-That can't possibly be the old office for Ohio Campus Compact. I'm pretty sure that's where sexy teenagers get murdered in a slasher flick. Or a crack den. Or both.
-The original play by Joseph Addison is called Cato. Mark Bryan's play is called Cato, at the Bakehouse near Headquarters. Also, February 27th starts today, not next week. Also also, your articles on the plays are usually pretty awful. Kudos on getting this one out before the show closes though.
-Unless it's some weird gaming spelling I'm not familiar with, I'm fairly certain "table" is spelled "table," and not "tble."
-David After Dentist: Old video is old.
-Oh, the Forbidden Fruit. Where to begin? Thanks for assuming anyone who isn't ready to have sex feels "empty and regretful." And "sexual wisdom?" Lulz. Perhaps it would ease my mind to have some proof as to whether or not these two are really "sexperts." (HAHA! Double lulz!) If you guys could print a list of every position you've tried and a tally of the people you've banged, it would be fantastic. Also, provide pictures. My internet porn subscription runs out tomorrow. Echoing submitter Rorie Dean, I also think it's fucking silly to have "Adam" and "Eve" on there instead of real names. Even the Bullsheet makes people attach at least their Slayter box numbers. And most of those people just wanted to talk about their lost cell phones, and not premature ejaculation.
-I do have to say, your expose on the Snuggie was the most exciting thing I've read since "How to Slice Bread" was translated into Interesting. The paragraph formatting was like some sort of free-verse poem!
--Nick Bailey, Senior Editor
Friday, February 27, 2009
Hello! I've seen some signs up around campus regarding national eating disorder awareness week. It's a good cause aimed at helping people (especially women) become comfortable with who they are and their bodies. My friend's daughter is a very important person in my life and I want to help insure that her body image isn't warped by the media's somewhat unrealistic standards. I went on the website and saw heavy emphasis on anorexia and bulimia, which is good, but they left out one disorder which affects many people on this campus and in America: eating too goddamn much. Now everyone should be comfortable in their genes, but if your jeans are getting a little tight around the waist and they used to fit fine, then maybe you are part of the 66.3 percent of non-institutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese (according to http://www.cdc.gov). Being fat is killing a ton (several tons actually) of Americans every year and burdening our already fucked up health care system. Just because your genes put you on the plus size doesn't mean you have an all you can eat pass to the french fries at Curtis, have some self-restrain.
-Matthew Ezzard
-Matthew Ezzard
YO ALEX! That's some pretty serious shit you wrote about in yesterday's 'sheet. I think it's mostly...mostly true too! I know, I know, the editors are supposed to write funny shit to make us laugh and be amused; I'm sure most of us are. Your article is also significantly more entertaining than Eve's article (I know Eve, and sorry, you weren't trying to be entertaining but let's face it: your article was quite boring, way too preachy and I don't think it told too many people on campus anything they didn't already know or had given thought to, regardless of whether or not they are virgins—then again maybe I'm just not a fan of advise columns, I don't know). I just got just a few comments on your article seeing that I am an illegitimate child of young parents who, by the way, did not drink themselves into a coma and are married and are together and raised me to be a damn good person if I may say so myself (is this article already dripping with so much vanity it makes you want to barf?)...here we go!
At my Dad's 40th birthday party—just a few years ago now, maybe 2007, yea, that sounds right—my Dad told my family (including his in-laws) "now, none of you thought our marriage was going to work out (his mother-in-law shook her head 'no' effectively agreeing with him) but it did, and we just had our 20th anniversary and things are going really well" and OH SHIT... they did turn out really well! He was right, who knew; most didn't expect it as many don't expect quick-marriages-because-of-accidental-conception to actually work in the long-run; well, in the case of my parents, 22 years in the long-run (they were sophomores in college at University of Louisville). I can say a few things that I know based on your advise, though, Alex:
Be honest from the beginning: I don't know how my parents conceived me and they've never said straight to my face that I was an accident nor did they elaborate on whether or not my Mom forgot to take her pill or the condom broke; to be honest, I don't really care whether or not they tell me, but the "lack of truth" didn't keep me having some character. It wasn't necessary for them to tell me and though I did figure it out on my own—they did acknowledge me being a mistake after I questioned—I can't say that their "being honest from the beginning" has deprived me of any character. It hasn't. Nuff said.
Hold yourself accountable: I've never really looked at my being-born as a "price" my parents have had to "pay" but, shit, I was the baby, not the father, so I'm not going call myself “personal Purgatory”—but now that you mention it, I might have been?! I can say, however, from what I remember of even my earliest childhood, my parents were excellent at the parenting game and were very responsible and never drank themselves into a coma. Hmm...they certainly did hold themselves accountable though I never really thought of myself as a burden or as as a mistake that they now had to deal with—though I was a mistake...just not a regretted one...I hope not anyways. I don't think you're necessarily implying that in your point here, but you might be, so I thought I'd respond regardless.
Demand respect: This is probably true; I think I respected my elders as every little brainwashed socially conditioned child should. I didn't mind it, maybe it's part of my personality, though I was still encouraged to question everything (well, most everything...parents don't like to be questioned regardless of their age, it's not efficient for their parenting) and think for myself, not just blindly listen. Come on, they do deserve respect, though, right?! Yes, definitely, especially if they're young because they could have (not that the thought occurred to them, I don't think it did) done all sorts of other things that would have landed my ass somewhere else...or nowhere at all—is there a statistic for aborted or adopted children from umarried parents under 20? You get the point...
Don't worry about expectations: Kids are not special...not unless they're truly "special" kids but parents need an objective viewpoint there, they don't have the ability to make that decision themselves. As George Carlin puts it: “not all children are smart and clever. Got that [parents]? Kids are like any other group of people: a few winners, a whole lot of losers!” Because I am the oldest child and my parents were quite young (and unmarried) when I was conceived, I think it was more important to them to just take care of their kid, not try to make him some sort of super-prodigy. And I can't thank them enough for doing that. Just let your kid do what he damn well pleases, or, in other words: don't try to turn him into some sort of super-child. I think that's a generational change that those about 10 years older than us who are having kids now are doing a lot of. What the fuck!? You're just going to turn your kid into some sort of droning has-to-do-as-much-as-he-can-in-order-to-please-his-parents kid. Not a good idea. Look at me, my parents let me follow my own interests and I went from being one of those not-good-at-sports-but-played-every-one (not basketball, though) to finding an interest in music, which led to me teaching myself music, being a varsity swimmer (high school, not here), Eagle scout and all that typical over-achieving things that over-achieving kids do. I probably was an overachiever, yea. Shit, I'm a triple major now! I'm still an overachiever! But my parents didn't promote or demand it by any stretch. The over-achieving came from me. NOT from my parents pressing or encouraging me to do anything...unless, of course, it was stuff that I wanted to do in the first place.
So, there you have it. My parents are 42, I'm 22, they're still married, I have a younger brother in high school, and I'm happy. Does that mean all sophomores in college should get together and have kids? I don't know; I wouldn't go that far...I didn't have any kids 2 years ago (my mom's parents also conceived my mom at 19 years old and they were happy I didn't continue in the tradition...so they've told me) and I'm not planning on having kids now. I am going to go out on a limb and say that if I did have a kid 2 years ago I would raise the kid in the same way that I was raised (shit, if I ever do become a father, I'll still want to raise my kids the way I was raised) and I think the kid would be be happy with that. So, yea, THANKS MOM AND DAD, LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU'RE NOT EMBARRASSED BY THIS. YOU'RE THE GREATEST PARENTS EVER. And I mean that. What the Bull said yesterday is true: “My parents love me.” Good luck to all you potential sophomore-perhaps-soon-to-be-parents. Alex's advise is mostly-true based on my own experience, follow it if you want, or don't. Just don't fuck the parenting up!
Brian Crush
At my Dad's 40th birthday party—just a few years ago now, maybe 2007, yea, that sounds right—my Dad told my family (including his in-laws) "now, none of you thought our marriage was going to work out (his mother-in-law shook her head 'no' effectively agreeing with him) but it did, and we just had our 20th anniversary and things are going really well" and OH SHIT... they did turn out really well! He was right, who knew; most didn't expect it as many don't expect quick-marriages-because-of-accidental-conception to actually work in the long-run; well, in the case of my parents, 22 years in the long-run (they were sophomores in college at University of Louisville). I can say a few things that I know based on your advise, though, Alex:
Be honest from the beginning: I don't know how my parents conceived me and they've never said straight to my face that I was an accident nor did they elaborate on whether or not my Mom forgot to take her pill or the condom broke; to be honest, I don't really care whether or not they tell me, but the "lack of truth" didn't keep me having some character. It wasn't necessary for them to tell me and though I did figure it out on my own—they did acknowledge me being a mistake after I questioned—I can't say that their "being honest from the beginning" has deprived me of any character. It hasn't. Nuff said.
