Empath, 1978 October 16

              E D I T O R I A L
T o o M a n y F l i e s !
It is doubtless most of us partaking the fine cafeteria cuisine have
been unable to ignore the over-abundance of winged creatures accompany­ing
us during meals.
Now the fly problem is not unique to the cafeteria. But, since we eat
our food there, must we also tolerate or overlook their presence? Why
can’t, or rather, why hasn’t the college and/or ARA attempted to effect
any successful insect control procedures to combat these unsanitary,
airborn pests? I find it particularly discomforting to watch the flies
teeming about the food behind the tray line, before it’s even served to
us. Apparently, they are quite fond of the desserts; so fond in fact, that
this writer hopes the pudding served last week really did have crunchy
lumps incorporated in the recipe. If not . . . enough said.
Although the fly population may now be waning due to the impending
cold weather, the problem should not be ignored and swept under the
rug. There is absolutely NO reason why we should allow houseflies to
live and breed and yes, excrete, in our cafeteria. Or is it our stable?
- J.A.
LETTERS
N o t a “ P ro b lem Child”
To the Editor;
It was highly unsettling to read, in the September 25 issue of this
newspaper, a most irresponsible piece of journalism. The article, entitled
WSMC. A St. Mary s Problem Child,” suffers from misconceptions,
distortions, and an unfortunate ignorance of the situation.
As a student at this college it is distressing to note that the Empath is
allowing this type of jaundiced journalism, cloaked in the guise of “fea­ture
news,” to appear outside of an editorial page. It is further disturbing
to see that the Empath is permitting anyone, regardless of bias, to have
fiction published under the label of “news.”
I would like to set forth an accurate factual summary of Radio WSMC.
I do so from a viewpoint of being a student at this college for over two
years. In addition I have been actively engaged in the operation and
management of WSMC for these two years. I point this out to establish
my credibility, something Mr. Lawler (the author) seems to have con­sidered
unnecessary. I also point this out to indicate my familiarity of
the situation, a concept Mr. Lawler again seems to have considered super­fluous.
I believe it would be very illuminating to all readers of the afore­mentioned
article if they were aware that the author has never been a
student at St. Mary’s prior to this semester.
WSMC, although plagued by many problems during the early years of
formation, will shortly become the student media that this college has
needed for so long. Since I began work at WSMC I have implemented and
witnessed changes that have continually raised the caliber of staff,
management, and physical plant.
Our most potent obstacle has been the lack of clear transmission to
all four dorms. To correct this situation we have committed a large por­tion
of our yearly budget. Our consulting engineer has spent the majority
of his contractual time working on this problem.
We are confident that by the end of October all dorms will be receiving
a transmission of equal quality. Mr. Lawler graciously concedes that it
took Tom Edison fifteen years to perfect the lowly light bulb. In view of
the relative complexities of a light bulb and a radio station it is my opin­ion
that WSMC is far ahead of schedule as far as “perfection” is
concerned.
Mr. Lawler states, “If WSMC is going to get any listeners, they’re going
to have to establish a solid music format that the whole campus can
enjoy . . . ” This I find totally unacceptable and reject outright. WSMC
can optimistically hope for 500-700 listeners at any given time. This is
far too small a number for a stereotypical format to satisfy. The author,
who based his article on the premise that he is an expert and is therefore
knowledgeable of such matters, should realize the validity of this. It is
obvious that with this small an audience it is essential that WSMC offer
an individualized unique format of programming. In any given week of
programming WSMC will offer music in all forms (jazz, classical, rock,
folk, blues, foreign, etc.). Special programming (interviews, documen­taries,
music specials, “talk shows,” news specials and the like) will also
be featured on a regular basis. Specific program times will be obtainable
in the program guide that will be made available to all listeners. Through
this type of programming WSMC will seek to provide information and
enjoyment for SMC students.
WSMC will begin broadcasting as soon as a strong clear signal is trans­mitted
to each of the four dorms. Technical problems are the only
obstacles standing in the way.
WSMC has committed itself to a small staff. Hopefully, student in­volvement
will help WSMC establish and utilize a large roster of announ­cers
and others interested in different aspects of radio work. There exists
sufficient desire, dedication, and involvement on this campus to support
the unique radio station WSMC can and will be. With student support
and the committed effort of management and staff WSMC will evolve
into the medium it has the potential for.
One final comment — I find it incredulous that this article was written
without a single person connected with WSMC being contacted. Is this a
“news-feature” story? Amazing.
Mark McCabe
Radio WSMC
Sharing N o t a S a fe Idea
Dear SMC students:
In high school, our music department was very close. The only problem
was that our facilities were not very big. So we shared almost everything
we could; one being the lavatories. When there came a time that more
than one guy wanted to go to the lavatory, he would either wait, or ask
a girl to check the girls’ bathroom so he could go in there. Because of
this, it was not unusual to see a guy go in or come out of the girls’ lava­tory.
One day after class one of our friends, female, went into the lavatory
while we went to lunch. Unfortunately, she was followed in by a guy with
a knife. Later when he came out of the lavatory, no one thought about
it. This girl, a very close friend, was attacked by that guy. To this day,
even though she has good friends and a good family to pull her through
such a terrible episode, she still is very morally hurt.
This is a true story. So the next time an R.A., or anyone approaches
you about using different sex’s dorm lavatories, don’t think about them
jumping down your back . . . please . . . remember my very close friend,
for your own sake.
T.
A Dorm Resident
E M P A T H
Managing and News Editor..................... ..................................... Carolyn Alkire
Sports Editor..................................................................................Michael Collins
Staff...........................................................................Tom Hays,Cari Wright
Feature Editor.........................................................................................Lise Papetti
Staff................................................................Mary Beth Brady,Bill Lawler
Graphics and Layout Editor............................................................. Allard
Staff.................................Cindy Bendix, Stephanie Hawtin, Theresa Priddy,
Debi Kershaw, Jim Farley
Business and Advertising Manager..................................................... Rjc|< pj^g
The Empath office is located on the first floor of Charles Hall.
A general meeting of Empath staff and edit<?rs is held every Monday night, 8 p.m.
in the bottom of the Student Union, Charles Hall. All interested persons are invited
to attend this meeting.