Sustainability is an important component of Linfield. One of the easiest ways to participate in sustainability is by recycling.

We know that it may not be in the forefront of students’ minds considering the busy day-to-day schedules we have to manage, but we would like to remind students that taking a little extra time outside of our busy lives to recycle makes a big difference on campus and in the world.

There are too many garbage cans around campus filled with soda bottles and paper that could be recycled. While it may be more convenient to throw recyclable items away in the nearest garbage can, if you look around, you will surely notice that there are recycling bins in almost every building on campus. It does not take that much effort to walk a few extra steps to a recycling bin on campus.

Also, recycling just got a lot easier for students who live in the residence halls and suburbs. Thanks to the work of freshman Michelle Herrera, Residence Life and Facilities Services, students can sign up with their Resident Advisor to get a recycling bin for their own rooms. Herrera received a Sustainability Grant to purchase 700 bins, making the bins free for students.

We are lucky to attend a school that provides us with easy access to recycling equipment, and we should take advantage of that privilege.

We think that if students put in a little effort to incorporate recycling into their everyday college life, then the student body could bring about a great change on campus and in the community as a whole.

We would like to encourage students to become active in recycling in the residence halls, suburbs and across campus. If each person made a conscious effort to recycle, then imagine the greatness that could be accomplished.

-The Review Editorial Board

The tragic loss of life that took place on campus on April 10 has stirred up a lot of emotion and confusion. It seems that students don’t know whether to be fearful, sad or confused. Those responsible for the CatNet alert messages did not do an effective job at keeping students informed and updated about the tragedy and we feel that the messages could have been conveyed with more sensitivity.

One way the situation could have been dealt with better would have been if emails were sent out to students earlier than 10:45 a.m. It was stated in an email that the body was discovered at 8:45 a.m. and it was not clear how the body came to be in the state that it was at that time. There could have been a murderer on campus and students would have been informed too late.

Another way the incident could have been dealt with differently would have been to block more of the body off so that it would be out of sight. When students went to Dillin Hall for brunch on Sunday morning they were not expecting to see a body in front of Walker Hall. The sight of a dead body can be traumatizing and it was inappropriate to have it present in front of unsuspecting students.

We understand that an investigation was taking place, but that is not an excuse for the lack of some sort of barrier around the bench where the body was discovered.

We also think that the alerts could have been written with more sensitivity. For example, it was stated that the person was not related to Linfield so the campus could return to normal. However, there is nothing “normal” about what happened.

A human life ended in our community and no one seems to have definite answers as to why or how. This person had a life and family. Just because they do not attend Linfield does not make the situation insignificant, as the email made it seem. It looks as though the alerts were strictly intended to work as damage control.

We understand that this is a difficult issue, but we hope that the college will act with more compassion and understanding if another tragedy occurs in the future.

-The Review Editorial Board

College is a time to push yourself. Classes are more difficult and more time consuming than they were in high school, and it is more difficult to maintain a high GPA. We’ve noticed that this concept seems to stress out far too many people.

Your GPA is not the only element of college that leads to success in the “real world.” Service, leadership and involvement are equally, if not more, important.

We are not saying that GPA is irrelevant; it is definitely important if you are planning to apply to graduate school. But it shouldn’t be students’ only focus in their college careers, and it certainly shouldn’t consume your life at Linfield.

Students need to show on their résumé that they have experience in the field they plan to enter. You don’t even have to put your GPA on your résumé.

Employers are usually more concerned with whether potential employees have the skills and experience needed to succeed at the job. They want people who connect well with others. They want people who have excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills. A GPA doesn’t tell employers much about these.

College is also about building relationships. This is a residential college, and there are many social functions that take place on campus each week. For example, there are student Cat Cabs, movie nights in Ice Auditorium and sporting events. If you’re constantly alone in the library working on homework and studying for tests, you’ll miss out on getting to know your peers and building a network of friends.

Remember that Linfield aims to connect “learning, life, and community.” It calls for diverse students who work to balance their college experiences with a healthy mix of activities that go beyond GPA-building.

Getting a “C” in a tough class won’t likely matter when you’re 40. Not making an effort to get involved in your school might.

-The Review Editorial Board

The next two months may seem like a whirlwind of chaos for seniors as graduation and commencement approach. On top of last-minute projects and assignments, seniors have to figure out what goes along with graduating. With all the final plans and plane ticket and hotel bookings graduating seniors need to do, it seems slightly impractical that announcements, class rings, caps and gowns are not offered to students until Wildcat Wind-up during the week before Spring Break.