Hold yourself accountable: I've never really looked at my being-born as a "price" my parents have had to "pay" but, shit, I was the baby, not the father, so I'm not going call myself “personal Purgatory”—but now that you mention it, I might have been?! I can say, however, from what I remember of even my earliest childhood, my parents were excellent at the parenting game and were very responsible and never drank themselves into a coma. Hmm...they certainly did hold themselves accountable though I never really thought of myself as a burden or as as a mistake that they now had to deal with—though I was a mistake...just not a regretted one...I hope not anyways. I don't think you're necessarily implying that in your point here, but you might be, so I thought I'd respond regardless.
Demand respect: This is probably true; I think I respected my elders as every little brainwashed socially conditioned child should. I didn't mind it, maybe it's part of my personality, though I was still encouraged to question everything (well, most everything...parents don't like to be questioned regardless of their age, it's not efficient for their parenting) and think for myself, not just blindly listen. Come on, they do deserve respect, though, right?! Yes, definitely, especially if they're young because they could have (not that the thought occurred to them, I don't think it did) done all sorts of other things that would have landed my ass somewhere else...or nowhere at all—is there a statistic for aborted or adopted children from umarried parents under 20? You get the point...
Don't worry about expectations: Kids are not special...not unless they're truly "special" kids but parents need an objective viewpoint there, they don't have the ability to make that decision themselves. As George Carlin puts it: “not all children are smart and clever. Got that [parents]? Kids are like any other group of people: a few winners, a whole lot of losers!” Because I am the oldest child and my parents were quite young (and unmarried) when I was conceived, I think it was more important to them to just take care of their kid, not try to make him some sort of super-prodigy. And I can't thank them enough for doing that. Just let your kid do what he damn well pleases, or, in other words: don't try to turn him into some sort of super-child. I think that's a generational change that those about 10 years older than us who are having kids now are doing a lot of. What the fuck!? You're just going to turn your kid into some sort of droning has-to-do-as-much-as-he-can-in-order-to-please-his-parents kid. Not a good idea. Look at me, my parents let me follow my own interests and I went from being one of those not-good-at-sports-but-played-every-one (not basketball, though) to finding an interest in music, which led to me teaching myself music, being a varsity swimmer (high school, not here), Eagle scout and all that typical over-achieving things that over-achieving kids do. I probably was an overachiever, yea. Shit, I'm a triple major now! I'm still an overachiever! But my parents didn't promote or demand it by any stretch. The over-achieving came from me. NOT from my parents pressing or encouraging me to do anything...unless, of course, it was stuff that I wanted to do in the first place.
So, there you have it. My parents are 42, I'm 22, they're still married, I have a younger brother in high school, and I'm happy. Does that mean all sophomores in college should get together and have kids? I don't know; I wouldn't go that far...I didn't have any kids 2 years ago (my mom's parents also conceived my mom at 19 years old and they were happy I didn't continue in the tradition...so they've told me) and I'm not planning on having kids now. I am going to go out on a limb and say that if I did have a kid 2 years ago I would raise the kid in the same way that I was raised (shit, if I ever do become a father, I'll still want to raise my kids the way I was raised) and I think the kid would be be happy with that. So, yea, THANKS MOM AND DAD, LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU'RE NOT EMBARRASSED BY THIS. YOU'RE THE GREATEST PARENTS EVER. And I mean that. What the Bull said yesterday is true: “My parents love me.” Good luck to all you potential sophomore-perhaps-soon-to-be-parents. Alex's advise is mostly-true based on my own experience, follow it if you want, or don't. Just don't fuck the parenting up!
Brian Crush
In light of Alex Chan’s parody of “Forbidden Fruit,” I have decided its finally time to air my grievances with The Denisonian’s new sex column. Firstly, people don’t want to read about spicing up their sex lives in the school’s newspaper, they have Cosmo for that. People who read sex columns either want to read about some lucky writers smutty, graphic sexploits, or awkward questions they were too afraid to ask themselves. The thing is, people who read sex columns are rarely people who are in relationships and actually having sex, they are people who want to have sex, and think about having sex, and talk about having sex. Therefore, articles about how to make sex more interesting in relationships are totally boring. The people in relationships don’t need to read about having sex, they are having sex. This is college, they don’t give a shit about whether or not they’re doing tantric whatever, they care that they are getting some as often as possible. Give us something that makes us feel a little guilty. Hell, if The Denisonian won’t, I will.
Secondly, if you are going to write a sex column, as least have the balls to put your name on it. I mean really, are you afraid of people knowing you know how to have good sex? Shoot, I practically preach that shit, why the hell wouldn’t you want potential partners to know you know what you’re doing? More importantly, using a pseudonym makes it look like its not ok to write or speak frankly about sex--like knowledge of sex is bad--and I just don’t think that’s a view that should be encouraged. I don’t think sex is ever something to be ashamed of and the writers of a sex column should be the last people to enforce that view, even by accident.
Finally, I don’t think everything about “Forbidden Fruit” is bad. I think it’s great that the column is sometimes directed towards men. There aren’t enough references for our boys and I definitely don’t mind their being told how to last longer. Given that the sex column market is so biased towards women I’m glad that we’ve got one men can read. It should be ok for men to talk about sex in ways that don’t include the phrase “tapped that,” and though many men won’t admit it, they probably have just as many questions about mechanics and pleasure as women do. For this reason, (I’ll say it again) the male author shouldn’t be afraid of putting his name on an informative piece for his fellow man.
Really, it never bothers me to read about sex, but I really think that the Denisonian should be going about it differently. Those awkward questions can be helpful and informative, and stories of sexploits might increase readership, lord knows The Denisonian needs it. If they have an interest in a legitimate sex column by a writer who’s not afraid to put her name on it, they should look me up.
“A” for effort Denisonian,
-Rorie Dean
8288
Secondly, if you are going to write a sex column, as least have the balls to put your name on it. I mean really, are you afraid of people knowing you know how to have good sex? Shoot, I practically preach that shit, why the hell wouldn’t you want potential partners to know you know what you’re doing? More importantly, using a pseudonym makes it look like its not ok to write or speak frankly about sex--like knowledge of sex is bad--and I just don’t think that’s a view that should be encouraged. I don’t think sex is ever something to be ashamed of and the writers of a sex column should be the last people to enforce that view, even by accident.
Finally, I don’t think everything about “Forbidden Fruit” is bad. I think it’s great that the column is sometimes directed towards men. There aren’t enough references for our boys and I definitely don’t mind their being told how to last longer. Given that the sex column market is so biased towards women I’m glad that we’ve got one men can read. It should be ok for men to talk about sex in ways that don’t include the phrase “tapped that,” and though many men won’t admit it, they probably have just as many questions about mechanics and pleasure as women do. For this reason, (I’ll say it again) the male author shouldn’t be afraid of putting his name on an informative piece for his fellow man.
Really, it never bothers me to read about sex, but I really think that the Denisonian should be going about it differently. Those awkward questions can be helpful and informative, and stories of sexploits might increase readership, lord knows The Denisonian needs it. If they have an interest in a legitimate sex column by a writer who’s not afraid to put her name on it, they should look me up.
“A” for effort Denisonian,
-Rorie Dean
8288
There was a lot of talk in the Bullsheet last week regarding a sensitive, almost taboo subject: rape. But that's really all it has been: talk. Not that talk is bad, but that's all we did last year. I've been told that there are some slow changes in the works from an administrative standpoint, but what does that mean? Let me put the question in a different context. If murder was not illegal, then would you kill people? If you haven't killed anyone yet, then probably not.
I'm not sure what is in the works from the administration, but I know it can't be the
whole answer. One of the hardest things to do is take a stand in front of an audience, and I applaud last week's articles. But it is my opinion, just my thoughts, that it is harder to take a stand when no one is watching. I say it because I know it to be true for myself. I have been taught to seek rewards, near immediate rewards. If taking a stand means putting myself on a limb with no one to watch and say, "how brave!" then I'm probably less likely to take that stand. Perhaps that is my own weakness, and nobody else shares it, but I think not.
As a freshman one of my friends took a girl back to her room when she was clearly too
drunk to know the difference. I didn't see it happening at the time, or maybe I looked away because making myself aware of it would have sobered my enjoyment. Later I heard him say, "I just took advantage of that poor girl." Everyone laughed, including me. I will say that my laugh was forced and that I shook my head, but I still laughed. I still kept my mouth shut. Everyone kept their mouth shut, and I don't know why. Certainly we each experienced some level of disgust, but yet we said nothing. Could it have been because we were all XYs trying to fit into our XY box? I think so.
But this is not a valid excuse. Being a social species we have no choice but to
experience pressure to fit in to "comfortable" societal niches. They are comfortable
because "everybody's doing it." But that's just not true. Let me use another analogy. How many people think that voting for a third party candidate is throwing your vote away? What if enough people throw their votes away? It's comfortable to be told what to do. It's comfortable to have that scapegoat. Responsibility is a difficult pill to swallow, and everyone is responsible. That girl was responsible for getting too drunk to stand up for herself. That guy was responsible for taking advantage of her. I was responsible for ignoring the situation and not expressing my true opinions on this utterly disgusting behavior. It is a moment that I regret.
