EDITORIAL: Does Anybody Care?

The paltry attendance atThe paltry attendance atyesterday's Campus SafetyThe paltry attendance atyesterday's Campus SafetyForum raises serious questionsThe paltry attendance atyesterday's Campus SafetyForum raises serious questionsabout student commitment toThe paltry attendance atyesterday's Campus SafetyForum raises serious questionsabout student commitment tofighting crime.The paltry attendance atyesterday's Campus SafetyForum raises serious questionsabout student commitment tofighting crime._______________________________ At least, that's the natural conclusion to draw following last night's Campus Safety Forum which was attended by less than twenty-five students. The forum, sponsored by the Division of Public Safety, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, was designed to give students the opportunity to voice their concerns about safety on campus. Since only about 0.1% of the students at this University bothered to voice their concerns, the administration can only conclude that campus crime is not an issue. They will also conclude that students are very adept at complaining about crime, but are reluctant to take positive steps to fight back. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich and 18th District Captain Jack McGinnis were present specifically to address student concerns -- yet graduates and undergraduates alike failed to show up, indicating they do not care about crime. As a result, next time students decide to complain, Kuprevich and McGinnis will probably be that much slower to respond, and justifiably so. College junior Dana Caldwell said she feels embarassed by the turnout. "So many people said this is an important issue and they're not here," she said. She's right. We should be embarassed. If we, as students, are not going to take advantage of the opportunities before us to address campus problems, we should not be surprised if nobody pays attention to us when we complain.