We think that it would be helpful if the college increased awareness about purchasing these items before the Spring Semester begins. This would allow students more time to set aside money to purchase these expensive items because by Fall Semester, graduation really is around the corner.

After purchasing a cap, gown, graduation announcements and a class ring, costs can easily be more than $300. This kind of cash can be a burden for college students who already have to spend money on books, housing and food, and it might take a while to save up.

An earlier “wind-up” would also allow for better planning when it comes to travel should these item be available for purchase at the beginning of the semester. It takes three weeks for graduation announcements to be sent to students. This means that the people who are receiving the announcements will most likely not get them until the end of April, if not later.

It takes time for graduation attendees to book flights and hotels, and it would be helpful if students could purchase the announcements sooner so they can be sent to relatives and friends in a more time-efficient manner.

Overall, we hope that in the future graduation planning will begin earlier to ensure a more organized and less stressful graduation for students and their families.

-The Review Editorial Board

The Supreme Court ruled March 2 that the Westboro Baptist Church’s controversial funeral protests are protected under the First Amendment.

Albert Snyder brought the lawsuit against the WBC protestors. He claimed that he suffered emotional distress after a group of protestors from the church showed up at his son’s funeral. The protestors have also shown up at numerous military funerals, where they flaunted signs with messages such as “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God Hates Fags,” according to washingtonpost.com.

Such protests are appalling and disgusting, but we agree that it is ultimately the church’s right to protest as long as the protestors stay 1,000 feet away from the location under protest, as the law dictates. Free speech is a core American right, and we think this right would be violated if the church was not allowed to express its opinion, even if its protests cause family and funeral attendees emotional distress.

However, just because people have the right to free speech doesn’t mean that it is ethical to say whatever they want, to whomever they want and whenever they want. With free speech there should be tolerance, and with tolerance there needs to be compassion for others.

We believe WBC is being intolerant. It’s protests are ethically questionable even if they are legally sound. When confronted with such intolerance, it’s important to remember to remain above it rather than try to stifle freedom of expression.

While at Linfield, try to consider how your words and actions affect the people around you. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinions and beliefs, but take note of the way you express those opinions and beliefs to others. Negative voices often lead to destruction and hurt that is difficult to repair.

-The Review Editorial Board

It seems that the Associated Students of Linfield College presidential and vice presidential candidates have included bolstering Senate effectiveness in their campaign platforms for many years. We at the Review ask this year’s candidates to look at Senate sustainability as well as effectiveness.

Student leadership positions have high turnover rates simply because students move on from year to year. This is obviously a roadblock for any long-term (more than one year) Senate projects. And turnover that occurs from semester to semester is even more halting. Such was the case this spring, as senior Katie Kann stepped down from her position as Campus Improvement Committee chair and junior Wesley Allegre stepped down from Campus Liaison Committee chair.

Senators, especially those who occupy leadership positions such as the above, who leave before their term is over, disrupt the dynamics of Senate as a whole and the organizations they represent. Looking at Senate as a semester-to-semester or year-to-year body diminishes the organization’s effectiveness.

For instance, when Duncan Reid, ’10, graduated, systems could have been in place to follow up on the Observatory survey and complete that project.

Undertakings such as this often take more than one year to complete. Time must be allotted for research, proposal drafting, proposal submission and project advocacy.

When Senate begins long-term projects, it needs to finish them. To simply drop such projects when a new year begins is unfair to students who were expecting and hoping for change. We believe the ASLC presidential and vice presidential candidates need to address how Senate projects can be carried across the years to completion.

Senate has made improvements in the way it functions, such as with the committee restructuring that took effect in the fall, but it cannot achieve true efficiency unless it looks at how to operate without restarting each fall.

Senate is not just a club for students who want to enhance their résumés. It’s a representative body that should serve students in the most dedicated way possible. It should comprise students who want to make a mark on Linfield in the long term not just in one year.

We would like to see Senators invest more energy in long-term projects even if they can’t be completed in one academic year.
For example, we know that planning and advocating for a student center will easily take more than a year, but this does not mean we should simply let the issue die.

Senate should be viewed as a strategic body of students who want to improve Linfield even after they graduate. We at the Review hope this year’s ASLC presidential and vice presidential candidates agree and strive to make it so.

-The Review Editorial Board