Dear Editor:
As an individual who does take Public Safety warnings seriously, I take issue with the editorial in the Torch, dated November 16, 2011. I also resent but will not address herein the statement “coming to Jamaica” as it refers to crime, as there are no
geographical boundaries to criminal activity.
The reason for my seriousness is that I have forty seven years in the Criminal Justice System as a police officer, attorney and teacher. I have taught senior citizens and young school children, victimology, to at least try and prevent criminal acts against them.
As a police officer I personally took thousands of complaints from victims of crime, whose complaints were as varied as the persons making them. I don’t understand what makes a victim of any kind the subject of comedy. The only parody herein, is the editorial itself.
It is well settled that a pertinent part of crime prevention is the advisement and education of the public at large. Accordingly, I commend our Public Safety Department for their efforts on behalf of the St. John’s Community. Please know that you are appreciated.
Sincerely,
Peter P. Cardalena, Jr.
Associate Professor
College of Professional Studies
Dear Editor:
On Thursday nights I always seem to be in a hurry. Backpack, binder, and an awkwardly shaped bag in tow, I follow the steady traffic of people that surges between classes to St John’s Hall. If anything that I’m carrying seems a little strange, at least I’m not the only one. I might even get bumped on the way up the stairs by someone else’s violin case.
On Thursday nights CMS rehearses, and blackboards turn into music stands, computers into
metronomes, and students into musicians. But that’s what makes music so special—nothing is ever so simple as it seems.
The Chamber Music Society is actually the only club on campus to serve as an outlet for classical musicians, but it only began last semester. Our
second concert was in St Thomas More Church on December 1st, but the first concert is still engrained in our memory. The move to performing in the church was in large part inspired by the amount of noise and chaos the musicians encountered playing in the D’Angelo Center last spring. While the church is ideal for our performances and proved to be a
welcome change, I cannot help but wonder at last year’s disappointment.
I love the way student musicians can sit down at the piano in DAC to start practicing at any given moment in time, but surely there is a big difference between an audience’s behavior during such an
impromptu session and a full out concert.
CMS is not the only organization voicing such a complaint. Too often it seems as if the smaller clubs that make up the majority of student life find little support.
There is a niche for everybody at St John’s, but sometimes getting people to recognize its validity is much harder than finding it yourself. St John’s is the fourth most diverse university in the nation. Surely this should be reflected in the support of each
student organization, not just the bigger ones.
Sincerely,
Maria Angelidis