However, I have learned from that moment, as we can all learn from our collective regret about the state of rape on this campus. Everett, I appreciate your enthusiasm for starting a dialogue, but I think you will just be preaching to the choir. No rapist will attend that dialogue. Collective wills are reflections of accumulated individual actions. If that means I have to "cock-block," then it means I have to "cock-block." The solution rests in what we do when no one is watching and waiting to pat our backs and say, "way to stand up." The solution rests in personal responsibility. Ladies, you don't need to get black-out to have a good time, gentlemen too. Perhaps we are wearing blinders, but we choose to wear them. Gentlemen that have sex with blacked-out women, how can that possibly be enjoyable? I don't get that in any way. Sex is best sober in my opinion, and you're not any more accomplished at the end of the night because you lied to some girl to get in her intoxicated pants. Let's grow up people and maybe the administration will stop trying to make this the best prep-school in central Ohio. Probably not, but we can still act like adults.
Shake it Sugaree, because I will forget I knew thee...
Brandon McAdams
I'm not sure what is in the works from the administration, but I know it can't be the
whole answer. One of the hardest things to do is take a stand in front of an audience, and I applaud last week's articles. But it is my opinion, just my thoughts, that it is harder to take a stand when no one is watching. I say it because I know it to be true for myself. I have been taught to seek rewards, near immediate rewards. If taking a stand means putting myself on a limb with no one to watch and say, "how brave!" then I'm probably less likely to take that stand. Perhaps that is my own weakness, and nobody else shares it, but I think not.
As a freshman one of my friends took a girl back to her room when she was clearly too
drunk to know the difference. I didn't see it happening at the time, or maybe I looked away because making myself aware of it would have sobered my enjoyment. Later I heard him say, "I just took advantage of that poor girl." Everyone laughed, including me. I will say that my laugh was forced and that I shook my head, but I still laughed. I still kept my mouth shut. Everyone kept their mouth shut, and I don't know why. Certainly we each experienced some level of disgust, but yet we said nothing. Could it have been because we were all XYs trying to fit into our XY box? I think so.
But this is not a valid excuse. Being a social species we have no choice but to
experience pressure to fit in to "comfortable" societal niches. They are comfortable
because "everybody's doing it." But that's just not true. Let me use another analogy. How many people think that voting for a third party candidate is throwing your vote away? What if enough people throw their votes away? It's comfortable to be told what to do. It's comfortable to have that scapegoat. Responsibility is a difficult pill to swallow, and everyone is responsible. That girl was responsible for getting too drunk to stand up for herself. That guy was responsible for taking advantage of her. I was responsible for ignoring the situation and not expressing my true opinions on this utterly disgusting behavior. It is a moment that I regret.
However, I have learned from that moment, as we can all learn from our collective regret about the state of rape on this campus. Everett, I appreciate your enthusiasm for starting a dialogue, but I think you will just be preaching to the choir. No rapist will attend that dialogue. Collective wills are reflections of accumulated individual actions. If that means I have to "cock-block," then it means I have to "cock-block." The solution rests in what we do when no one is watching and waiting to pat our backs and say, "way to stand up." The solution rests in personal responsibility. Ladies, you don't need to get black-out to have a good time, gentlemen too. Perhaps we are wearing blinders, but we choose to wear them. Gentlemen that have sex with blacked-out women, how can that possibly be enjoyable? I don't get that in any way. Sex is best sober in my opinion, and you're not any more accomplished at the end of the night because you lied to some girl to get in her intoxicated pants. Let's grow up people and maybe the administration will stop trying to make this the best prep-school in central Ohio. Probably not, but we can still act like adults.
Shake it Sugaree, because I will forget I knew thee...
Brandon McAdams
Bitch bitch bitch…more bullsheet for me… bitch bitch bitch
This is pretty much what the bullsheet has been for the past month or so. IT IS GETTING OLD. Thanks for trying to make a difference and I applaud you for doing so, but do us a favor and go look at fmylife.com for just about five minutes so you can have a better day and hopefully refrain from writing in the bullsheet for just a bit.
Here are some excerpts of what you will find:
Today, my boyfriend handcuffed me to the bed, naked. Someone pulled the fire alarm, and my boyfriend couldn't find the key. So he left me, and the Resident Advisor found me. The fireman had to cut the chain. FML
Today, I went to my boyfriend’s work to surprise him. When I got there, I called him on his phone to tell him to turn around. I saw him look at his phone. His co-worker next to him asked who that was. He replied, “Just this fat chick I know”. FML
Today, I woke up to my car covered in shaving cream and tampons and the word CHEATER written on my windshield in lipstick. The guy a few doors down from me in my dorm has the same car as me. I'm a virgin. FML
Today, I spent almost my entire English class turned on thinking that the hot girl next to me was playing footsie with me. That is until she stood up and I realized I had been rubbing my foot on her backpack. FML
Today, I decided to send my boyfriend a pic text of me naked. I accidently sent it to my dad and got a text back saying "You definitely take after your mom". FML
Today, I fell asleep. I felt something on my face. I batted it away. It was my hamster. It died from a concussion upon hitting the wall. FML
Today, at lunch, I read the bullsheet. FML
by
Peter “Michael Phelps Stole my Bong” Wall
7044
This is pretty much what the bullsheet has been for the past month or so. IT IS GETTING OLD. Thanks for trying to make a difference and I applaud you for doing so, but do us a favor and go look at fmylife.com for just about five minutes so you can have a better day and hopefully refrain from writing in the bullsheet for just a bit.
Here are some excerpts of what you will find:
Today, my boyfriend handcuffed me to the bed, naked. Someone pulled the fire alarm, and my boyfriend couldn't find the key. So he left me, and the Resident Advisor found me. The fireman had to cut the chain. FML
Today, I went to my boyfriend’s work to surprise him. When I got there, I called him on his phone to tell him to turn around. I saw him look at his phone. His co-worker next to him asked who that was. He replied, “Just this fat chick I know”. FML
Today, I woke up to my car covered in shaving cream and tampons and the word CHEATER written on my windshield in lipstick. The guy a few doors down from me in my dorm has the same car as me. I'm a virgin. FML
Today, I spent almost my entire English class turned on thinking that the hot girl next to me was playing footsie with me. That is until she stood up and I realized I had been rubbing my foot on her backpack. FML
Today, I decided to send my boyfriend a pic text of me naked. I accidently sent it to my dad and got a text back saying "You definitely take after your mom". FML
Today, I fell asleep. I felt something on my face. I batted it away. It was my hamster. It died from a concussion upon hitting the wall. FML
Today, at lunch, I read the bullsheet. FML
by
Peter “Michael Phelps Stole my Bong” Wall
7044
Hey DU,
I would just like to submit this in response to Everett's article on Monday:
"I ask 'em no questions and they give me no answers; I'm following the wise but they're walking in pampers. Give me a cigarette I'm smoking my cancer; I smoke the pain away but I still have no answer."
For all of us this is our first and only shot at this thing called life. But we choose to follow as if someone else has greater insight; as if they're a pro. We follow the so called "wise" those who give great advice but their own situations are in shambles. You're hypocrites. Life is more than a syllogism; there's more than having a flawless argument; what are you living for?
There is an aspect of being at Denison that has forced me to think there is something
wrong with me. I question my frustrations. Am I the only person who sees an inherent
problem in this? Why doesn't anyone else say something? There is a psyche, an unspoken will so to speak, which blankets this institution. Who has raised so many yes-men? How do we have such a diversity of experiences molding into a uniform identity when they pass the gates? There is a premium placed on facades here; and anyone who opposes it becomes a social pariah. These comments may seem a little unfounded but let me base them on experience.
I have finally come to understand the reason for this disconnect; this unsettling
uniformity. While in my Philosophy class the Naturalistic Fallacy was brought up by a guy named Vaughn. The Naturalistic Fallacy states that you can't derive an ought from an is. This simple theory really allowed for me to understand the miscommunication that has occurred in my time at Denison (that is assuming that people have proper intentions and I would never make that assumption). The reason for my frustrations is that people have been taught to see things as they ought to be; wearing blinders to all that opposes how things should be. I don't attempt to say that I have a more developed insight, however, I believe that when one is forced to face situations there is more of a familiarity with reality.
I mention these blinders because they honestly make people oblivious. These blinders
allow for this unspoken will to manifest; and the damage that this handicap does to our community is dramatic. Not only are minority communities maintained on the periphery but other demographics are held at arms length also. This unspoken will is so strong that it allows for the assault of women to go unaddressed. There are women on campus who have been victimized and are forced to see their rapist daily; they are continually forced to relive these experiences. These women have been scarred for life while these men walk around unscathed. We attend class with these men; you hang out with these men, these predators. I don't know if that fact makes you as uncomfortable as it makes me but I just have one request: please take off your blinders; things aren't what they seem to be and the damage that ignorance can cause is preventable.
