Dear Editor,
This may seem like I’m frustrated -- but it’s okay, because I am. This deconstructs an article I read in the Elm last week titled RIP, Chivalry. I would like to be as specific as possible when breaking down this article considering generalizations do no good for anyone.
Ms. Velazquez begins her article by saying, “When preparing to write this article, I decided to do some research into what chivalry actually means” and uses Dictionary.com as her primary resource. I am by no means an academic, however it’s very uneducated to consider “research” using a definition from Dictionary.com and pasting it into an article. That’s called being lazy. Also, to realize after reading a definition of chivalry that there are no knights in our day and age is a waste of article space. Making generalizations isn’t a legitimate way of getting a point across. To say that “the most [men] are looking for is free food…” indicates that the author views males as a group of Neanderthals. This statement is a pure waste of computer battery.
I must bring to attention the section of the article in which Ms. Velazquez is walking to dance class. While walking to dance class in the rain on the skinny path to the LFC, two guys don’t move out of her way. She has to step off of the path, and she probably got her feet wet and muddy. I’ll stop being harsh for a second and say that those guys should have moved over. Not because she’s a female and they’re males, but because it’s the polite thing to do. So I ask the same question: is it really asking that much for anyone to move over so I can walk on the path?
The article goes on to mention her eyewitness accounts of girls, “being faced with their individual drive-by barriers.” She explains how she sees no males holding the door for women, no guys letting girls go ahead of them at the Dining Hall, and no males taking females out to a nice dinner. If anyone who read this article with any common sense at all has to first stop and ask, “How do you ‘see’ no men taking women out to a nice dinner?” This is a brave statement considering I see and do the complete opposite on a daily basis. I regularly hold doors for men and women. If someone has a genuine need, I let them in front of me in the Dining Hall. And I not only buy my girlfriend dinner, but have also been known to treat my friends to some McDoubles.
If women want men to act more like gentlemen, then they ought to start holding doors for us, too. I’m not crying to anyone because I could care less if chivalry is dead or not. I’m just saying, because men and women are equal, why should I have to hold a door for a girl if she isn’t expected to hold it open for me? And is it really that hard to open a door in the first place? Why do I have to pay for the nice dinner every time if I’m just as broke as you?
The title implies, chivalry is dead; and I contend (like Dave Chappelle) that women killed it. most men don’t have respect for women because most women never gave respect to these men. If I hold the door, say thank you or I’ll never hold it open again when I see you. Have some respect ladies. I’m not saying this to all ladies and I’m not saying that all men are respectful. All I’m saying for all you women is that maybe you’ll see a little more chivalry if you stop acting like your poop doesn’t stink and like you deserve the utmost respect. Being a female doesn’t mean you automatically get respect from men. the only people who deserve respect are the ones who earn it.
- Johnny Helenek, ‘12
Dear Editor,
The sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi would like to thank everyone who came out, participated in, and supported the second annual Queen of the Roses 5k, held this past Sunday. It was such a great feeling to see the diverse group of people who came out to run, walk, and remember Jasmine Queen.
With your help, we were able to raise almost $8,000 this year for the Jasmine Queen Memorial Scholarship. In order to make the scholarship permanent, we needed to raise $20,000 within five years. With the help of the Washington College community and other generous donors, we were able to accomplish this goal in just two years. We will continue each year with the 5k as a way to honor Jasmine’s memory. Thank you again for all the support and we hope to see everyone again next year!
-Rachel Glasser ‘11
Dear Editor,
I bet some of you think the fence is orange because it’s Halloween. Well, you’re wrong. Washington College used to be famed all over the collegiate world for our student hosted Orange Fence parties–outdoor social BYOB gatherings where all students were able to consume their beverages freely while hanging out with their friends. Everyone attended Orange Fence parties. Everyone abided by the rules. As it was explained to me, no one got terribly out of hand for fear that they would no longer be allowed to remain at the event.
Students (mostly now alumni) have wildly speculated as to the fate of our beloved events in a fence: where the original vision now lives (if at all), and most commonly, why they’re gone. Personally, I arrived at WC when Orange Fence parties were on their way out. There were one or two my freshman year (each “off the record”) and a Halloween party my sophomore year that looked, sounded, and tasted like an Orange Fence party but was suspiciously dubbed a “social affair in the quad with an orange fence securing the perimeter.”
I was young and I was impressionable. I wasn’t sure which “side” to take -- students vs. administration, WC vs. the world -- but looking back I don’t think it mattered much which party I chose to support as each had its own genuine causes for concern. One can readily understand how an event such as this would be controversial as it provides for unwarranted liability for the College. On the other hand, it is argued by these same alumni that the College is putting itself (and by proxy its students) at an even greater risk by not allowing these events to occur. Regardless of which side of the proverbial Orange Fence your opinions lie; it is a fact that these events in their truest form are gone.
While I applaud the Student Government Association and the Interfraternity Council for providing students with a means to celebrate everyone’s favorite Pagan holiday, I can’t help but dispute it being called a legitimate Orange Fence party. I ask that these groups remove the false auspices under which it currently lies and call it what it really is: a Halloween party. Please don’t disgrace the memory of something our alumni (and still, yes, some of us) hold very dear.
-Alisha DiGiandomenico ‘10
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