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To the Editor:I have been irritated by the paper this year. Two weeks in a row of 12-page issues? Weak. More space dedicated to just about everything other than the death of one of Macalester’s own? Disrespectful.
What is happening right now in our financial markets is going to have effects on the job prospects of my class and probably several classes following. The family situations of students here now could be drastically altered, and college options for the incoming class severely limited. The stock market is out of whack, politics are in free fall, billions of dollars are changing hands, banks are dissolving or being nationalized.
These are all huge issues which have global, national and local consequences. Their lack of attention in The Mac Weekly is noticeable and disappointing.
Victoria Harris ’09
To the Editor:
My great-grandmother died on Monday. It was peaceful and she did not suffer. I will miss her, but she was nearly 102 and had lived a full life.
Today I went to the Highlander to purchase a sympathy card for my grandparents. I was not terribly surprised, but nonetheless saddened, to note that the selection of sympathy cards was very limited. As I looked through them, trying to find one that captured at least some small part of what I wanted to convey, I began to cry. There were so few choices, and most seemed so trite and wrong that I couldn’t imagine sending them.
I understand that grief is difficult for anyone to articulate, even card-makers. I understand that economically it probably makes more sense for the Highlander to stock up on a wide variety of “Birthday” and “Missing You: cards, for which they doubtless have more demand. I understand that the Highlander is not my only option for card-purchasing. Nonetheless, it is the most convenient place to do so, and I think I am not the only one who would appreciate a larger selection. A sympathy card is a very important gesture, especially for those of us for whom returning home for the funeral is not financially feasible.
I know that this may seem like a small thing compared to many other issues on campus, but it feels less small when it touches you.
Gabriela Santiago ’11
To the Editor:
I am disappointed by your coverage of what you consider to be news the week of September 26, 2008. Your portrayal of Alex James as an inept leader of our Financial Affairs Commission (FAC) is an ill-informed fallacy fueled by self-interested motives.
The purported “prevailing sentiment that James handled the situation poorly” is not supported by any direct quotations, while all other assertions of lesser magnitude are supported by interviews. Is it not odd to leave your most direct criticism of Alex James stand alone with no supporting accounts?
As a member of the FAC, I am also aware of The Mac Weekly’s personal issues with the FAC and Alex James, which you fail to mention anywhere in your article. If you fail to mention your bias that exists behind closed doors, how can we expect any semblance of journalistic integrity from your publication?
Possibly the most egregious error in the issue, was the story displaced by the story against the FAC and Alex James. The story of Jan Serie’s death and incredible legacy was pushed to page three, a page much better equipped for personal attacks and muckraking journalism.
I realize The Mac Weekly is in a period of transition (not much unlike the FAC in April), so what position are you in to levy criticism in favor of honoring the loss of a legendary member of the Macalester family?
Todd Copenhaver ’09
Financial Affairs Commission
Macalester College Student Government
Christian Mathis • Sep 7, 2019 at 7:42 am
A number of visitors are keen to watch humorous videos, but I like to watch terrible movies on YouTube.