As an administration this issue has to be addressed. If you think marijuana, vandalism and underage drinking are our biggest issues I urge you to take the blinders off. I sat through a 2 hour training on how to find marijuana for ResLife because it's the problem that can be easily addressed. However, life holds much more delicate issues if you just use your peripheral. But our unspoken will dims these situations; it allows us to show "Rape in the Congo" but not "Rape at Denison." Those issues are theirs and they will remain foreign as long as we remain blind. Please free yourself because the maliciousness of our ignorance is undeniable.
I wish that I could say more about the issue of rape but we all know that it's wrong
all the way around; there is no gray area. I over hear men all the time saying that they are "gonna get (insert name) drunk" so they can sleep with her and their buddies endorse this. Oh yea and it's a good way to get a girlfriend at Denison too because the woman is almost guilted into dating you. You know how relationships work at DU, if you sleep with her that's your new girlfriend. Furthermore, I've been drunk and never thought about touching a woman in a manner that she didn't desire; I've also been drunk and never thought about touching man (hint hint). Alcohol doesn't place the thought in your mind it just lowers your ability to restrain the subsequent action. These are filthy men period; and we need to get 'em off this campus.
Peace,
Darrin Collins
p.s. You have made me work too hard to see the obvious Denison. I have had to fight your truth to see; but soon I will be free of your weight and then I can yell.
p.p.s. Oh and Meagan this is not meant as an attack. I really appreciated the bravery of your submission. But I think that you had racist tendencies at least before your experience; that is, if it had been a white man I feel that you would just fear men whereas with a Black man it becomes more specific. But I could be wrong and if so I apologize.
I would just like to submit this in response to Everett's article on Monday:
"I ask 'em no questions and they give me no answers; I'm following the wise but they're walking in pampers. Give me a cigarette I'm smoking my cancer; I smoke the pain away but I still have no answer."
For all of us this is our first and only shot at this thing called life. But we choose to follow as if someone else has greater insight; as if they're a pro. We follow the so called "wise" those who give great advice but their own situations are in shambles. You're hypocrites. Life is more than a syllogism; there's more than having a flawless argument; what are you living for?
There is an aspect of being at Denison that has forced me to think there is something
wrong with me. I question my frustrations. Am I the only person who sees an inherent
problem in this? Why doesn't anyone else say something? There is a psyche, an unspoken will so to speak, which blankets this institution. Who has raised so many yes-men? How do we have such a diversity of experiences molding into a uniform identity when they pass the gates? There is a premium placed on facades here; and anyone who opposes it becomes a social pariah. These comments may seem a little unfounded but let me base them on experience.
I have finally come to understand the reason for this disconnect; this unsettling
uniformity. While in my Philosophy class the Naturalistic Fallacy was brought up by a guy named Vaughn. The Naturalistic Fallacy states that you can't derive an ought from an is. This simple theory really allowed for me to understand the miscommunication that has occurred in my time at Denison (that is assuming that people have proper intentions and I would never make that assumption). The reason for my frustrations is that people have been taught to see things as they ought to be; wearing blinders to all that opposes how things should be. I don't attempt to say that I have a more developed insight, however, I believe that when one is forced to face situations there is more of a familiarity with reality.
I mention these blinders because they honestly make people oblivious. These blinders
allow for this unspoken will to manifest; and the damage that this handicap does to our community is dramatic. Not only are minority communities maintained on the periphery but other demographics are held at arms length also. This unspoken will is so strong that it allows for the assault of women to go unaddressed. There are women on campus who have been victimized and are forced to see their rapist daily; they are continually forced to relive these experiences. These women have been scarred for life while these men walk around unscathed. We attend class with these men; you hang out with these men, these predators. I don't know if that fact makes you as uncomfortable as it makes me but I just have one request: please take off your blinders; things aren't what they seem to be and the damage that ignorance can cause is preventable.
As an administration this issue has to be addressed. If you think marijuana, vandalism and underage drinking are our biggest issues I urge you to take the blinders off. I sat through a 2 hour training on how to find marijuana for ResLife because it's the problem that can be easily addressed. However, life holds much more delicate issues if you just use your peripheral. But our unspoken will dims these situations; it allows us to show "Rape in the Congo" but not "Rape at Denison." Those issues are theirs and they will remain foreign as long as we remain blind. Please free yourself because the maliciousness of our ignorance is undeniable.
I wish that I could say more about the issue of rape but we all know that it's wrong
all the way around; there is no gray area. I over hear men all the time saying that they are "gonna get (insert name) drunk" so they can sleep with her and their buddies endorse this. Oh yea and it's a good way to get a girlfriend at Denison too because the woman is almost guilted into dating you. You know how relationships work at DU, if you sleep with her that's your new girlfriend. Furthermore, I've been drunk and never thought about touching a woman in a manner that she didn't desire; I've also been drunk and never thought about touching man (hint hint). Alcohol doesn't place the thought in your mind it just lowers your ability to restrain the subsequent action. These are filthy men period; and we need to get 'em off this campus.
Peace,
Darrin Collins
p.s. You have made me work too hard to see the obvious Denison. I have had to fight your truth to see; but soon I will be free of your weight and then I can yell.
p.p.s. Oh and Meagan this is not meant as an attack. I really appreciated the bravery of your submission. But I think that you had racist tendencies at least before your experience; that is, if it had been a white man I feel that you would just fear men whereas with a Black man it becomes more specific. But I could be wrong and if so I apologize.
Hello all,
This is Everett Daily. I am writing today because I want to let everyone know that I am currently trying to make improvements on our campus as far as the issue of rape is concerned. I will be meeting with the presidents of all of the sororities on campus, as well as faculty and staff sometime this week. After this, I would like to have a bigger meeting with everybody who has an interest in this issue. The purpose of me having a smaller meeting first, is so that I can get a greater understanding of this issue is relation to Denison, because prior to 2 weeks ago, I did not know that this was such a big issue on our campus. After this meeting, I would like to have a discussion with everyone on our campus who cares about the issue. This will not be a forum like last year, but more so a discussion to come up with a plan for resolving this situation. I would like to come up with a list of demands, new rules, policies, etc. Once again, this second meeting will be open to everyone who wants to attend. I do not know exactly when it will be but it will be soon. If you have any ideas you can email me at daily_e@denison.edu. Thank you.
This is Everett Daily. I am writing today because I want to let everyone know that I am currently trying to make improvements on our campus as far as the issue of rape is concerned. I will be meeting with the presidents of all of the sororities on campus, as well as faculty and staff sometime this week. After this, I would like to have a bigger meeting with everybody who has an interest in this issue. The purpose of me having a smaller meeting first, is so that I can get a greater understanding of this issue is relation to Denison, because prior to 2 weeks ago, I did not know that this was such a big issue on our campus. After this meeting, I would like to have a discussion with everyone on our campus who cares about the issue. This will not be a forum like last year, but more so a discussion to come up with a plan for resolving this situation. I would like to come up with a list of demands, new rules, policies, etc. Once again, this second meeting will be open to everyone who wants to attend. I do not know exactly when it will be but it will be soon. If you have any ideas you can email me at daily_e@denison.edu. Thank you.
Hello everyone,
In writing this, I hope to not sound redundant, but it seems that another submission is required. For the past year and a half I have worked the Jazzman’s night shift in Slayter. Within my year and half of experience, I have seen an innumerable amount of trash and disrespect discarded on the floors and tables, left for my coworkers to clean up.
As a fellow student, I empathize with the fact that we pay close to $50,000 a year to call this place our home. However, that large bill does not entitle us to leave our trash, or ice bags, or half-eaten crunchwraps for someone else to pick up. When you do that, one of my fellow coworkers, Anita, Erik, John, Philip, Chad, Ben, Johnnie- real people with real lives and dignity are left cleaning up our waste. I use the word “our” because we are a community and while some people always clean up their trash, there is an obvious number who do not and we are thus all responsible for stealing an extra hour of sleep from my coworkers, some of whom already clock in close to 80+ hours a week.
I know we all live busy lives, constantly running around trying to manage school, work, athletics, friends, sanity, etc. However, I believe that we can all spare a mere 30 seconds to scan our tables and walk a few feet to a trash can. I’m not asking this favor for my benefit because in reality I do a lot less manual labor than the people I work with. I am asking this of you because I do not think I can bear to see my coworkers spend so much extra time away from their beds and families in order that the dining room is clean for us tomorrow.
So, I am asking once again to please just take the time to throw away your trash. It would make me and a lot of hardworking people really happy.
Thanks for reading,
Courtney Baxter 2011
** I’ll even add an incentive: for the 50th person I see picking up trash I will write them a $10 check and throw in a free coffee.
***On another completely different note, I wanted to quickly address Everett’s concerns from Monday’s Bullsheet. During the day I work at the Women’s Resource center and I want to assure people that people are talking about the issues of rape and sexual assault; it’s usually just not organized discussion and happens within small groups and rarely reaches the larger, institutional levels. Things are being done to bring awareness and support; it’s just taking time to happen on a wide scale. If anybody wants to know more, email me baxter_c or stop by the WRC (first floor Knapp).
