hard-working and supremely talented students, are heart-broken.
Forgive me for my boldness, but as their "leader of faith and character," I feel I have a responsibility to ask: just what exactly made it OK for this to happen?
I know that there are plenty of individuals reading this who have already composed letters of protest, but before hitting "send," hear me out.
Fact one: A student-run newspaper has been in existence at this University since the very beginning. The newspaper is, in fact, one of the few long-standing traditions at St. Thomas. It has persevered for more than 60 years, 20 of which under the same department and the same adviser. (For a place that claims it wants to increase its sense of tradition, UST sure hasn't hesitated to destroy the legacy of one of its most long-standing customs: that is, letting the students control the paper.)
Fact two: Last year, as the result of the much-debated, I-don't-even-want-to-talk-about-it Senate Bill 31, the Cauldron was handed over to the office of academic affairs, where it was determined that it should be lumped in with the literary magazine and promptly shoved under the rule of a faculty and staff-heavy publications board. Despite the Cauldron's objections, the decision-makers in Link-Lee decided to enforce the board appointed by the vice president of academic affairs rather than to reconsider and implement the alternative board drawn up by the communication department. Standing up for her beliefs, the Cauldron's well-respected and much-loved adviser stepped down from her post. And so the mess begins and ends-- in the hands of the VPAA.
While questions of diplomacy and fairness can be debated for years to come, one thing is certain: the Cauldron will no longer function as it always has, and its staff, a group of 17 hard-working and supremely talented students, are heart-broken.
Forgive me for my boldness, but as their "leader of faith and character," I feel I have a responsibility to ask: just what exactly made it OK for this to happen?
I know that there are plenty of individuals reading this who have already composed letters of protest, but before hitting "send," hear me out.