In writing this, I hope to not sound redundant, but it seems that another submission is required. For the past year and a half I have worked the Jazzman’s night shift in Slayter. Within my year and half of experience, I have seen an innumerable amount of trash and disrespect discarded on the floors and tables, left for my coworkers to clean up.
As a fellow student, I empathize with the fact that we pay close to $50,000 a year to call this place our home. However, that large bill does not entitle us to leave our trash, or ice bags, or half-eaten crunchwraps for someone else to pick up. When you do that, one of my fellow coworkers, Anita, Erik, John, Philip, Chad, Ben, Johnnie- real people with real lives and dignity are left cleaning up our waste. I use the word “our” because we are a community and while some people always clean up their trash, there is an obvious number who do not and we are thus all responsible for stealing an extra hour of sleep from my coworkers, some of whom already clock in close to 80+ hours a week.
I know we all live busy lives, constantly running around trying to manage school, work, athletics, friends, sanity, etc. However, I believe that we can all spare a mere 30 seconds to scan our tables and walk a few feet to a trash can. I’m not asking this favor for my benefit because in reality I do a lot less manual labor than the people I work with. I am asking this of you because I do not think I can bear to see my coworkers spend so much extra time away from their beds and families in order that the dining room is clean for us tomorrow.
So, I am asking once again to please just take the time to throw away your trash. It would make me and a lot of hardworking people really happy.
Thanks for reading,
Courtney Baxter 2011
** I’ll even add an incentive: for the 50th person I see picking up trash I will write them a $10 check and throw in a free coffee.
***On another completely different note, I wanted to quickly address Everett’s concerns from Monday’s Bullsheet. During the day I work at the Women’s Resource center and I want to assure people that people are talking about the issues of rape and sexual assault; it’s usually just not organized discussion and happens within small groups and rarely reaches the larger, institutional levels. Things are being done to bring awareness and support; it’s just taking time to happen on a wide scale. If anybody wants to know more, email me baxter_c or stop by the WRC (first floor Knapp).
In response to Everett,
First, I would like to acklowledge the positive message you created in your bullsheet article. While I thank you for your contribution to rape discussion, I cannot help but feel that your entry only scraped the surface of rape’s enormous influence.
In your article, you were rightfully disgusted and seemingly surprised to discover that rape happens “all the time” at Denison. Unfortunately, rape is not just the reality of this miniscule population of students, but also the reality of rape as a general issue everywhere. While I agree that a cost of 500 dollars for ruphie testing is repulsive, I must also point out that “blatant” rapes involving ruphies or any other type of drug only encompass a mere fraction of sexual assaults on this campus. I regret to inform anyone who might not already know that rape on this campus is most often NOT from ruphies or any other type of date rape drug. In fact, rape commonly grows and multiplies its disgusting self through the very activity we college students deem to be stress relieving. …Parties. Unfortunately, ALCOHOL has become the new rape drug as it has excused countless acts of sexual assault through the “blurred mental state of intoxication.” Intoxication? Is that the new ruphie? Well, apparently so. Sadly, at least three of my friends on this campus, as well as many other women I know have fallen victim to rape that has been downplayed by alcohol and “situational factors.” These women have been made to feel that they were not victims of rape, simply because in our society, rape is defined as either a black or white issue that has no pity for those stuck in the grey. I guess its just tough lovin’ for my friend who had to re-arrange her room twice before she could even begin to erase the association between her bed and the “middle ground” rape excused by alcohol and “poor decision making” that occurred in her dorm. Bullshit.
I wish we lived in a world where true friends supported you if you chose to voice a rape. Again, I regret to inform you that it is not a simple matter of friends vs. foes. Again, I witnessed the process my friend had to go through when she made the brave decision to speak out about her rape. While you might imagine that this process proves who ones’ true friends are, I can assure you that the process of standing up to rape is so much more scarring. Out of the three women I spoke of earlier, only one chose to come forward. Anyone know why? Because every other woman I have ever known who chose to come forward after being raped within the realm of intoxicated “grey” situations not only lost many of her friends, but was also put through a process that was in fact public, humiliating and forever emotionally scarring. So you see, convicting a rape is not a one time event that erases itself in a month and leaves you with “true” friends. In strong contrast, the experience and rarely subsequent conviction of rape is a long, grueling process that alienates a woman and creates an element of guilt within her for the rest of her life.
So, in this response to your entry, I only intend to extend the definition of rape only to show that rape is often masked by situations that may appear to be normal, college occurrences. I think its important to remember that rape grows in many forms and extends its branches everywhere and in every way. However I do agree with you, Everett, that rape has now become “cool and ordinary” occurrence, creating a phenomenon disguised by the commonality of party hook-ups. Unfortunately, the definition of rape has become so narrow that it excludes all but few circumstances.
Marge Curtis
curtis_m@denison.edu
8789
First, I would like to acklowledge the positive message you created in your bullsheet article. While I thank you for your contribution to rape discussion, I cannot help but feel that your entry only scraped the surface of rape’s enormous influence.
In your article, you were rightfully disgusted and seemingly surprised to discover that rape happens “all the time” at Denison. Unfortunately, rape is not just the reality of this miniscule population of students, but also the reality of rape as a general issue everywhere. While I agree that a cost of 500 dollars for ruphie testing is repulsive, I must also point out that “blatant” rapes involving ruphies or any other type of drug only encompass a mere fraction of sexual assaults on this campus. I regret to inform anyone who might not already know that rape on this campus is most often NOT from ruphies or any other type of date rape drug. In fact, rape commonly grows and multiplies its disgusting self through the very activity we college students deem to be stress relieving. …Parties. Unfortunately, ALCOHOL has become the new rape drug as it has excused countless acts of sexual assault through the “blurred mental state of intoxication.” Intoxication? Is that the new ruphie? Well, apparently so. Sadly, at least three of my friends on this campus, as well as many other women I know have fallen victim to rape that has been downplayed by alcohol and “situational factors.” These women have been made to feel that they were not victims of rape, simply because in our society, rape is defined as either a black or white issue that has no pity for those stuck in the grey. I guess its just tough lovin’ for my friend who had to re-arrange her room twice before she could even begin to erase the association between her bed and the “middle ground” rape excused by alcohol and “poor decision making” that occurred in her dorm. Bullshit.
I wish we lived in a world where true friends supported you if you chose to voice a rape. Again, I regret to inform you that it is not a simple matter of friends vs. foes. Again, I witnessed the process my friend had to go through when she made the brave decision to speak out about her rape. While you might imagine that this process proves who ones’ true friends are, I can assure you that the process of standing up to rape is so much more scarring. Out of the three women I spoke of earlier, only one chose to come forward. Anyone know why? Because every other woman I have ever known who chose to come forward after being raped within the realm of intoxicated “grey” situations not only lost many of her friends, but was also put through a process that was in fact public, humiliating and forever emotionally scarring. So you see, convicting a rape is not a one time event that erases itself in a month and leaves you with “true” friends. In strong contrast, the experience and rarely subsequent conviction of rape is a long, grueling process that alienates a woman and creates an element of guilt within her for the rest of her life.
So, in this response to your entry, I only intend to extend the definition of rape only to show that rape is often masked by situations that may appear to be normal, college occurrences. I think its important to remember that rape grows in many forms and extends its branches everywhere and in every way. However I do agree with you, Everett, that rape has now become “cool and ordinary” occurrence, creating a phenomenon disguised by the commonality of party hook-ups. Unfortunately, the definition of rape has become so narrow that it excludes all but few circumstances.
Marge Curtis
curtis_m@denison.edu
8789
Monday, February 16, 2009
My name is Melanie Beth Hale and I am racist. I am racist and I hate myself for it. Three and a half years ago now I was raped by a black man, a student who finally is no longer on campus, not because of anything the school did or could do, just because he graduated. For a while I could only stand to be around white women. Anyone who was black or male, especially black and male, would only be accepted if we had already been introduced. Even then, it often didn't feel completely safe. I have no problem with white men and black women now, but I'm still racist. There are even some black men that I have met since then with whom I have had normal encounters. But a "token black male friend" does not make up for the tension in my body every time a black man I do not know comes near me. It does not wipe away my transgression of being afraid of another human being because of his gender and the color of his skin.
My counselor says I am not racist. She says it is a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that it is a completely normal response. She says it is good that I recognize it because then I can get past it. My psychologist agrees. No matter how much I recognize that it is illogical, I do not seem to have found the power to change my reactions. I can not seem to get past it and I still hate myself for it.
Today, Sunday, February 15, 2009, I met a/the kid that wore black face. We weren't formally introduced. I do not know his name. A friend, with whom I was eating dinner, and I merely overheard a conversation that hurt us deeply. I cried. He turned around.Finding myself to be racist, I felt that I did not have the right to say anything. It was the same self hate of being a hypocrite that kept me from the events of the day Denison recognized Martin Luther King Jr.
He does not seem to understand why what he did was wrong. He does not seem to understand why the forum happened. He does not seem to understand why "black people were bitching about their lives" or why saying that tonight was racist. He does not seem to think he is racist.
I was not at the forum. I was not present for the events in the fall of 2007. I was away from school dealing with other symptoms of PTSD. I heard about it though. People kept me informed. My friend who was at dinner tonight made sure I knew because in his eyes this was still my campus and he felt I should know. Because of him, I was able to listen to the events at the flag pole up until the battery on his cell phone died.
So what? What changed? How do you make a person understand who does not want to listen? He heard the arguments my friend put forward, but possibly only so he could refute them. He said that the things black people were complaining about were perpetuated by themselves. He said they were lazy. He said that if only they stopped acting like thugs and did not drop out of high school they would not be stuck in the slums. I asked him if he had ever been to an inner city school, the only time I spoke. He either did not hear my weak voice or ignored me.
All five of us were angry, he and his two friends and my friend and me. They left. We shortly did the same but not before I thanked my friend. He looked at me oddly and asked "for what?" I thanked him for turning around, but I suppose he did not see that there was another option. He did not seem to understand I was thanking him for saying all the things I do not feel I have a right to say because I am racist and I hate myself for it.
Potentially the only thing that separates me from the person I met tonight is that I recognize that what I am doing is wrong. But this is what perpetuates the cycle. Someone who generalizes a race based on one experience and someone who refuses an attempt to understand another human being.
Melanie Beth Hale
hale_m@denison.edu
Slayter Box 9271
I thought about not using my name because of the personal nature of this submission, but I feel that the person I met tonight has the right to know who is accusing him and where retaliation should be directed.
I would also like to ask people who already know me not to treat me differently because you now know I was raped.
My counselor says I am not racist. She says it is a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that it is a completely normal response. She says it is good that I recognize it because then I can get past it. My psychologist agrees. No matter how much I recognize that it is illogical, I do not seem to have found the power to change my reactions. I can not seem to get past it and I still hate myself for it.
Today, Sunday, February 15, 2009, I met a/the kid that wore black face. We weren't formally introduced. I do not know his name. A friend, with whom I was eating dinner, and I merely overheard a conversation that hurt us deeply. I cried. He turned around.Finding myself to be racist, I felt that I did not have the right to say anything. It was the same self hate of being a hypocrite that kept me from the events of the day Denison recognized Martin Luther King Jr.
He does not seem to understand why what he did was wrong. He does not seem to understand why the forum happened. He does not seem to understand why "black people were bitching about their lives" or why saying that tonight was racist. He does not seem to think he is racist.
I was not at the forum. I was not present for the events in the fall of 2007. I was away from school dealing with other symptoms of PTSD. I heard about it though. People kept me informed. My friend who was at dinner tonight made sure I knew because in his eyes this was still my campus and he felt I should know. Because of him, I was able to listen to the events at the flag pole up until the battery on his cell phone died.
So what? What changed? How do you make a person understand who does not want to listen? He heard the arguments my friend put forward, but possibly only so he could refute them. He said that the things black people were complaining about were perpetuated by themselves. He said they were lazy. He said that if only they stopped acting like thugs and did not drop out of high school they would not be stuck in the slums. I asked him if he had ever been to an inner city school, the only time I spoke. He either did not hear my weak voice or ignored me.
All five of us were angry, he and his two friends and my friend and me. They left. We shortly did the same but not before I thanked my friend. He looked at me oddly and asked "for what?" I thanked him for turning around, but I suppose he did not see that there was another option. He did not seem to understand I was thanking him for saying all the things I do not feel I have a right to say because I am racist and I hate myself for it.
Potentially the only thing that separates me from the person I met tonight is that I recognize that what I am doing is wrong. But this is what perpetuates the cycle. Someone who generalizes a race based on one experience and someone who refuses an attempt to understand another human being.
Melanie Beth Hale
hale_m@denison.edu
Slayter Box 9271
I thought about not using my name because of the personal nature of this submission, but I feel that the person I met tonight has the right to know who is accusing him and where retaliation should be directed.
I would also like to ask people who already know me not to treat me differently because you now know I was raped.
A Submission from Everett Daily- daily_e@denison.edu
Hello all,
The past two weeks, I have found myself once again disgusted with Denison University. My disgust is not due to racism this time but to sexism. In the past two weeks, I found out that rape on Denison’s campus happens ALL THE TIME through my conversations with students. Prior to these conversations, I had no idea that it happened so frequently. I had these conversations with two women in sororities, a women’s studies class, a female athlete, a male athlete, and general students. EVERYTIME, I had these conversations, it seemed that I was the only one unaware of how often rape happens on this campus. I found it very interesting how nonchalant the conversations went. I would say, “Did you know that people get raped on this cam….” And before I could finish my sentence the other person always says “ALL THE TIME.” So, then my question turned into: If women are getting raped on this campus all the time, why is it that nobody is doing anything about it? I get these explanations: If a woman wants to get a test to see if someone put a “ruphie” in her drink, it cost nearly 500 dollars, meaning that if this woman does not have 500 dollars to see if someone slipped something into her drink, then she will never know. She would also have to come up with the 500 dollars within 3 days because it can only be proven up to 3 days after the incident. Why does it cost 500 dollars for a woman to relinquish a guilt that she may feel after being raped? Why does it cost 500 dollars for a woman to prove that someone sexually assaulted her? Why does it cost 500 dollars to get a coward persecuted for his crime? I also got: People are scared to come forward because they know the person who raped them and they all have the same friends. These friends, I found out, end up protecting the rapist and not the woman who is raped! WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE THOSE? With friends like that, who needs enemies? If those people are your REAL friends they would stick up for you not matter what. People are scared because they don’t want to be excluded. If they come forward then they will be looked down upon because the rapist could be kicked out of school (which is not necessarily true, ask Huey, who finished his four years) and they would be “starting trouble.” How backwards is that shit? Why isn’t it that the woman is protected and the rapist excluded? OH WAIT, I HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE. YOU READY? It’s because there are so many rapists on this campus and it happens so often that it has become acceptable. It’s now cool and ordinary for a guy to slip something into a woman’s drink and force himself inside of her while she is passed out. It is perfectly okay for this guy to go and brag about it because he knows for a fact that nothing is going to happen to him. The system of Denison University tells gives him permission and so do his frat brothers and his sorority friends who protect him when he rapes another girl. And because a woman does drugs, drinks, or wears promiscuous clothing does not mean that she deserves to be raped, does not justify the rape, and does not make the rapist less of a monster or a coward. It does however; make him less human and less of a man. There is an honor that comes with a woman allowing a man to have sex with her. Who are you to steal it? How much of a man are you to, not only steal from a woman, but to attempt to steal her womanhood from her and to do it when she can not defend herself? And then you go and hide behind your friends and other woman for protection, and the brag about it later. Coward. Denison University is a university full of rapists who are not penalized and are allowed to continue their lives care-free, while the women that they rape are scarred for live. Just remember ALL YOU RAPISTS OUT THERE, YOU TOO MIGHT HAVE A DAUGHTER SOMEDAY.
The past two weeks, I have found myself once again disgusted with Denison University. My disgust is not due to racism this time but to sexism. In the past two weeks, I found out that rape on Denison’s campus happens ALL THE TIME through my conversations with students. Prior to these conversations, I had no idea that it happened so frequently. I had these conversations with two women in sororities, a women’s studies class, a female athlete, a male athlete, and general students. EVERYTIME, I had these conversations, it seemed that I was the only one unaware of how often rape happens on this campus. I found it very interesting how nonchalant the conversations went. I would say, “Did you know that people get raped on this cam….” And before I could finish my sentence the other person always says “ALL THE TIME.” So, then my question turned into: If women are getting raped on this campus all the time, why is it that nobody is doing anything about it? I get these explanations: If a woman wants to get a test to see if someone put a “ruphie” in her drink, it cost nearly 500 dollars, meaning that if this woman does not have 500 dollars to see if someone slipped something into her drink, then she will never know. She would also have to come up with the 500 dollars within 3 days because it can only be proven up to 3 days after the incident. Why does it cost 500 dollars for a woman to relinquish a guilt that she may feel after being raped? Why does it cost 500 dollars for a woman to prove that someone sexually assaulted her? Why does it cost 500 dollars to get a coward persecuted for his crime? I also got: People are scared to come forward because they know the person who raped them and they all have the same friends. These friends, I found out, end up protecting the rapist and not the woman who is raped! WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS ARE THOSE? With friends like that, who needs enemies? If those people are your REAL friends they would stick up for you not matter what. People are scared because they don’t want to be excluded. If they come forward then they will be looked down upon because the rapist could be kicked out of school (which is not necessarily true, ask Huey, who finished his four years) and they would be “starting trouble.” How backwards is that shit? Why isn’t it that the woman is protected and the rapist excluded? OH WAIT, I HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE. YOU READY? It’s because there are so many rapists on this campus and it happens so often that it has become acceptable. It’s now cool and ordinary for a guy to slip something into a woman’s drink and force himself inside of her while she is passed out. It is perfectly okay for this guy to go and brag about it because he knows for a fact that nothing is going to happen to him. The system of Denison University tells gives him permission and so do his frat brothers and his sorority friends who protect him when he rapes another girl. And because a woman does drugs, drinks, or wears promiscuous clothing does not mean that she deserves to be raped, does not justify the rape, and does not make the rapist less of a monster or a coward. It does however; make him less human and less of a man. There is an honor that comes with a woman allowing a man to have sex with her. Who are you to steal it? How much of a man are you to, not only steal from a woman, but to attempt to steal her womanhood from her and to do it when she can not defend herself? And then you go and hide behind your friends and other woman for protection, and the brag about it later. Coward. Denison University is a university full of rapists who are not penalized and are allowed to continue their lives care-free, while the women that they rape are scarred for live. Just remember ALL YOU RAPISTS OUT THERE, YOU TOO MIGHT HAVE A DAUGHTER SOMEDAY.
A Delayed Post of a Delayed Response
Right. So. This was going to go in a few days ago, err like Monday actually, but things kept coming up (like dinner, and like dinner) but today I ate early so here it is.
An open letter mostly to Kaitlyn (but to a few other people too now that I've procrastinated this for a day*):
Personally, I think Redneck Literature Hour sounds hilarious. I tend to have kind of a weird sense of humor though, so I checked with other people, and according to my thoroughly unscientific random survey of people I've seen in the last few hours, Redneck Literature Hour is, actually, extremely funny. At any rate, I'm sure your friends have probably been deluged with requests and so on, but - can we get H.P. Lovecraft on this too? Redneck H.P. Lovecraft would be just incredible levels of awesome.
As for a venue, I do a radio show Sunday nights, 9:30 to 11:30 PM, and all I play really is "that indie shit," so it'd be nice to shake things up with a guest spot or two. Maybe the Redneck Literature Half-Hour? The Redneck Literature Twenty Minutes? Because, quite honestly, Jane Austen, no matter what accent it's in, is a lot more interesting than anything I'm bound to discuss in between shitty indie songs (nipples, the Nazi Youth). Exec's opinion seems to be that your friends needed to tighten up their show - the only thing I had to tighten up when I was a newbie was my sleeping schedule, but again, whatever - so I daresay that might give them a bit of practice too, if they're interested in that kind of thing. My show's pretty casual, people come and go, some guy in Heath calls in and asks for groovy chick music. This is the first semester I've been completely awake for the whole thing, so it's at least marginally classier than it used to be.
Now, I was a bit confused when Jacs referred to the skill level of your friends' dancing - the most energetic ever, apparently, but still not up to Doobie standards regarding dance. I am awfully touched that WDUB at least occasionally chose to make dancing one of the requirements for their auditionees. Dance and radio have always been deeply intertwined art forms, and I'm so glad that the Doobie prioritized finding DJs who are really capable of exploiting the visual possibilities of radio.
No, I'm a bit fucking confused actually. When I auditioned as a freshman, you got asked about the music you wanted to play, any show ideas you'd suggested, and a few funny questions to see if you could think on your feet. You didn't even audition in person; you talked on a mic and heard a few members of the station talk back to you over the headphones. Now I hear that you have to stare down the entirety of exec in a room and do whatever weird shit they egg you into doing. If I'd been asked to dance for a room of ten people or so during my audition, I would've walked out. Maybe that makes me one of those awful snotty shy people, maybe it means I don't have enough of a sense of humor, but it still wouldn't have made me a bad DJ.**
It seems like it wasn't that long ago when the Doobie was pretty chill, open to just about anybody with a student keycard and interesting taste in music. Now when I suggest to someone that they audition, I tend to get a lot of shrugs. Whether it's true or not, a lot of people have started to think you need to be in a specific crowd to get in. I have a friend who's been rejected twice. He can run a station better than I can, and he has interesting music taste, but it's just never gelled for him. And he doesn't dance either. I don't have anything to do with auditions, and all I represent on the Doobie is myself (full disclosure: I was suspended last semester for absences, and quite right too), but I guess I'd like to say that I'm sorry that quite a lot of the people I've talked to had a crummy audition experience. There was an executive decision to make the auditions more like a fraternity/sorority rush process. For some people, sure, that's fun, but for a lot of people it feels like elitism. Look, I listen to opera and the Magnetic Fields, I wear vintage, I have an American Apparel t-shirt, if I got any more elitist I'd pretty much have to shoot myself.***
As for Alex's argument, I have to wonder how much concern the FCC really is. This was covered in my apprenticeship - the FCC defines indecent material as "language that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs." The FCC is concerned with swear words. For the most part, they do not give a shit about racism, and if they did, there's a lot of conservative daytime talk-radio that would be completely screwed. The FCC expects you not to offend the reasonable person, not the reasonable knee-jerk liberal. As long as you're not reading Jane Austen's sex scenes in a redneck accent, you're pretty much in the clear. Could they decide to fine us for some "indecent" offense? Absolutely. But in order for that to happen, sufficient numbers of listeners have to be offended enough to write to the FCC. The FCC is not actually wiretapping us themselves. They just have the legal right to.
And Alex made an excellent point about the Doobie representing Denison - but unfortunately that was the same day that the Denisonian published their fascinating array of sex tips for the young collegian. Personally, I think that the Denisonian represents us more than the Doobie does - there's the name, after all, and besides - radio is ephemeral, newspaper gets archived. How is it that a publication that is so out of touchit suggests you send a $200 designer coin purse to your sweetheart is now more cutting-edge than we are? What the hell, Denisonian? And what's with advising your female readers to buy expensive lingerie so they can "dress to impress," which is apparently their duty because "men bear the burden of an exceptional performance"? That's a bit fucked up, eh? I'm sure all the straight men on this campus are delighted that you've let their girlfriends know that all they have to do is lie back and think of the homeland; the burden's all on the guys! The only situation I can think of in which the woman can acceptably just lie there and not bother herself is if you're dating a necrophiliac and you're really the best he can do. Frankly I think every guy who has a crummy lay Valentine's Day should write to the Denisonian and let them know. Necrophiliacs included.
So yeah. Alex, obviously we can't get a sex columnist of our own. Let's try to talk the Denisonian out of using theirs again. Otherwise we're going to be at stalemate, and to be honest I don't know where we can go from here.
Thanks,
Kim Davies
Class of 2009, used to be 2010... it's confusing. Go see "Art" next weekend.
*Lots of days.
**All the times when I screw up the computer and there's like forty seconds of dead air... that makes me a bad DJ. Also, sorry to anyone who listened over the last couple of semesters and caught me doing the station ID in Esperanto. That was offensive, I apologize.
***I haven't bought anything from Urban Outfitters yet, but I did once apply to work there, so I guess that doesn't help me. Never mind.
An open letter mostly to Kaitlyn (but to a few other people too now that I've procrastinated this for a day*):
Personally, I think Redneck Literature Hour sounds hilarious. I tend to have kind of a weird sense of humor though, so I checked with other people, and according to my thoroughly unscientific random survey of people I've seen in the last few hours, Redneck Literature Hour is, actually, extremely funny. At any rate, I'm sure your friends have probably been deluged with requests and so on, but - can we get H.P. Lovecraft on this too? Redneck H.P. Lovecraft would be just incredible levels of awesome.
As for a venue, I do a radio show Sunday nights, 9:30 to 11:30 PM, and all I play really is "that indie shit," so it'd be nice to shake things up with a guest spot or two. Maybe the Redneck Literature Half-Hour? The Redneck Literature Twenty Minutes? Because, quite honestly, Jane Austen, no matter what accent it's in, is a lot more interesting than anything I'm bound to discuss in between shitty indie songs (nipples, the Nazi Youth). Exec's opinion seems to be that your friends needed to tighten up their show - the only thing I had to tighten up when I was a newbie was my sleeping schedule, but again, whatever - so I daresay that might give them a bit of practice too, if they're interested in that kind of thing. My show's pretty casual, people come and go, some guy in Heath calls in and asks for groovy chick music. This is the first semester I've been completely awake for the whole thing, so it's at least marginally classier than it used to be.
Now, I was a bit confused when Jacs referred to the skill level of your friends' dancing - the most energetic ever, apparently, but still not up to Doobie standards regarding dance. I am awfully touched that WDUB at least occasionally chose to make dancing one of the requirements for their auditionees. Dance and radio have always been deeply intertwined art forms, and I'm so glad that the Doobie prioritized finding DJs who are really capable of exploiting the visual possibilities of radio.
No, I'm a bit fucking confused actually. When I auditioned as a freshman, you got asked about the music you wanted to play, any show ideas you'd suggested, and a few funny questions to see if you could think on your feet. You didn't even audition in person; you talked on a mic and heard a few members of the station talk back to you over the headphones. Now I hear that you have to stare down the entirety of exec in a room and do whatever weird shit they egg you into doing. If I'd been asked to dance for a room of ten people or so during my audition, I would've walked out. Maybe that makes me one of those awful snotty shy people, maybe it means I don't have enough of a sense of humor, but it still wouldn't have made me a bad DJ.**
It seems like it wasn't that long ago when the Doobie was pretty chill, open to just about anybody with a student keycard and interesting taste in music. Now when I suggest to someone that they audition, I tend to get a lot of shrugs. Whether it's true or not, a lot of people have started to think you need to be in a specific crowd to get in. I have a friend who's been rejected twice. He can run a station better than I can, and he has interesting music taste, but it's just never gelled for him. And he doesn't dance either. I don't have anything to do with auditions, and all I represent on the Doobie is myself (full disclosure: I was suspended last semester for absences, and quite right too), but I guess I'd like to say that I'm sorry that quite a lot of the people I've talked to had a crummy audition experience. There was an executive decision to make the auditions more like a fraternity/sorority rush process. For some people, sure, that's fun, but for a lot of people it feels like elitism. Look, I listen to opera and the Magnetic Fields, I wear vintage, I have an American Apparel t-shirt, if I got any more elitist I'd pretty much have to shoot myself.***
As for Alex's argument, I have to wonder how much concern the FCC really is. This was covered in my apprenticeship - the FCC defines indecent material as "language that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs." The FCC is concerned with swear words. For the most part, they do not give a shit about racism, and if they did, there's a lot of conservative daytime talk-radio that would be completely screwed. The FCC expects you not to offend the reasonable person, not the reasonable knee-jerk liberal. As long as you're not reading Jane Austen's sex scenes in a redneck accent, you're pretty much in the clear. Could they decide to fine us for some "indecent" offense? Absolutely. But in order for that to happen, sufficient numbers of listeners have to be offended enough to write to the FCC. The FCC is not actually wiretapping us themselves. They just have the legal right to.
And Alex made an excellent point about the Doobie representing Denison - but unfortunately that was the same day that the Denisonian published their fascinating array of sex tips for the young collegian. Personally, I think that the Denisonian represents us more than the Doobie does - there's the name, after all, and besides - radio is ephemeral, newspaper gets archived. How is it that a publication that is so out of touchit suggests you send a $200 designer coin purse to your sweetheart is now more cutting-edge than we are? What the hell, Denisonian? And what's with advising your female readers to buy expensive lingerie so they can "dress to impress," which is apparently their duty because "men bear the burden of an exceptional performance"? That's a bit fucked up, eh? I'm sure all the straight men on this campus are delighted that you've let their girlfriends know that all they have to do is lie back and think of the homeland; the burden's all on the guys! The only situation I can think of in which the woman can acceptably just lie there and not bother herself is if you're dating a necrophiliac and you're really the best he can do. Frankly I think every guy who has a crummy lay Valentine's Day should write to the Denisonian and let them know. Necrophiliacs included.
So yeah. Alex, obviously we can't get a sex columnist of our own. Let's try to talk the Denisonian out of using theirs again. Otherwise we're going to be at stalemate, and to be honest I don't know where we can go from here.
Thanks,
Kim Davies
Class of 2009, used to be 2010... it's confusing. Go see "Art" next weekend.
*Lots of days.
**All the times when I screw up the computer and there's like forty seconds of dead air... that makes me a bad DJ. Also, sorry to anyone who listened over the last couple of semesters and caught me doing the station ID in Esperanto. That was offensive, I apologize.
***I haven't bought anything from Urban Outfitters yet, but I did once apply to work there, so I guess that doesn't help me. Never mind.
Rose House = Administration Building?
NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Word around the quad is that next year denison has decided to convert ROSE HOUSE to
offices for the administration.
If your a senior, you obviously dont care. If you dont like to party, you obviously dont care.
But, for everyone else if this happens our "college on the hill" will offically be
reduced to one of the best prep schools in central ohio. With no non-dorm party scenes avaliable (sunsets are dorms too)-- we will finally be collapsed to follow every rule, quiet hour and endure the constant harrassment by police and security when trying to act like the immature young adults we all are and want to be. As the final blow to our ability to function socially like normal college students, the lose of Rose House
perfectly fits the old "if you give a mouse a cookie" equation meaning Shannon, Prospect and any chance of fun will be gone next.
DONT GIVE UP.
Oh yeah more news, denison has decided to allow 200 more freshman for next year and they are also converting curtis to freshman housing. So to everyone who has no where to live or party next year, im sorry.
fucked up shit going down
8730
Word around the quad is that next year denison has decided to convert ROSE HOUSE to
offices for the administration.
If your a senior, you obviously dont care. If you dont like to party, you obviously dont care.
But, for everyone else if this happens our "college on the hill" will offically be
reduced to one of the best prep schools in central ohio. With no non-dorm party scenes avaliable (sunsets are dorms too)-- we will finally be collapsed to follow every rule, quiet hour and endure the constant harrassment by police and security when trying to act like the immature young adults we all are and want to be. As the final blow to our ability to function socially like normal college students, the lose of Rose House
perfectly fits the old "if you give a mouse a cookie" equation meaning Shannon, Prospect and any chance of fun will be gone next.
DONT GIVE UP.
Oh yeah more news, denison has decided to allow 200 more freshman for next year and they are also converting curtis to freshman housing. So to everyone who has no where to live or party next year, im sorry.
fucked up shit going down
8730
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wingless Angels and APA Welcome You
READ ME
In the dark Ohio winter, pledge season has finally come to an end. It was a hard one (that’s what she said), but many men accepted bids to the frats of their choice. Some chose to join Phi Delt and endure the walk of the elephant while others longed for endless crossword puzzles in Beta. However, for some, bid season ended without a bid and a wicked hangover. If this was you, please do not fret. I say this gentleman because there is still one institution remaining. Yes, one venerated and decorated institution still searching for members. It is Denison’s proud Wingless Angels. Now you may ask, what does it take to be a wingless angel or am I truly right for the job? To answers these queries, the men of ELLIPSIS have provided you with a series of questions to help you determine if you are just cool enough to be a member of Denison’s most sackless secret society.
Can you keep a secret? Do you look sexy in a hockey mask? Are you a little bit shy? Afraid of sunlight? Does burning wood and scaring helpless freshman give you a stify? Do you sit in your room all day and listen to my chemical romance? Do you have a vast rhetoric of angry curse words? Have you always wanted to be in a band, but can’t play in instrument? Would you want to put feces in my food after reading this? Do you talk a lot of shit, but never back it up? If you answered yes to any of these questions then my “nebbi” friends do we have one of “Penisons” most prestigious babysitter clubs for you. Yes indeed the word is out and the wingless angels are apparently running a bit low on membership this year. We would gladly give you a number to reach them, but unfortunately the wingless angels were unavailable for comment. Thus if you desire to be a member, we only suggest you create as much chaos as possible and bitch bitch bitch until you can’t do so anymore. Oh ya and by the way I want to be in the club…who doesn’t.
ELLIPSIS - 7044
_____________________________________
Hello all,
This is a message to the general population of Denison University, but especially to those who are members of IFC and the Pan-Hellenic Council. My name is Cortez Hicks a current sophomore here at Denison University double majoring in Education and Black Studies, a current member of Denison Chicago Posse 7, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc Rho Upsilon Chapter here at Denison which I am president of. In light of the newest members of both IFC and Pan-Hellenic to be initiated on Denison campus who I welcome to Greek Life! However, my friend who is a new member of Kappa Kappa Gamma asked me the question “why don’t we do programs together?” and my immediate response was “because ya’ll don’t know that we exist!” Some may think that I over exaggerate my point however, I don’t. I have been a member of Denison’s Greek life for approximately about 3 months now, after my initiation I began to wear my letters across campus, to my classes and really all of the time. I was and still am very proud of my organization however, my problem lies in the questions and statements that were made to me since that time.
“So you’re a part of Alpha Pi Alpha?
“I didn’t know that there were Black Fraternities and Sororities.”
And my favorite:
“Oh so you started a fraternity?”
I say all of this to make that point that we speak about education outside of classroom and out of class interactions amongst students however when the opportunity arises students on campus seem to remain in their shells. I have no problem with answering questions and I really welcome them whole heartedly because I know of the Fraternities and Sororities on campus, but only on the surface and with 30% of Denison’s student population being Greek affiliated, there is no reason that these discussions should be so limited. I once last semester participated in a panel discussion for prospective students, with student representatives from various organizations and the rep from IFC said that the IFC is comprised of the 6 Fraternities on Campus. I was original shocked and infuriated, because there are more than those on Denison’s campus when you include Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Why aren’t we included? Why hasn’t an invitation been extended? I want to participate in the IFC Fish Bowl in Slayter because the last time I checked I was a member of a Fraternity that has a Chapter here on campus which I am president of. I will not continue to rant because the Bullsheet needs the paper. So I extend an invitation to all of Denison’s Campus, especially IFC and Pan-Hellenic Council to have a conversation with me on the 1st Floor of Slayter at 9pm today still in time for Meal Exchange! Thursday Feb. 5th 2009. We can discuss our organizations, possible programming opportunities and community service projects. For those who do not know me I’ll be the 6’1 Black kid with the Black and old Gold Jacket on with the letters ΑΦΑ on it.
Cortez H.
‘08 President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc
Rho Upsilon Chapter
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